Wedding

Bride Series - Bianca

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Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/8 ISO 400 1/60th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight off camera held by assistant

When photographing a wedding, it starts and ends with the bride.  After all, she is the best dressed.  The Bride Series will mostly feature photographs of the bride alone.  As is my style, I like to photograph people, and that goes for brides too, while they are thinking of something other than being photographed.  In the above shot, I did ask Bianca to step close to the mirror for the composition of the shot.  The expression is her own.

Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR micro f/2.8G lens @ f/8 ISO 400 1/60th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on hotshoe

The above photo was made in a similar way to the lead photo.  I told Bianca I would like a photo of her ring up near her face.  I helped position her fingers (spreading them out more) and she and the fabulous Nikkor 105mm VR micro lens did the rest.  The viewer is left to guess what is on her mind.  Even I do not know.  My job as the photographer is merely to pose the question.  

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/8 ISO 400 1/60th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight off camera held by assistant

After Bianca was already, I suggested she plop down on the sofa and relax.  She purposefully wanted me to get her red shoes in the shot.  This church had pretty much the nicest bathroom I had ever seen.  Are all women's bathrooms like this??

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 400 1/60th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on hotshoeHer father really stood out in his hipster white jacket.  He also had a great smile, so I was drawn to photographing him.  They were not dancing alone on the dance floor.  The challenge is to find an angle that has no distracting background.  Though I was able to frame the shot with no other people in it, the wall itself was somewhat distracting so I chose the antique plate II filter in Silver Efex Pro to put the emphasis on father and daughter, not corners and panels.

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 640 1/125th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on hotshoeThis photograph is a true candid.  Taken with my faithful Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ the full 200mm (300mm equivalent) I was not even in Bianca's sightline.  I noticed her through the crowd taking a moment for herself.  

What do you think was on her mind?

Stormy Rainbow Sunset Beach Florida Wedding

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Rainbow on their wedding night! Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th strobist - Nikon SB-800 on light stand

Storms were surrounding Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, Florida that evening.  They were rolling on from the west, and from the south, most unusual.  However, Lynda and David were to be married under the open sky right on the beach.  Fortunately, the ceremony was not a long one, and all we saw in the distance was a rainbow, not lightning.

Sand pouring ceremony Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th Nikon SB-800 hotshoe mounted TTL modeLynda and David were a very elegant and polite couple.  Photographing them was a pleasure.  I was glad that David wore a dark blue jacket to contrast nightly with the white of Lynda's dress.  They ended their wedding ceremony by pouring sand into a heart shaped glass keepsake.  

Lifting the bride! Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th strobist - Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light standIn a way, I kind of prefer shooting on the beach with stormy skies rather than a pure sunset.  The former make for a dramatic backdrop and adds energy and dynamism to a shot.  Standing on the beach we can feel the surrounding energy too, and the slight element of danger.  Nevertheless, Lynda was willing to show off her quite good vertical leap.  We were able to get the above shot on just the third take.

westward is peaceful Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 250 1/125th strobist - Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light standYou may have noticed I used the same settings for all four shots: 

  • aperture - f/8
  • ISO - 250 (I confess this might be a mistake, probably meant ISO 200)
  • shutter speed - 1/125th
  • exposure - manual mode
  • strobe power - 1/2 (manual mode & off camera flash, save for one shot) 

So if you find yourself shooting on a stormy evening on the beach facing westward, try giving those settings a try and post a link to your shots in the comments below.

The storm?  Not a drop fell until I was already in my Lexus listening to Common take me home.

Morning Wedding at Sunset Beach on Treasure Island

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Lots of setup for this shot - Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/500th strobist: SB-600 off camera @ 1/2 powerMost of the weddings I have been photographing lately have been on the beach at sunset.  This one was also on the beach, but in the late morning.  Even in May this mean we would feel the Florida sun's near full wrath.  I was of course clad in synthetic breathable materials, very breathable.  The bride, however, was in a beautiful but no doubt not breathable wedding dress.  So I made sure we made for what shade there was to get shots like the above, that both gave cover from the strong sun rays as well as softer light.  That shot also took a good amount of time to setup, making sure the hand placement was flattering, the strobe was coming in at the best angle, all while I was quite far away shooting with my Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens, at the full 200mm.  I wanted a shallow DoF (depth of field) for the shot requiring me to use a large aperture and long focal length.

Braving the sun - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/500th strobist: SB-600 on light stand to left 1/2 powerThe sky was very blue that morning and the sea, BP oil free still, very green.  One is usually always pressed for time when doing the formal shots after the wedding ceremony, all the more so when guests are under threat of melting.  The bride, Cathie, and her maid-of-honor were the only two in full wedding attire.  I tried to work as fast as I could to get the shots they wanted of the two of them together.  We were in direct sunlight for the above shot, no diffuser.  

Gulf of Mexico backdrop - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/640th SB-600 hot shoe mounted in TTL modeIn the end everyone survived, though perhaps a pound or two lighter.  The wedding reception was to be at Ft. Desoto Park, where I am sure Cathie was happy to finally be out of wedding dress!

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.