Sarah and Phillip get Married

A couple weekends ago I had the opportunity to work with fellow photographer, Emily Rearick in Charlotte, NC. We first met the couple, Sarah and Phillip at a hotel they were using for pre-wedding preparation. I spent most of my time with Phillip and his gang of closest family and friends involved in the ceremony.

Phillip putting on his cufflinks given to him by his bride.

My favorite group of shots were to get each of the guys after they were put together in front of the large window in the hotel room and shoot a close-up portrait using natural light at a very large aperture to isolate them from the frantic background.

The entire entourage then traveled to Catawba College which has a beautiful campus and presented some great locations for some group shots. We got some of the standard/formal stuff done but also had plenty of time to also have some fun. Setting aside time for photos is one of the best ways of making sure you get results. 

Starting with the traditional formal stuff is a good idea. Guys tend to get antsy and eventually punchy and goofy. When you have a great group of guys like this, you can use that to your advantage. Getting the expected formals out of the way, you can let them cut loose and get some great stuff that they will appreciate later. Moms like the formals grooms like the fun stuff. 

We then moved onto the venue which was beautiful. The couple had hired a classic Rolls Royce sedan for their transporation.

The ceremony was beautiful and there was an ample amount of natural light which was a blessing in most respects but a real challenge in other ways. Having plenty of light meant good light for a majority of the ceremony but also created very hot spots that had to be addressed when people were walking and standing in specific places.

After the ceremony, we retreated to a nearby country club and a good time was had by all.

Late into the evening, the couple walked through a gauntlet of well-wishers with sparklers (this seems to be a growing trend, apparently) and onto their brittish charriot. 

This day was the first time I had met Sarah and Phillip. But after spending time with people on their wedding day, surrounded by the people they love and trust most and love them, you tend to learn a good bit in a short period of time. They way they treated me, a near total stranger, on their special day said volumes about them as well as what their family and friends shared in their toasts. I wish them nothing but the best in their future life together and am grateful I was a part of it.

You can see a gallery of the highlights on my website here. And an even larger collection on my flickr account here.

Kendra & Cord Wedding

Last Saturday I went to Murphy, NC to photograph a wedding for a great, young couple Kendra and Cord. We started the day with meeting Kendra at the salon getting ready for her big day.

The salon had a nice big white panel on the wall in the waiting area which was well-lit by huge storefront windows so we had her pose and show off her new look.

All the shots in the salon where made with the D700 and the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens using ambient light.

Afterward, my assistant (aka, my wife) and I ran ahead and scouted both the church where the ceremony was to be performed as well as the reception location to become familiar with the layout and find places to act as settings for some interesting photographs of this great couple.

The reception location was an ideal locale, the John C Campbell Folk School which consists of a wide expanse of grounds and beautiful new facilities as well as many old farm structures. Kendra and Cord's reception was in an outdoor pavilion building surrounded by fields, gardens and old barns - all with great potential for some fun images.

In the garden, there was a gazebo structure that was ideal for some warm images of them as well as Kendra and her bridesmaids.

These images were shot with the Nikon D700, Nikor 35-70mm f2.8 and the Nikon SB-800 in a Westcott 28" softbox.

We also moved around the nearby grounds and took advantage of the scenery. At nearby barns, we made some images of the couple as well as the groom with his groomsmen.

The above shot was using a Westcott 60" shoot-through umbrella with Nikon SB-800 and the below shot was using a Westcott 28" softbox.

Lastly, I drug the groom's party out into the field. I did this last because of the possibility of getting grass and various field "ingredients" on their formal wear, which they were anxious to get out of at this point due to the humidity. But they didn't gripe, they were gung-ho for anything I had in mind. So out we went.

The light was heavy overcast and the colors were a little muddy. It set the tone for a nice dramatic image but I wanted to isolate the groom, Cord, so I used a bare SB-800 from pretty far off frame aimed at his face to emphasize him in this image. Not that I want the groomsmen to disappear, but use them to help Cord, the man of the hour, stand out.

On an equipment-related note. I just received a new bag, the ThinkTank Speed Racer belt pack bag. I will have a more in-depth review of the specifics of this bag. But after my first real-world test of this bag, so far, I'm very impressed. It's fairly large but it's so well thought out and it holds pretty much everything I need. When dragging a wedding party around in gardens and barns, to be able to quickly move your gear and get to it when you need it saves you an enormous amount of time. That is time that if you spent it fuddling around for your equipment, causes people in formal wear and 80% humidity to start loosing patience.

More from the wedding can be seen here.