Register Images

...or should we say "A Toss in the Dark" and Page lines up for the bouquest toss at her reception at the Poinsett Club. We suspect the toss was going to be "rigged" as Sara, her sister, is also getting married this year, but the toss went its own way. There are known to do that. Jeremy, the groom, had even more trouble as you would expect, slinging the garter into a crowd of groomsmen, all with pocketed hands. It always seems to fall to the floor, untouched.

Posts here usually don't stray from our wedding photography experiences, but I came across a news story today that is, for good or bad, a sign of the times. A wedding hall in the Israeli town of Jerusalem now allows guests to make a monetary gift using a credit card machine. Here's the link.

It's a safe bet this is one gift the bride and groom won't mind getting duplicates. I guess I should sell my shares of toaster stock. 

First, the “Essense.” About a dozen years ago we were photographing a log home in Pickens for the manufacturer. We spent an hour frantically setting up and positioning lighting, shooting what were then Polaroid tests to ensure everything was right.  When we finished, my wife and I plopped down on the sofa to wait.

The log home representative gave us a perplexed look, not understanding the rush and then the wait.  We told him we we’re waiting for the right light. “We want to get the light both inside and outside, so we can see the view.” He thought and understood.

Well, it happened again on a recent bridal shoot. The bride wanted to try one last shot though the day was late and we’d been dodging rain for the last hour. I ran to check the location. What I saw caught me off guard. I went running back screaming,  “Everybody out of the car. If you want this shot, we’ve got two minutes.” That, everybody understood.

Were we lucky? Oh, yes.  But putting ourselves in a position to be lucky is part of our job.

Now, here’s the Dilemma. I can’t show you the photo. Bridals are the most closely guarded images in wedding photography. Only the bride seems the images first, and it’s up to her from there.  So once the wedding occurs, we’ll revisit this again. And hopefully then you’ll understand what I mean when I say “Light is of the essence.”
 

(click to enlarge)

While passing by one of the tables at Amanda and Nathan's wedding reception, something that I hadn't seen in the photo industry in a while caught my eye. It's rare these days to see a film camera, much less a Polaroid. Plus it had such a nice image. So, of course, I had to copy that.

Aubrey's personality started showing on the Day of the Bridal when we used Greenville photographer David Crosby's Cafe and Art Bar (plus the Crosby Stills Studio) after hours for the shoot. Although formals were done a studio setting, Aubrey had little trouble using the bar as a backdrop for a quick shot as we were finishing the shoot.

The Wedding Day was full of energy and happiness. We brought with us our new colleague and expert Album designer Katie Blaker as a second shooter and she did a great job capturing the emotions of Aubrey and Chase:

 Another addition was our version of the "Photo Booth" made popular at carnivals and state fairs. We set up a camera with a remote, friends added the own touch to the collection of images from one "Bar None" wedding: