Ray + Britt were married in the backyard of her dad’s house. They had a small ceremony with only family followed by a much bigger reception/party with all their friends and coworkers. Both avid mountain bikers, we were able to exchange a few mountain biking war stories. Congratulations Ray + Britt.
Joe + Amy were married at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. Christy of Your Perfect Day was there to make sure everything looked amazing and ran smoothly.
Chris and Jenna were married in a small ceremony on the beach north of Corolla, NC. I had a great time hanging out with them, their families and some old friends over the long weekend.
Chris and Jenna had the beach house for the entire week. I came out for a long weekend and spent Friday hanging out on the beach before everyone started to get ready for the rehearsal that evening.
Chris and Jenna were married at the beach north of Corolla, NC, on the Outer Banks. I’ve known Chris for several years. We worked at the NC State student newspaper. He’s an amazing photographer and I was honored to be asked, with Ray, to shoot his wedding.
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.”