An American photographer with a passion for mountaineering is offering adventurous newlyweds the photo shoot of their dreams: extreme wedding photos taken at a dizzying 350m off the ground, often, teetering off a tiny ledge.
New Hampshire wedding photographer Jay Philbrick and his wife Vicki specialise in death-defying photo shoots where their subjects pose on tiny cliff ledges, against sheer rock faces and, even, dangling off precipes.
As a former professional mountain guide, Jay, 62, is well versed in the perilous art of navigating rock faces. Today, he’s married his love of photography and rock climbing and the results are breathtaking to say the least.
“In my photography I had always been attracted to contrasts of a beautiful subject in a stark or unlikely location and the cliff ledges I had in mind seemed perfect for this,” he told the Daily Mail.
Jay and Vicki, who have been shooting extreme wedding photos since 2008, take their subjects to the cliffs of Cathedral Ledge at Echo Lake State Park in New Hampshire. Cathedral Ledge is a popular tourist destination that looms 350m above ground and boasts spectacular views of the nearby Saco River Valley.
For Jay and Vicki, safety is paramount and the couple use professional climbing equipment to safely lower brides and grooms down cliff ledges before anchoring them to cliff faces.
Jay navigates the rock face with a harness and rope which allows him the flexibility to rappel down and shoot his subjects from truly unique angles.
He adds, “For most of the images we try to use posing and camera angle to “hide the ropes and anchors.
“There is no Photoshop whenever possible.”
While the results are amazing – and the couples incredibly brave, we’d prefer to take our photos on dry land, thanks!
Bride Christie Sulkoski hangs off the cliff face as her husband Kevin Coleman holds her hand. Image: Philbrick Photography
