flower girl

Gateway Church St Petersburg Wedding with Bianca & Derrick

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Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club docks provides the background for this wedding portraitYou may recognize Bianca as I recently featured her in my new Bride Series.  She married Derrick at the Gateway Church in St. Petersburg.  Their reception was at the Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club, a place I photographed at twice before (New Year's Eve, Admiral Farragut Graduation 2010).

Bianca and Derrick take their vows inside Gateway Church in St. Petersburg, Florida

Bianca and Derrick were about as ideal as wedding clients could get for me.  First and foremost, Bianca wanted non-traditional photographs and trusted my candid style to let me tell the story of her wedding through my own artistic vision.  Also, they are super friendly people and though I had only met them once before their wedding, I already felt like friends with them and that I was not photographing a stranger's wedding, but people I already had some kind of connection with.  Again, this is ideal for me.

We would all eventually get stuck at a long drawbridge before reaching the reception on Treasure Island!It also really helped that I was very familiar with the Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club.  I knew exactly where I wanted to take them for some quick outdoor shots (see top photo) before we all melted in the searing midday Florida sun.  I am really glad we all made the effort because the lead shot above turned out to be Bianca's favorite.  

Hershey's Kisses cleverly placed amongst diamondsThere was plenty of time to get all the shots I wanted.  I could even use my macro lens some to get the above detail shot of the centerpiece to Derrick and Bianca's table at the reception.  As a child I would very carefully unwrap Hershey's kisses and save the white label for some reason.  

One of these would soon be in my stomach.Cupcakes have become a huge dessert trend in the U.S. over the past few years.  The above cupcakes were laid out on a multi-tiered tray in the reception ballroom and I eyed them immediately.  Walking past them from three feet away I could still literally smell their sweetness.  As my time photographing their wedding came to a close, I was ecstatic that Bianca said I could take one home with me.  Little did she know I might have photographed her entire wedding for a tray of those cupcakes rather than cash money.  Maybe.

the flower girl ruled the dance floorThe last thing I photographed was some very lively dancing buy the reception guests.  The DJ knew how to get a lot of people up and moving.  However, everyone made way for this boy and the flower girl and to my surprise he was twirling her and doing complicated dance moves!  I always like the last shot I take while on a job to be a high note, and the kids above made that easy this time.

I thank Derrick and Bianca again for choosing me as their wedding photographer!

Florida Beach Sunset & Twilight Wedding Children

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Making time for the flower girls - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 640 1/320th strobist: SB-600 off camera to left 1/2 power

I had the chance to be a second shooter for a wedding recently, which to me is one of the most fun gigs in photography.  Minimal pressure & responsibility, but maximum opportunity to get creative or at least unusual shots.  While the main photographer worked with the bride and groom, I was able to focus on the children in the wedding party during sunset and twilight.  I corralled the two flowers girls, who were frolicking on the shoreline, just long enough to make this sunset portrait.  The older flower girl just instinctively held the younger flower girl like that.  All I had to do was make sure my strobist setup was aligned correctly and try to get the horizon straight (whoops).  That is always a challenge as people standing up straight are almost never perpendicular to the horizon.  This time I chose a slightly crooked horizon in exchange for flower girls with perfect posture.

Representing multiple generations - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 400 1/320th strobist: SB-600 off camera to left full power

The woman above is holding her granddaughter.  I purposefully wanted to try my best to make as good a portrait of her as I could . . . because she told me earlier either another photographer or just someone told her that she did not look good in photographs.  That made me feel ill that someone would do that, especially if it was a photographer!  I made a point to prove that person wrong, which I think I was successful at with the above portrait.  I showed it to the woman right after saying, "see, you look great in this photo."  She thanked me and I could see in her eyes she was surprised herself.  It was a very satisfying feeling for me.  

I helped the woman get over her self doubt by having her hold her granddaughter for a portrait, much better than trying to make a good portrait of her on her own.  I am sure just holding her granddaughter puts her in a more relaxed, loving mood.  Add to that a beautiful Florida twilight sky, and boom, a photograph that will be valued by both photographer and subject.  

standing perilously on a jetty! Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 400 1/100th strobist: SB-600 off camera to left full powerThe above flower girl was obviously a very easy subject to make a great portrait from.  She was standing, rather balancing, on some jetties when I brought my light stand over to use the now inky twilight sky as a background against her white dress.  It was a rare opportunity for me to photograph a child so far after sunset.  Flower girls are usually drenched in sunlight in photographs, or under the lights of a church.  I wanted to add a sense of mystery to a flower girl portrait.  This shot and all the others would not be possible for me to take being the primary or lone wedding photographer for a sunset wedding.  I was glad to have the opportunity this time.