Here’s another wedding I photographed from last season in July. I’m still flipping through past weddings, taking stock, and doing my homework for the current season. I have a lot of new ideas and things I want to try this season, but I also think it’s important to remember what has worked well. Here are just a few favorites from my best weddings file. Heidi and Aaron were married at Heidi’s family home. They had a lovely ceremony in the backyard and we ventured across the property to their lake for some portraits following the ceremony.
Heidi and Aaron are so sweet and in love. They had no trouble at all showing their affection in front of the camera.
I couldn’t get enough of this beautiful setting, but we didn’t stay long because the reception and their guests were waiting. I’m glad we had the time we did, but I would have gladly spent an hour or more there! That’s one of my requests for 2011 clients, to allow for a minimum of one hour for portraits of the bride and groom at some point in the day.
I think my excitement about this next shot was contagious. We were on our way back when I saw this tree on a hill and I was looking for just the right slope to get Aaron and Heidi (who are the same height) in position so that he could naturally kiss her forehead without her having to look down. It worked better than I thought it would because Aaron is in a position of strength and Heidi’s posture just lifted and her whole frame is elongated. They both look so sexy and confident; and from behind the camera, I am having trouble containing my excitement. Height is always a consideration when guiding a couple into a natural and flattering pose. Most of the time my approach to posing is more spontaneous, but this idea took a little more thought and the luck of finding a good location.
Here’s another wedding from last season. Crissy and Jason were married in June in the town where they both grew up, Hermine, Pa. It’s a small, quiet town about 40 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. And it felt like we were far from the city in the beautiful countryside. We started at Crissy’s parent’s home and spent a few minutes photographing the bride in their sun room. Here’s a favorite shot by Alex.
I wish I had taken a general shot to show that she is standing by a screen door in that shot above. It’s hard to tell where she is, but Crissy sure looks stunning in that window light. Here she is again with her bridesmaids as they walk down the long drive to their limousine.
Crissy loves horses so her mom arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to whisk them away from the church to their location for portraits after the ceremony.
When they entered their reception, Crissy and Jason wowed the crowd as he spun her across the dance floor. It was very Fred and Ginger and I loved the change of pace for introductions from the usual pop or hip-hop tunes that are played when couples are announced.
And here’s another favorite from the dance floor. Their first dance had so many sweet moments. They seemed to forget they were dancing in front of all their friends and family and just really enjoyed each other’s company.
Well, my 2011 wedding season kicks off this week when I second shoot with Gene Yuger of Photorise Photography. I can’t wait! I hope to squeeze in a few more recaps from the last wedding season as things start to heat up this season.
Here’s another wedding from last season that I had the privilege of photographing. Andrea and Jonathan were married in August at the Edgwood Country Club in the Fireside Room and their reception followed in the club’s ballroom. I started with Jonathan and the guys in their hotel room. Jonathan had everything in order and was just about ready to go when I arrived. I was glad to get a few shots of him putting on his bow tie.
Meanwhile Andrea was getting ready in her room just down the hall. It had a much different feel with half a dozen of her closest friends and family buzzing around and attending to all the details. This is my favorite moment when she pulled the bird cage veil over her eyes. Her bridesmaids were helping her and this is where they get it just right.
I’m showing favorite images from weddings I did over the last year, so this isn’t a complete set from the beginning to the end of the day. This is one of my very favorites, but I didn’t really notice it until recently after I had gone back through the wedding. It’s funny the way you look at things can really change over time. Andrea and Jonathan just look so content and peaceful here. To me, that’s just what you should be on your wedding day.
After the ceremony, we didn’t have to travel far for portraits on the lovely golf course. Here’s where they get a little playful. I love to see a bride and groom flirt.
The wind totally cooperated with us that day. It was blowing in just the right direction—nice!
Ok, this lovely on-location session didn’t last that long because we could see a big rain cloud moving in. So they’re off to celebrate at the reception!
Any time I can find a few hours to experiment with new concepts for wedding photography, I take it! So I called up a friend of mine while it was still warm at the end of summer and we headed to the West End Overlook in Pittsburgh to try out some ideas I’ve been kicking around. This is a great way to keep things fresh and also to work out what is actually realistic on a wedding day. Amanda is a great sport and a lovely lady so she didn’t mind if I shared her photos before and after retouching.
There are a couple of factors in this first image. I love walking shots of brides and grooms, but this shady walk has splotchy patches of light passing through the leaves. I used off-camera light at a low level because I didn’t want to blast her with light and loose the pretty light pattern from the trees, but I wanted some even light on her face. My first job is to make Amanda pop out of the scene but in a natural way. Sure it helps to have an off-camera light, but there’s only so much you can do when the subject is walking and the light is stationary. On the wedding day, this problem is resolved with a second shooter who can assist with lighting in tricky settings. So here’s the before:
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I love photographing engaged couples and I love Mellon Park in Pittsburgh, so an engagement session at Mellon Park during the summer is something I thoroughly enjoy. On this particular morning, the fog hadn’t lifted until well after we started the session. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about it, the fog made everything appear to be muted. But once I got to editing the photos, I found that fog can be great in setting a mood. Anyway, Rebecca and Patrick are a lovely couple to work with. Here are a few favorites from their shoot:
I love the look of this one because you really can’t tell where they are—maybe somewhere in Europe?
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