This is the first time I had never met the couple prior to the event day. When I first saw Sarah, I thought she was stunning. This little package of beauty and she has this wonderful air of peacefullness about her. Jeff is a handsome guy…kind of like Ken Doll handsome. (I say that with a smile Jeff). Sarah is very gracefull so you can imagine my surprise when she asked “So do you think we could do a chest bump picture?” Of course you can chest bump, and they did about 5 takes to get it right.

Sarah wore a beautiful, handmade custom gown. It flowed when she walked and I loved all the roses designed into the bodice. I am pretty sure I just kept saying “I love your dress.”

Stuart and Rachel were so wonderful to work with. These two are crazy in love and have such an amazing support of friends and family. Their entire wedding party had 22 people in it. That’s some serious love! Stuart’s longtime friends call him Big Stu. Something about Texas and his personality. I can’t remember the whole story, I was laughing so hard through the “roast” of a toast that’s all I can recall. I do remember Rachel’s Dad saying during his toast how badly he wanted a baby girl, how she was as beautiful as her Mother and how she was such a blessing to him…and how he made the whole room tear up. She is his princess. When Stuart took Rachel onto the floor for their first dance, you could see that he too felt that she was his princess. He swayed her and held her close like no one else was in the room with them.

Congratulations Rachel and Stuart on your perfact day and your future together. Thank you for letting us be a part of it all.

Venue: El Chorro Lodge

Hair: Tiffany Reisig

Make Up: Linda Wagner

Flowers: Fabulous Floral Design

If you would like to see more images from their wonderful day, here you can view the slideshow.

The wedding day was no different. She wore a vintage inspired gown, simple and elegant. But hey when you are that pretty, you could wear a potato sack on your wedding day. Ryan chose a suit and I think it was a perfect fit for him. This is one stylish couple. I absolutely loved  the flowers they chose. Fiori Flower Design provided them, good job Gina, they were perfect. ( You will know I loved them because they appear a few times in the slideshow ). Married at the ASU Chapel and finishing the night with a reception at The Farm at South Mountain, it was a wonderful Fall wedding. Congratulations Ryan and Courtnee, it was a beautiful day.

Flowers: Fiori Floral Design
Girls Hair: Jessica Lawson
Girls Makeup: Linda Wagner
Reception Venue: The Farm at South Mountain

If you would like to see the whole story of this wonderful wedding, check out the slideshow.

When we did  their first look and Chris turned around to see her, his towering frame just melted into an embrace. He was finally going to marry his girl and she looked like a princess. That hug brought some tears to my eyes. In that moment you knew how much he loved her. Remember Chris, you vowed to love honor and cherish…no matter how bad a season the Steelers are having.

This weekend I second shot for one of my shooters. She had taken on her own wedding and hired me to second shoot. It was a great opportunity to gain some perspective into the needs of the main shooter and the duties of the second. I thought I would touch on some tips for anyone starting to use second shooters, or photographers looking for second shooting work. At the end of the day the priority is the best coverage you possibily can and working as a team.

1. Sync your cameras. It is a nightmare to try to timeline a day (ceremony specifically) when cameras are set to two different itmes. I am speaking from experience. This never occured to me at first and the proofing took twice as long.

2. I HIGHLY recommend both shooting in RAW. I recommend RAW no matter what but for this purpose, it’s almost necessary. Especially if you are a Canon and your shooter is a Nikon (as oddly all mine are). The color temperature on auto for skin tone alone reads totally different on both types of cameras. Canon reads cooler and Nikon reads warmer in most cases when working on auto. So when I am melding all the images, I have to be able to color match the tone so you can not tell who shot what. I can not do that very easily if they are not both shot in RAW. Sure you can just give them two folders of both shooters, but what bride wants to sort through that? They want to see the story unfold seamlessly.

3. Talk about the shot list and needs before the wedding. Find out what you are responsible for. Find out what the main shooter needs you to make sure is covered. You actually have to think like a main shooter. You have to run through the checklist in your head just as the main shooter would. Have both bouquets been shot? Did the rings get shot? Did we remember to shoot details of dress, grooms flower, etc. All of those important shots need to get covered by you or them. If you are a strong detail shooter, than your main will let you handle that. Give them variety to work with. Give them both vertical and horizontal because in album design, options are necessary.

4. Are you covering everything groom? Then make sure you cover him just as if he were the bride. Getting ready, details of tux, links, presents from his wife to be. Tell his side of the story. Show the bride what she was not there to experience. Take the time (if they are not seeing each other) to cover groomsmen shots and individuals of groom. Allow the main shooter to focus on the bride. This is a huge time saver. I do recommend finding out where the main wants the groomsmen shot. It is best if the bridesmaids and groomsmen shots flow together. They do not have to be the same location, just similar placement and framing. Again, always keeping the album in mind. Make the groom feel you are there for him. You are HIS right hand…because he is her right hand (the bride). Shoot the groom with that inspiration and you will come out with successful groomsmen shots that your main shooter will be thrilled with.

5. Group shots. If you are doing the placement of family, then know the shot list. You need to know who is married and who is not, if anyone (parents) have passed and if maybe an aunt is more like a Mom. You need to know WHO are parents and who are relatives. Don’t assume the main shooter will share all this, ask and know it all ahead of time. Ask for a copy of the shot list since you are most likely directing traffic. Do whatever you can to be helpful so the mail shooter can shoot and move on. You are traffic cop. If the main shooter has it under control then take the time to grab candids from the side. Many of my brides end up loving their side shots as much if not more than direct to camera. A long lense if great for this as they don’t know you are sneaking up on moments from the side in a large group of people.

6. Know what lenses you need. Do not assume your main has all the lenses. Especially if you are not the same camera brand. Not all shooters will want to share lenses either with new second  shooters. Just ask, do I need a long lense? Being prepared will get you hired more often. Plus if you are shooting details you need to know if you need a macro or not.

7. Last, support your main. Just be available, be the runner…go find grandpa. Do not let your main leave the couple, you get to be the runner. You get to move the camera bag and pick up the pieces of gear that find their way all over the lawn. Past that just do your best, shoot your second shots like you would if you were the main because they are all equally as important and remember to have a little fun.

Here are some shots from my second shooting this weekend. I LOVED being able to focus on details because I love detail shooting like I love good cheese.

I had already made a walk around the property before they arrived so I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot. Being it was bright and getting brighter by the minute it needed to go fast without sacraficing the “romantic” feel of the shoot.  I shot so much in a short amount of time and was super pleased at the end of it. These two are so much fun and I can not wait for their wedding this November. They got the one and only 11-11-11 slot this year!

Here is the wonderfully in love, Stuart and Rachel.

..and because you KNOW I am incapable of only posting four images…here are a few more