Monday, July 21, 2008

Beatrice and Tony







Beatrice and Tony first called me because I had shot a wedding for friends of theirs. The friends loved their photos and even flew me to Oklahoma City to shoot their hometown reception. They've also introduced me to other friends of theirs in NY who are getting married this weekend. I get many bookings through referrals and they're the ulimate compliment. Thank you.
(and please double-click the photos to see larger versions. Small thumbnails do not do a photograph justice)

That may tell you about my wedding photojournalism philosophy
1. Shoot images that evoke emotions in those who view them. Shoot photographs that have impact, drama and power.

2. Remember that YOU revolve around their wedding. Not the other way around. The day is meant to be shared with the couples and their loved ones, not hours posing for you. The best photographs are the ones that capture moments of the day as they happen.

3. Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. Normally, I shoot about five times as many photographs as I'm going to deliver. The client gets only the BEST of the BEST.

4. Be fair, be prompt ( I guarantee turnaround of your photographs within one week), be courteous, and always give the couples more than they contract for.

That's how you survive in the competitive wedding photography market, but the rewards are incredible. I bet I get as excited as the couples when I'm ready to deliver an album. The moments of the day go by rapidly. The mili-second snap of my shutter documents what the couples may soon forget, not because they weren't important, but because they happened in a mili-second. Literally. And...the day was filled with millions of mili-seconds. It would be impossible to remember them all.

I am proud of my work and anxious to see their reactions.

Regardless.

Some weddings are almost easy to photograph. Beatrice and Tony's was one of them.

The first thing you notice is that the couple is model-beautiful. The next thing you're quite aware of is that they are incredibly in love with one another.

The pair were so kind to me and even allowed me to pick the time for the ceremony so I would have a pretty good idea of what time would be the perfect light for a beach wedding. I looked brilliant because the weather did exactly what I had hoped it would do to enhance the colors of the ceremony. It didn't rain, yet instead showered them with soft, late-day golden light.


There were only five of us. Andrew, Beatrice's best friend and officiant, myself my assistant for this shoot and friend, Michelle Nault and the couple on the beach behind the Don Caesar Hotel on St Pete Beach. I must admit, even though I don't like to give shout-outs here, the Hotel makes a gorgeous backdrop to the sandy spot we had picked out there. The location was a cleared circle of sand about 40 feet wide, surrounded by 5-foot Sea Grass.

Photographer heaven.

Beatrice shed a tear as soon as she finished her approach and stood beside Tony for the first time. She shed many light tears throughout the ceremony and I think I captured most of them. The eyes truly are the windows to the soul. That's why I carry a 200mm lens to photograph weddings (as well as a 24mm for the wide views). When a couple looks at one another while saying their vows, or sneeking peeks at one another.....you've got to be able to get those tight shots of the eyes. They show the love between the two. Look at the looks of these two in the photos here. Can you see what I mean?

I could have given them nearly every photograph we shot that day. They were all beautiful images, but not necessarily because of my talent. I told Beatrice it's truly a team effort and her and Tony held up their parts of the bargain ten-fold.

What did they do? They let their emotions come to the surface. They were playful and open and let me poke my lens into perhaps the most important day of their lives. And, they let me have fun doing it.

I've been photographing weddings for a long time, yet still truly get tears in my eyes sometimes when I'm able to witness such a love as these two have.

Thank you Tony and Beatrice, for MY dream wedding.

Your wedding photography knocked John Travolta's portrait off the front page of my web site.

I think that's significant.