Stacie & Chris: Part 2

As I get further along in the editing process, I'll post more photos from Stacie and Chris' wedding.

Here are a few more!

Wedding: Stacie & Chris

I was asked this past weekend to photograph a wedding - my very first.  The wedding was happening two days later.  It was a very last minute decision.  The bride is Josh's mom, and she married her long-time boyfriend, Chris, who is being deployed tomorrow.  They wanted to officially tie the knot before he left, and I was completely honored when Stacie asked me to take photos of their special day.

I was also scared to death.

I had assumed that before I shot my first wedding, I would have tons more practice, more equipment, and would have acted as a second shooter on several weddings already.  Wrong!  I spent those two days before the wedding stressing myself to the max.  What is she doesn't like my photos?  What if they come out blurry?  Or dark?  Or what if my ISO is too high and they are grainy?  What if I can't think of creative poses and shots?

When the day actually arrived, I had no choice but to jump in.  I knew I wanted to capture Chris' face when he first saw Stacie, and I accomplished that.  Beyond that, I just started improvising!  The were married at the Tumwater Falls Park, and really lucked out with the weather and sunshine.  We did a bunch of formal family shots that they wanted, and then I took Chris and Stacie aside to do photos of just them.  It was strange to feel myself take command and direct people, posing them and acting out the poses I wanted them to get into.  Strange, but a nice feeling.  We only had about 10 minutes for all of this - we had a schedule to take!  I also photographed the ceremony and reception, but haven't even begun to edit any of the reception photos.  Afterwards, Chris told me I did a great job, and how much they appreciated it.  Then he told me something that really made me blush.  He said he thought I would make a great photographer.  Not because he was seen any of my photos, but because, he said, I was naturally able to direct people, communicate what I wanted them to do, and think/act quickly on my feet.  Thanks Chris!!

So, here are a few photos from the wedding.  I'm still playing around with editing them - I want everything to be just right!  And I welcome any and all constructive criticism; just be nice about it please!!  My photography ego is very delicate at this stage!

Now, some of these photos are a little blurry, because when I tried to upload them in their original sizes, it took over an hour for just one photo.  So I resized them for now just for blogging purposes.  The originals are all much crisper!

Thanks for visiting,

Flags

Josh and I have started a habit of photographing flags. Well, more correctly, Josh points them out, and I shoot them. Here are two quick flag photos from Hawaii.

Just Can't Help Myself

So, I know these pictures are from back in June, but I just can't help but play with them.

The colors in Hawaii were so vibrant and beautiful, and I feel like they just didn't come out quite bright enough now that I look back at them.

So I took matters into my own hands, and boosted the color. :)

Yes, they may look a little fake and too colorful, but I don't care! These photos are for my enjoyment, and I am hooked on bright, colorful photos right now!

I Want to Go Back!

Seeing these photos makes me want to be back in Hawaii....

Black & White Trial

Black and white is hard for me. I want there to be enough contrast, but I don't want the "white" of the photo to be too harsh. Here is a trial edit of a photo I took recently while my family was getting our Christmas tree.

A Learning Experience

A few weeks ago, I had a privilege of helping Josh's younger sister prepare for her freshman Homecoming dance. It was such a neat experience! She's a truly wonderful, beautiful girl who exudes personality.

I also went with her mom to drop her off at her friend's house, where all of the couples were meeting. I, of course, snapped hundreds of pictures while I was there. And looking back at the photos, I have learned so much from my mistakes.
The were some fun, creative photos that could have been taken, had I been focusing on the group as a whole, instead of just Amy. For example, the first three of four boys that showed up were all blonde-haired, with the tallest and shortest in black tuxes, and the middle in a white tux. It would have been neat to shoot the three of them in some fun poses, playing on their height and tux color differences.

All the couples went to a friend of the families, who happens to be a professional photographer, and she shot their couple and group photos, instead of having them done at the school. Watching her, I was amazed by her ideas. One girl was a in a big, poofy, hot pink dress. She was absolutely adorable. Think Barbie. The photographer had this girl kind of squat down, so her dress surrounded her on all sides. Then, she climbed on top of a ladder and shot her from above in the same pose. It was so neat!!

Amy had her fingernails and toes done Saturday morning, and I wish I would have taken the time to snap some photos of her toes and sparkly silver shoes.
All in all, this experience served to teach me some important things about looking past the obvious, and capturing photos that are anything but ordinary. Great opportunity!!

Here are a few edited photos from that day....