Weddings : the setup, the shot, the image.

So, I'm not sure if this would fall into a 'tutorial' type Blogpost, but I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, and never had the shots to do it.  Well, Dave was a shooter at a recent wedding and happened to get a bunch of shots of me shooting... At first I was annoyed, and kept deleting them, until I realized that I could do a really fun post about the prep and the shot.  So, here it goes.... 

My first, prep-2-shot thingy.

Dress : Always a favorite of mine to photograph... it's always as pretty on the hanger as on the bride.  I was limited with locations inside, so I took the dress outdoors, and loved the glowing light from the leaves.

Rings : To an owner of a rock'in Macro lens, how could I not like photographing the ROCK!?  I use a 105mm Nikkor 2.8 Macro lens and get the coolest shots with it.... found out it makes a great portrait lens too :)  I'd almost look cool if I didn't have the look of distaste on my face.... I guess that's how I look when I concentrate, and focus... good thing I'm always behind a camera to block as much as I can from the client!!!

Bridal Party : Who doesn't like to Vogue...?  I mean, seriously... does everyone like the traditional setups, and smiles....?  Of course they do!  But this adds character, sass, and makes everyone look cool, hot, sexy, whatever.  I shoot these with a 70-200mm 2.8 Nikkor lens from a distance, and zoom as far in as I can.  It provides a better 'fall-off' of the detail in the background.  I also like shooting into the sun for several reasons.  No squinting eyes, (for them.... I'm blinded, but that's not important :) LOL!) and a better exposed image with no harsh shadows on the faces... if manually exposed.  

 Odd Angles : Again, 70-200mm from below, using foreground, middle ground and background to keep it interesting :)

 Flowers : This is using a 24-70mm Nikkor 2.8 lens... however, I prefer to shoot this with a wider lens like the 14-24mm Nikkor 2.8...  I go as wide as possible, in this case 24mm, and get as close as I can to the flowers.  It gets the flowers in focus and artistically puts the bridesmaids as some 'background candy'.

 More Groomsmen, because David caught me shooting them.....

This is simply me arranging the party and explaining flattering poses briefly.  I didn't have the option to pick the location, so the sunlight is slightly harsh on the left side, but was high enough (and with a small exposure boost) it turned out swell :) 

www.awakenedimages.com . David & Cara Williams . awakenedimages@yahoo.com . check us out on facebook!

Aaron & Bethany : Wedding

Ok, so this is my bad... This is a post from a wedding I shot on May 4, 2013.  Somehow, I posted this on Facebook, and totally forgot to blog it!!!!  That's got to be a first for me....  Well, this is Aaron and Bethany's wedding at Harderwyk CRC.  It was beautiful!  I had to laugh at first, because I heard the most unusual wedding music during the ceremony... later, it was all explained when the reception was decorated with the couples favorite movie theme.  See if you recognize some of it :)  well, enjoy these teasers on the blog a little late... I guess a month and a few days really isn't that late for photography previews, but well below my standard.... OOPS!

Eric & Lauren : Wedding

What a gorgeous wedding at Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids last week!  This was my first time photographing there, and it's true when I say, I'm most inspired when I shoot somewhere new.... There were so many fantastic spots!  The room where the bride got dressed was one of many great locations I saw that day.  Eric and Lauren were joined by their family and friends as they confessed their love for each other.  Their reception, at Celebration North, was great!  Their DJ was great, and I heard ALL my favorite secular music all evening long!  Enjoy a few of my favorites from the day. 

www.awakenedimages.com . David & Cara Williams . awakenedimages@yahoo.com . check us out on facebook!

Anthony : Senior 2014!

Congrats to Anthony for kicking off my senior season with a great shoot on a not-so-promising-Michigan-weather-evening. LOL!  It was great though, the storm held off long enough for me to get all the shots I wanted, plus some. I gotta LOVE his hair!  I really think it's quite unique, and hope it's a trend that I'll see more of this style over the summer....  :)  This handsome young man is the third of his family to come through Awakened Images for their senior photos, and it's been fantastic getting to see them each and every time.  Enjoy a few teasers! 

www.awakenedimages.com . David & Cara Williams . awakenedimages@yahoo.com . check us out on facebook!