Get Out There: My First Wedding Rehearsal

Yesterday evening I attended my first wedding rehearsal for the couple I am shooting Saturday, and I'm so glad that I took the time to do so. Being able to meet relatives, wedding party members and the Catholic priest who will perform the ceremony was extremely beneficial. The Father explained the rules about flash and using it sparingly during the wedding, plus, he granted me amazing access to the couple. I will be allowed to shoot behind the altar with a spectacular and intimate view in front of the couple. During the last wedding I shot, I could only get images of the bride and groom from under them (they were above me on the altar) and from behind.

My assistants and I were able to pinpoint some great areas to shoot the bride and groom portraits (if we can convince them to make a climb up some winding stairs!) All of our fingers are crossed that by tomorrow, the roses in the garden will have bloomed just in time for our formal portraits. We've got about an hour to shoot those after the wedding before everyone high-tails it over to Maggiano's for the reception. And I think we were able to get some great candid shots during the rehearsal that will make this a more complete story for the couple. I will upload those later today, as I have another rehearsal to attend in just a few hours for my couple getting married on Sunday.

While researching online, I was surprised by how many professionals do not attend this event. I completely understand the need of time management and appropriate payment for that time spent as professional Bruce A. Dart remarked on the betterphoto.com forum

"Most professionals do not attend the rehearsals, although I do know one of my friends who does attend them for all of the previously mentioned reasons. As a business, I need to be concerned about the hours spent away from the studio and whether or not I get paid for what I do. I already spend anywhere from 6-8 hours or more at each event. I have an additional "prep" time to be sure my equipment is ready to go. Afterwards, sorting files, getting previews ready, designing an album, etc. takes about another 20 hours before you deliver the product. There are ways to streamline all this but the point is that there is already a LOT of time involved here."

However, I think it is a mistake not attending the rehearsal, and I will continue to include this coverage in my storytelling, photojournalistic wedding photography.

Get the Job Done: Wedding Week Roundup

This weekend I will be shooting the long awaited back to back wedding events: Julie and Joe Saturday morning and Harriet and Peter Sunday evening. I can't believe this busy time is finally here.

The buildup was slow with just incremental consultant meetings to make sure I and my clients were on the same page. Last month I shot Julie's bridal fitting portraits. Her twin sister and best friend since grade school were there to share the experience with her.



Last week I shot Harriet and Peter's engagement photo session. Their easy shared laughter and obvious adoration made this one of my best portrait sessions ever I believe.



It was the first time I'd worked with a friend and photographer as my assistant, and I got to experiment with blending ambient and strobe lighting. The results were amazing and fun!



Yesterday, I scouted out the location for Harriet and Peter's wedding, and I will check out Julie and Joe's church on Thursday. And this week I'll be shooting both couple's wedding rehearsals -- one Thursday evening and the other Friday morning.

Whew. I'm tired already. Are you confused yet? Believe me, planning for this has really tested my time management skills. Thank goodness I will be on furlough next week from the day job at The Denver Post so I can rest and concentrate on editing the images. Considering how exhausted I get after nearly every shoot, I may just sleep all day on Monday!

In honor of these great occasions (and my second and third official wedding events to shoot!) I will be blogging all week about weddings and tips for phenomenal coverage. If you have any tried or truisms about this type of photography, please share. While I'm still struggling with whether or not to specialize in one type of genre only, photographers who only shoot weddings really do astonish me because it seems as if it would be difficult to keep from getting into a rut. But I'm learning that each wedding is unique because each couple truly is unique in their relationship with each other and with their friends and family. Wish me luck and success for documenting these timeless rites.

Get the Job Done: Shooting first bridal fitting

Today, I will be shooting my first bridal fitting session for Julie H. I offered this as a free service for Julie as part of her wedding coverage I will also be photographing on May 23.

I'm excited to be able to try shooting this important part of Julie and Joe's wedding because I believe the actual event is more than what takes place during the day of the actual nuptials. It's also all the fun things that lead up to the memory, including the bridal fitting, the dress rehearsal, and even the "spa pedicure" night Julie is hosting for her bridal party. Since both Julie and I enjoy candid photography, she has agreed to let me shoot all of the above on top of the actual wedding and formal wedding party portraits. While Julie will not be having a photographer shoot her small reception being held at a local Italian restaurant in honor of Joe's heritage, I think having these kinds of images will not only widen the "storytelling" I hope to showcase in my photojournalistic style coverage, but also give me some add some dimension to my wedding portfolio.

For the bridal fitting, I am envisioning largely black and white coverage to help promote a sense of timelessness to this wedding rite of passage. Julie has specifically asked for use of selective coloring in my images whenever the subject is appropriate, such as the lovely flower girl hairpins Julie is making herself. She told me the reason why she and Joe hired me was because of this popular image of Teri's Rose.