I flew out to North Carolina to shoot Brandon and Lissete’s wedding. I had the great pleasure of working with my associate photographer, Ray again. The wedding was held at the couple’s house outside Raleigh. It was far enough outside that I got a chance to see very clear stars for the first time in a while.

The night really got interesting with a 5 minute fireworks display followed by the peruvian tradition La Hora Loca, the crazy hour.

Being a professional is less about what gear you have and more about how you prepare for a shoot and how you handle yourself during the shoot.

Whenever I shoot a wedding, I scout the location several days in advance, at the time the wedding will take place. This shows me how and where the light will be at the wedding, and I know to prepare for sun or shade. I get familiar with the venue layout which helps me find good angles to shoot from and move between locations faster. Scouting the location also allows me to start thinking about the photos several days in advance. That way I can go into the day with a game plan. I know all the cool, interesting spots for photos and how the light will be for the ceremony. On the day of the wedding, I show up early, and I can change my plans to work with any changes at the venue. Spending the extra time preparing allows me much more freedom to make great photos on the day.

Scouting the location allows me to become familiar with the venue and aware of any environmental obstacles I’ll have to deal with. As a professional photographer you should always be aware of your environment. I repeat, always be aware of your environment. I did some volunteer work for a community theater several years ago and getting the shot often required me to shoot from the edge of the stage. One wrong move and I’d fall anywhere from 6 to 10 feet. So I’ve learned to always be aware of my environment. I don’t think I can stress how important this is. I can take a quick glance at my feet and see what’s a few feet behind me. Being aware of my environment puts me at a huge advantage when navigating around guests, aisles or other obstacles as I get the shot.

I’ve seen this video circulating around the internet of the past couple days.

My first thought was, “Wow! I would never allow that to happen to me.”

Last month Michael + Jill’s wedding was featured in The Wedding Chronicle. I wanted to thank Ramin + Beth of The Marin Studio and Jill for help shooting the wedding.

Tomorrow I leave for North Carolina to shoot another wedding with associate photographer Ray.

Nick + Amy were married last week at Venue at the Grove. It very nice ceremony with family and a few close friends. I was happy be a part of their special day.

Nick and Amy were married at Last week. Here’s a preview while I’m still sorting through all the photos.

While In Raleigh I caught a ride down to Charlotte to attend, my good friend, Jak’s wedding. I’ve known Jak since before I started high school. My mom and his mom were very good friends. During high school we ran in different circles and started hanging out more when I we went to college. After college we roomed together for several years. Eventually Jak moved back home to help his family. Shortly afterwards, I moved out to New Mexico. We kept in touch and visited when I would back to North Carolina.

When I found out Jak was getting married, I made sure that I’d have that weekend free. Jak has always been a very nontraditional guy. His wedding was very much the same. It was great catching up with some people I haven’t seen in years. Congratulations Jak and Wendy, you are a great couple.

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Following all the events of the previous two days was the official ceremony and reception.

Jeremy and Nipa are an awesome couple. When I first met with Nipa, I knew it was going to be a very fun wedding. Both are huge Battlestar Galactica fans. They had several Battlestar themed items at the reception, including an Adama and President Roslin cake topper. Their good friend and amazing wedding coordinator, Emily from Grandes Fetes, did an incredible job flipping the ceremony site for the reception. This included getting tables and favors for around 300 people in place.

I had the honor to document Jeremy and Nipa’s wedding. Since the wedding events were taking place over the course of several days, I brought in fellow photographer Ray to assist on the wedding. The wedding events started several days before the actual wedding day. My part started with the Mendi Party followed by the Manglik Prasang the next morning. The Manglik Prasang consists of several rituals to foster good feelings for the start of the wedding and removes any obstacles that are on the path to happiness and prosperity. That evening was the Raas-Garba Night.