Trash the Dress: John Michael Cooper

A bride from our Paper Studio recently brought in her "wedding binder" and I was so struck by her clips of wedding photography because she was on a mad hunt for something out of the ordinary. One of her clips was from John Michael Cooper, who likes to create alternative shots of the bride and her dress, sometimes juxtaposing them in stark landscapes much like a narrative fashion shoot.

Above: Before clicking onto John Michael Cooper's site, let me first forewarn you, his tag is "bad ass approach with an alternative edge to wedding images." A NYT article on his work was entitled "Is this Any Way to treat Vera Wang?" Don't be scared by the shocking opening photo to his site (ok, well I was too!)...but as you go through his work you'll see his captivating perspective of couples and narrative. Cooper also started Trash the Dress, which could be quite an alarming title for a bride to be! But no worries, this site was created to "celebrate" the bride and her wedding more than to trash it.

above: Photographer Heather Cole captures a bride in "suspense" of her nuptials!


above: Mermaid or bride? This beautiful photo was taken by Del Sol Photography.
These photographers are all on the Trash the Dress site. If you are looking for some truly unique shots and perspectives for your wedding, the site publishes a directory of photographers in your state.