CNE Toronto Trash The Dress – Luca Ragogna Wedding Photography

Nicole | Trash The Dress

This stuff is GOLD baby! Can you tell I’m proud of this shoot?

You might recognize the model in this trash the dress shoot as Nicole from Flowers By Design and Little Birdie Wedding and Event Florals (the kick ass-ing-est florist in Barrie – I say that without hesitation, even though it might wreck whatever goodwill I have with the rest of the Barrie florists). This shoot came about because Nicole and I had wanted to collaborate on a shoot. Nicole suggested a circus / carnival themed shoot and with the CNE about to start it seemed like the perfect venue.

I lined up a model, who had to cancel 2 weeks before the shoot. I lined up a second model, who cancelled 2 days before the shoot. I called my friend Sarah Guy, who is amazing on either side of a camera lens. Sarah is a wedding photographer and she was scheduled to fly down to Las Vegas to shoot a wedding the day following our carnival shoot, but she lost her passport and had to spend all day chasing down a new one. Still, she showed up to model for me, exhausted from dealing with bureaucrats all day. I hadn’t had time to find a dress specifically for Sarah so I brought the 3 that I own (what? don’t all guys own a few wedding dresses?) and the one that fit looked wrong for the theme of the shoot. I had another dress, and Nicole was standing there.

“Nicole”, I said.
“Luca”, said she.
“Nicole, I think you have to put on the dress.”
Various profanities followed.

So, Nicole changed into the dress right there in the parking lot. Fully at risk of casting young boys into early pubescence. And she did a marvellous job at modelling for me. Sarah went home, to collapse in bed I’d imagine.

A couple of fun facts about this trash the dress shoot:
• It was possibly the hottest day EVAR! It was like hanging out on the sun… but muggy.
• The dress was too big for the petite Nicole, I had to Photoshop a clamp that was holding the dress out of a bunch of shots.
• The teenage punks manning the slushy booth were giving Nicole a hassle when a little girl walked by proclaiming “Look mommy! It’s a princess!” Nicole wasn’t bothered by the boys – she was beaming in true princess style!
• No less than 3 people wanted to have their pictures taken with Nicole. Superstar!

CNE trash the dress 01 Nicole | Trash The Dress