Tom and Elysia’s Wedding - Nov 24th, 2007 - Kiln Creek Golf Club and Resort

Posted on November 27, 2007

I’m going to try something new on this wedding. (as far as presenting it on the blog) I think that it’ll make it a bit easier to see a better cross section of the images I take. What it may do though is cut down on my banter. But, I’ll just see how it goes and see how I feel about it once I do a few this way.

This was a wedding I was stressing out about. It takes a lot to stress me out, believe me. But, the conditions and the timing for the ceremony had me pulling the hair I don’t have on my head out.

Tom and Elysia’s ceremony was set for 5pm, outside, at Kiln Creek Golf Club and Resort in Newport News, VA. In the past, the outdoor weddings I’ve done there have been under the pavilion they have next to the putting green. It’s REALLY dark in the afternoon on that side of the resort. HUGE trees, a GREAT big building, and the sun setting behind the ceremony site behind MORE big trees.

I’ve also found throughout my life that 99% of what I worry about never happens. (thankfully) EVERYTHING about this wedding turned out wonderful. It was a dream to shoot this one. It was challenging, and I had to use quite a bit of extra lighting for the ceremony and formals, but that extra effort paid off in some really nice images.

So, I’ve picked out just THREE to put here. I’ve picked out 110 and made them into a slide show that you can view. Hell, you can even buy it if you want. This is a new product I’m adding to my packages for the rest of this year and obviously into next year.

Here are 3 of my favorites. (I had alot of favorites, but these just popped up at me)

Now, if you want to see the other 110 images I picked out from this wedding, you can view the slide show with music here:
Click Here For The Wedding Image Slide Show

Don’t forget to turn your speakers on!

Paul & Megan - Wedding - Nov 10th, 2007

Posted on November 15, 2007

Paul and Megan got married this past Saturday, the 10th of November. The ceremony was at St Mark’s Catholic Church on Kempsville Rd. The reception was at Barclay Towers down on 8th and Atlantic at the ocean front. I shot their engagement session in June of this year up in Richmond , Virginia at Maymont Park. (I’ll do a separate article on that).

It was a dreery, cold, wet, windy day. But, just like in show biz, the wedding must go on. For me, it means I have to bring extra lighting and LOTS of batteries for speed lights. I would have normally shot the formals and things like that outside either at the church or at the beach during the reception. The weather wasn’t going to allow that. So, with portable studio strobes, 4 cameras, 5 speed lights and enough batteries to power the space shuttle I set out for this wedding.

That’s the interior of the chapel at St Mark’s Catholic Church. I shot that with a fisheye lens. I have to be careful with that one since if I’m not I end of with GREAT pictures of my own feet. That’s how wide a wide angle it is.

It’s always pretty funny when someone hands a groomsman a box of Boutonnieres with a “I don’t know how to put it on, don’t ask me!” look on their face. It’s also always pretty funny to watch 5 men try to pin them on themselves without drawing blood. (seen that happen too, (the blood part)). I pinned one on a groomsman, demonstrating how to do it. Then I turned them loose on each other.

Then it was time for pre-ceremony formals. I shoot details and preparations, and once everyone is close to ready, it’s time to get some formals done to save LOADS OF TIME after the ceremony. I generally shoot the groom in the chapel, and the bride somewhere out of
sight. I try to look for a window with SOME light filtering in. It’s a great look.

Mom helps Megan put her veil on. Then, it’s time for the ceremony to begin. We knew this because the deacon performing the ceremony came looking for Megan.

This was a short Catholic Ceremony. Not a FULL mass. The resident priest was out of town, so the ceremony was performed by the deacon.

I think there are over 180 image from the Ceremony in this wedding. So, good thing it was short! This article is going to be long anyway without all of the details of the ceremony.

After the guests all leave the chapel, it’s time for the post ceremony formals. I’ll just post a couple of those.

I like to shoot the family formals first, which I did. They can then be released to the reception. The wedding party is next. After them, it’s Paul and Megan alone. I did a few tints and things to some of the images which I normally will do as part of my coverage. I don’t shoot with the intent of tinting or doing a montage. I just come up with them during the course of editing. The last formal is a montage of a formal shot and the wedding program sheet that was being used for the Ceremony.

Then it’s ON TO THE RECEPTION! This was CLEAR across town, so I had to disregard public safety and blatently disregard several traffic laws to get to the Barclay Towers before Paul and Megan. They just had to leave the church. I had to pack up all the cameras and lighting, pack up my car, get to the hotel, unpack the car, and BREATH once before they got there. But, fortunately, I got there before they did. (I know a shortcut called NOT STOPPING for lights)

“Ladies and Gentlemen! For the FIRST TIME AS HUSBAND AND WIFE!” uhmmmmm, no. The Deacon said it FIRST back at the church! (pet peeve of mine!)

Paul and Megan’s first dance.

And Mom cries.

You can almost hear this little one’s gears turning. “Sponge Bob, Square Pants!” “When is all this icky dancing going to be over so I can have some of that HUGE CAKE!?”

Then Megan and her Dad dance.

And Mom cries some more!

Naturally, this is just a cross section of what I shot at this wedding. There were over 890 images presented to Paul and Megan.

Then it was time for the Bouquet and Garter. I liked the chair made from the groomesmen for Megan. Nice touch.

I think this poor guy got framed! Foul! It’s odd. The girls will fight for the bouquet, and the guys will fight to not be in the same ZIP CODE as the garter. Why? Because we like to pretend to NOT need women I suppose. At least not in front of OTHER guys. If it were just a room full of women with ONE guy to catch the garter you can bet it would be caught with acrobatic flourish.

There had been great dancing and energy all evening. The DJ did a great job. Like this little sequence teaching people the Cha Cha Slide. The dance floor at Barclay Towers is tricky to photograph simple because the room is small, the dance floor is small, and it’s got walls around two sides, one of which is a HUGE window on the boardwalk facing the ocean. But, I’ve worked there so many times, it’s just a no brainer to jump up on the window ledge or on top of a chair behind the DJ setup.

To catch Paul and Megan having some fun.

To the toast and Cake Cutting.

The group hug dance was fun!

And capturing some of the guys cutting up while also capturing the light show on the dance floor was also fun.

The guests did a tunnel of love type thing out of the hotel for Paul and Megan and once outside their parents presented them with some leis.

What EVERY groom wants on his wedding day? A nice Lei!

Congratulations Paul and Megan!

Trash The Dress At Addie’s Bridal Session

Posted on November 7, 2007

It took some time to schedule this shoot being that Addie is from out of town, but we had something special in mind so the conditions had to be just right.

You might remember seeing images of Kevin and Addie from their Engagement Session a while back. Somehow I knew she’d be up for something like this. But first, we had to do the traditional bridal portrait session.

Instead of meeting around sunset which is the norm, this one was scheduled for 30 minutes before SUNRISE. For someone to do hair, makeup, and get into a wedding dress before sunrise, it takes a bit of dedication to the cause. Fortunately, Addie and her entourage were up to it. Mom, Sister, and future Mom-In-Law were present for the session.

I was glad, because I was going to need lighting grips, hair brushers, dress changers, and mobile dressing room blanket holders.

First, the traditional bridal session. (you have to eat the green beens before the dessert it’s sometimes said right?)

Now, we had phase one of this shoot “in the can” so to speak. I had plenty of traditional images to choose from and present as final edits. Now it was time to do something different.

I’d seen and heard about “Trash The Dress” shoots. Naturally, I wanted to do one. (sounded right up my ally) So, what we had to do was enlist the help of a “stunt dress”. This dress would never see an aisle. (poor dress!) But, it would be used this once, and it wouldn’t be usable again (without a cleaning and repair cost that would exceed the cost of the dress itself).

I was able to find the one we used on the “final rock bottom low price before we burn it to save room” rack at a local bridal shop. It was the size Addie said she was. So, it had to be tried on. On the beach. So, with the help of the entourage, a few blankets, and some quick “superman in the phone booth” moves, she took the real dress off, and put the stunt one on.

IT FITS! ON TO PHASE TWO!

How’s the water Addie? “Warmer than the air!”

Now, You CANNOT get shots like this one below.

Without stuff like this happening. Many people have tried to pause the ocean. I haven’t heard of anyone being successful thus far.

I shot close to 300 frames during these concurrent sessions. I got over 130 keepers. These are just SOME of the sequences. I think Addie deserves a standing ovation for being an “A #1 Trooper” on this. YAY!!!!!

She wasn’t the only one that got wet though. I was soaked to the skin up to my waist. I got my very very very expensive camera wet and I had about 20 pounds of wet sand in my pants and shoes. But, it was worth it.

Kevin and Addie are getting married toward the end of December! Can’t wait for that one!

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