Trash the Dress — Former brides turn treasured dresses into artistic new photos
By Ryan • Nov 5th, 2007 • Category: News for Creatives (archives)“Trashing The Dress” is a unique approach to creating portraits in which women are photographed wearing their wedding gowns in highly unusual settings – often subjecting bride and dress to less than flattering conditions.
“My wedding dress had been hanging in my closet for five years,” said Shelley Ratcliff, who arranged a TTD session with Conroe photographer Jen Davis recently. “I decided it would be fun to do a different type of photo session in it.”
Ratcliff and Davis discussed options before heading off to take photos atop piles of abandoned tires, sitting on railroad tracks and immersed in a swimming pool.
“I didn’t really want to destroy the dress,” she said. “But I thought it would be interesting to take some different shots that were different from anything I’ve done before. It’s an interesting contrast to my original wedding pictures.”
Following the session, Ratcliff had the dress professionally cleaned. The undamaged gown is once again hanging in her closet.
The traditional relationship between brides and their gowns has been one of sacrifice – an expensive garment, protected against stains and spots and worn only once. Many heirloomed their dresses in the hope their daughters might wear them on their wedding day.
“I’m never going to wear this dress again,” said Ashley Ballinger, who booked a TTD session recently after nine years of marriage. “I don’t think my daughter would really be interested in this dress, so it seemed like a fun thing to do.”
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