A Wedding, Skateboards, Superheroes

It's hard to know where to start with this one.  An amazing couple with amazing friends, an amazing wedding, filled with joy and sharing of their faith with others.  There is plenty of technical stuff to share about photography.  How you can get sharp photos.  How you can use ambient light in different ways with and without supplementing with flashes to create a mood.  There is something over which the photographer has no control and that is the personality of his/her subjects.  My friend and photographer that works with me on weddings, Mark Morgan of http://www.mmorganphotography.net/, commented that the personalities of these two come through in the photos.  I think you'll agree.

I worked with the Bride and Bridesmaids as they prepared.  A funny bunch.  And very kind to the photographer (coffee, creampuffs).

They did something cool that we haven't seen before.  They had their first look at each other before getting to the church.  At the hotel where the girls were preparing.  A great idea.

On a technical note.  The value of having two photographers.  The sequence that you see below is really cool.  We are shooting from different angles covering both bride and groom.  During post-processing we sync up our photos so that you get a chronological sequence of the shots from both of our cameras.  The third shot below was taken by Mark.  And captures the instant that he sees her.  One photographer would not have been able to capture this. 

They are both skateboarders, so the boards must be included.

One of my favorites.

Back at the church the preparations continue along with the hilarity.

The ceremony was great.  They read vows to each other that they had written.  The groom had some trouble getting through it.  Which is awesome.  Sign of a great man. 

The reception.

We can't forget the superheroes. A great photo from Mark.

At the end of the reception we got them outside for a few shots with the late afternoon sun creating some great light.

We are so happy for these guys.  And wish them tons of blessings as they start down this new walk called marriage. 


Patrick And Katie



Those were the names of the horses we spent an hour riding today.  This was our Valentine's Day present for each other.  Grandpa and Grandma offered to have a fun day with the kiddos so that we could enjoy a day to ourselves.  What a blessing.  It has been so long since I have ridden a horse that I don't even count it.  But we did a fine job riding and the weather was amazing.  Cool breezes and blue skies.



 







This was my view for the morning.




As a bonus, this little horse was born yesterday.  Yep, 1 day old.  Legs weren't quite under control yet. 








Ole' Rattlers



What is it about old steam engines?  You may not care about them at all.  But for me, there is something about them.  I suppose there is the historical side.  Movies maybe.  But seeing them in person.  I should say experiencing them in person.  They seem to have a life about them.  A piece of cold iron that when you put fire in its belly it starts to come to life.  Steam escaping from relief valves.  Breathing.  In person you feel the percussion of the pistons as they start to turn the wheels.  Yeah, I like them.





We took a ride on this one in Tavares, FL.  All the way to the North Pole actually.  The engine was amazing but the cars are restored as well and look great.






If you ever get the opportunity to see one, or even better ride one, you should do it.

Be blessed.



Another Great Time With Another Great Family


So it actually gets cold in Florida.  Especially when the wind is blowing.  When I got up on this morning to go to our session I thought "Wow, it is really cold out, I didn't consider this."  But these guys are troopers.  And we did it.  And no one froze.  Well maybe except the little guy below.  The idea was to get family portraits for Christmas but also then get him by himself for his birthday.  So he had to do a shirt change.  Poor little guy was shivering.  Daddy started talking about warm hot chocolate and that seemed to help.  Gotta love the power of suggestion.

I love the morning sun coming through the gazebo in the lead shot above.





I always think it is such a shame, all the neglected children I have to see during these family sessions. :)




Be blessed.