St. Jude Cathedral Wedding in St. Petersburg Florida - f/6.3 ISO 400 1/50th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power to frame left SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame rightBrian and Kelsey had a very fun and jovial wedding. I do not think I ever saw less nervousness in either the bride or the groom before a wedding. The fun continued through the wedding ceremony that referenced Disney story lore at length. I had heard from Kelsey that they were Disney fans, but I had no idea the priest would be making theme park ride metaphors during the ceremony!
Ruby Red Slippers on the St. Petersburg Florida bride - f/5.8 ISO 400 1/80th SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mountedKelsey told me she was also a big Wizard of Oz fan. Therefore I was not surprised to see her wearing very Dorothy-like ruby red slippers under her wedding dress. I could find no yellow brick road to use in the foreground, unfortunately.
St. Jude Cathedral bride & groom during the ceremony - f/4 ISO 200 1/125th SB-600 Speedlight hotshoe mountedThis was a Catholic wedding which has an hour-long ceremony. Since the bride and groom do not stand right in front of the priest all the time, there were several opportunities for clear photographs of the couple, which is rare during wedding ceremonies. I could also not go within a large marble circle surrounding the alter area so using my trusty Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens was a must.
feeding each other cake at wedding reception - f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted @ 1/4 powerAlthough the above shot shoes a very animated cake feeding custom, what followed was very neat and orderly. I have to say I am disappointed that nowadays couples do not smash cake into each other's faces. To me there is then no reason to perform this custom if it is just a neat nibble of cake. I liken it to find out the sex of one's baby before delivery. Just takes the fun out of it, at least to me, though it must be said I am very fond of maintaining old customs.
garter belt surprise at St. Jude Cathedral wedding reception hall - f/5.6 ISO 800 1/80th SB-800 hotshoe mounted at 1/4 powerThe DJ prompted the bride & groom to tell the guy who (reluctantly) caught the garter belt when to stop hiking the belt up the lucky bouquet catcher's right leg. During this I wondered to myself, what if the woman who catches the bouquet is wearing pants? Do all women who attend weddings wear dresses or skirts? I will make a point of observing this at the wedding I next photograph at the end of June.
The interior of Sacred Heart Church in Tampa Florida during a wedding - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRWith all the news this week coming out of Rome regarding the Catholic Church and a new pope, I dug into my unedited archives for these HDR images of Sacred Heart Church in downtown Tampa, Florida. These images are from a wedding I photographed in the church back in May 2012. The exterior of the church is very beautiful and elaborate, and as you can see the inside is even more so.
View from the balcony in Sacred Heart Church in Tampa Florida during a wedding - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRI was up in the balcony for all these photographs gettings a bird's eye view of the wedding ceremony. When I see such architecture and detail I always think about how much work must go into building and creating something like this. How much planning ahead of time is needed??
Stained glass windows of Sacred Heart Church in Tampa Florida during a wedding - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRThese windows are high up and in the back of the church. Only up from up in the balcony with binoculars could one get a good view of them.