Wedding

Bilmar Hotel Florida Sunset Beach Wedding

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Christina & her bridesmaids - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 400 1/160th strobist: SB-600 off camera to leftFor years when I first crossed the inter-coastal waterway bridge and arrived on Treasure Island on my way to Sunset Beach, the Bilmar Hotel would be the first thing I saw.  Next to it the Thunderbird Hotel.  Over the years I built up in my imagination what they must be like inside and created a history for them.  I always thought one day I would go inside one of those hotels, but never did, not until I photographed Christina and Sean's wedding last month.  

Walking down the aisle, Florida beach wedding style.

What I was immediately reminded of upon entering the Bilmar Hotel were my own childhood memories of my family's first visits to Florida and the hotels we stayed at in the 80s.  I have not taken a true vacation in the U.S. in over 11 years so I do not often see the insides of hotels of any kind.  I really like checking out travel related places like hotels and airports.  They are good places to imagine where the people you see came from, why did they take vacation on non-descript week in May, etc.  

A sunset wedding kiss - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th strobist: SB-600 off camera above to the rightThe sunset light was nice and soft as usual, so there were no particular technical challenges in photographing this wedding.  The beach for a change was largely free of looky-loos giving me clean backgrounds when shooting just the bride and groom.  It was a cloudless sunset allowing the sun to be seen all the way until it slips behind the horizon beyond the sea.  

The Kiss - Florida Beach Sunset Wedding

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Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 400 1/200th strobist: SB-600 on light stand 1/2 power radio triggeredTherese and Mark chose Florida as their location to wed on a quiet weekday evening.  It is always semi-fascinating to me what is important to some people, has totally no meaning to others.  Of the people on the beach that Wednesday, too most it was just another great Florida sunset.  Perhaps to some it was the final day of their hard earned Florida vacation.  To Mark and Therese is was their wedding day.  That fact that this divergence exists causes some fascination to me.  What really is important?  What really matters?  

Sunset Beach Wedding Treasure Island Florida with Mary & Matthew

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Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 500 1/200th strobist: SB-600 on light stand to frame left TTL modeIt is always nice to combine a beautiful wedding dress and a beautiful sunset, except I worry about tearing or damaging such a dress!  So with some hesitation I asked Mary (also the bride featured in "the kiss") if she would be able to sit on the jetties on Sunset Beach of Treasure Island, Florida.  She was up for it so the next challenge was for me to shoot while balanced on a jetty myself.  Fortunately, I started my rock hopping career long ago (in Yosemite National Park) and am comfortable teetering on rocks, though again I was not worried about myself so much as my Nikon D300 falling.  I believe the above shot was worth all the preparing and setup.

Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1250th natural lightMary was all smiles as she walked down the sandy aisle.  For these scenes I like to work with my Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D lens at a 200mm focal length to get up close and personal with the bride as she approaches the groom, and to take advantage of its great bokeh and sharpness at the f/4 aperture.  This allows me to have some distance between the bride and myself so I can get more of a candid shot.  Starting a wedding just about 45 minutes before sunset allows for some great natural light as well.  I used no flash in the above shot.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 320 1/320th strobist - SB-600 on light stand to left in TTL mode

The sun seemed to set slowly this evening, allowing us to try more types of shots than usual.  The staring off into the distance shot is a one I personally like to do as a photographer (I hope the client likes it too!).  I let them stare for a good bit of time to let their minds wonder onto what may.  Then I take the shot without any real warning.  I can think of no greater instrument for conjuring deep thought than the Sea at sunset.  I did not ask then what they thought of. 

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.

Engagement Session with Mary & Jason at University of Tampa

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Matching the pose with the curve of the tree - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th strobist: SB-600 off camera to left

I met Mary & Jason early this Sunday morning four our engagement shoot hoping to beat the heat.  That worked for about 10 minutes before the heat starting beating us.  To keep things simple we met on the University of Tampa campus and then all rode in my Lexus to the Tampa Convention Center nearby before returning to UT, where all the photos in this post were taken.  I have photographed on the UT campus many times before, and each time I try to find a shot I never made before.  The above tree shot was the new find this time and gives, I think, the best PAN'S LABYRINTH type atmosphere possible in a city setting.

Did the tree WANT to be a seat? Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th strobist: SB-600 off camera to the left

I specialize in candid style photography, which means always being ready to take a photo, even in-between moments.  This was a spontaneous kiss that I luckily happened to be ready for (another recently photographed kiss).  As a photographer you may even want to pretend to be checking something else on your camera to see what the couple does in a more relaxed moment.  

Show the ring! Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/125th strobist: SB-600 off camera to left

New gear (Yongnuo radio triggers, review soon) that just arrived from Hong Kong yesterday, allowed me to make shots like the hand holding shot above and the curvy tree top image that I would not have been able to before.  Since radio triggers have a much greater effective distance for triggering an external flash, I could get far away and use my Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8 lens to get in close for a distance and take advantage of that lens' great bokeh and sharpness.  

It was a fun engagement shoot that allowed me to explore new creative avenues, which is always a win for both myself from an artistic standpoint and for the client with regards to the images I can create for them.  I look forward to photographing their wedding in September of this year.

Pass-A-Grille Sunset Wedding with Leslie & Logan

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barefoot wedding on Pass-A-Grille Beach - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 1/320th SB-600 off camera to left

Such an odd name Pass-A-Grille Beach isn't it?  Every time I hear it I envision a close-up of an old style hibachi being passed around.  This is the place that Leslie and Logan will be telling people they got married at.  I wonder how they will explain the name to people?

The wedding ceremony was quite quick, only 5 minutes!

The weather was earlier looking like it would rain out the beach wedding, but instead just provided some dramatic clouds for a background.  Still, I kept my gear all sealed in my camera bags with a towel on top of them, just in case.  After I first saw Logan (kept thinking of the great sci-fi movie LOGAN'S RUN) I thought he looked exactly like Jason Sudeikis of SNL.

 Large group shots are always a challenge, but almost no hidden faces this time, success!

It was a large wedding party for a beach wedding.  I was told that most of the guests came from out of state, as Leslie and Logan themselves were from Indiana.  I was impressed that the couple had such great friends that they would hop on a flight to come to their wedding.  Indeed, I had a good time talking to some of them in between shots.  The beach formals kept me quite busy as there were many permutations that needed to be photographed.  My head did cast a shadow on the sand in the foreground, and worse my light stand cast a shadow on the second guy from the left.  It took a bit of cloning in Photoshop to make those disappear, but definitely worth the effort.  I left the two sea gulls flying by in though!

 The bride (right) having a good laugh with her friends

The above candid shot is exactly the type of photograph I am always looking to make on any kind of photography job I might have, be it a wedding, a portrait session or an event gig.  While getting in position for a formal portrait they were having a good laugh all by themselves, so I kept alert and was able to capture, to me, a shot that will have much more impact 10 years down the road than the formal shot I took just a few seconds after, although I still feel the formal is a must have shot.  

My favorite shot to attempt, the hold her up shot!

Once we got everyone photographed, it was, as always, just me and the bride and groom.  Fortunately, Leslie and Logan were tough and still had plenty of energy after doing a series of formals with friends and family.  As you can see above, they did great with my request for a "lift the bride" shot.  If I recall we did it on the first try as well!

Having backdrops like this are why couples come to Florida for their weddings

The above was another one take shot.  Leslie and Mark walked toward me and my SB-600 mounted on a light stand to frame right, and as they walked on a predetermined spot, I fired off one frame, a lucky one again.  They were really easy to work with and a very fun couple to photograph.  I hope they come to Florida for their tenth anniversary so I can photograph them again on Pass-A-Grille Beach! 

Candid Sunset Beach Florida Wedding - Teri & Aaron

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Bride & Groom backlit by an amazing Florida sunset on their wedding day

Photographing a beach sunset wedding is literally a race against the clock.  For Teri & Aaron's wedding on Sunset Beach, Treasure Island in St. Petersburg, we were extremely lucky to have about as perfect a cloudless sunset as you could have.  The weather prior to that day had been cold, windy and not entirely that sunny.  We had a warm evening, no wind and a perfectly sunny sky.

You may kiss the bride! After the wedding ceremony there was time for some fun candid portraits with the wedding party

The wedding ceremony itself was brief, but emotional.  This allowed time to for a few candid portraits in addition to standard wedding formals.  The mother and mother-in-law of the bride were open to my suggestion of a double kiss.  I framed this shot so that the pole blocked the sun allowing me to get an acceptable exposure of the ladies while still having a water background.  

A closing wedding custom of pouring actual beach sand into one glass

Challenges abound when holding a wedding on a public beach.  I cannot tell you how many onlookers wondered/ambled into the shots.  Then there are the random blue trash cans all over the place.  In the above sand ceremony shot, I had to make one of those blue trash cans "disappear" as it was very distracting in the background.  

Getting the bride and groom intimate with the Florida sunset

The clock in the case of a sunset beach wedding, is of course the setting sun.  It provides the great colors, but also a very finite amount of time to work with.  It is key to have your camera and strobe settings dialed in with only a few tweaks needed as the sun dips further in the sky.  That way you can focus on composition.  

I prefer this "golden fusion" shot to the typical all black silhouette style shot

I had a lot of fun photographing Aaron and Teri as I had them jump in the air, run down the beach and sit semi-perilously on some jetties.  Everything came together to allow as nearly ideal sunset wedding photography conditions as one could ask for.  Thanks Teri & Aaron!