Hey there! So you found the most interesting page on my site. This is my recent Oahu wedding, Hawaii wedding page. Honestly, it's a blog. The story behind this blog, well, it started out purely about Hawaii weddings, then it evolved into everything and "all of the above." Basically, ITS MY THOUGHTS!! So I write about anything on here. I updated this blog quite frequently. You can learn more about me, my quirks, my style here. And of course, you'll get wedding tips as well.
Call me if you want to make me richer..I mean, book my services! 1-877-WED-IN-HAWAII or email me at info@dreamweddingshawaii.com
Imagine this. You're a week away from your wedding, everything seems to be flowing smoothly. Your parents are on their way, your friends are flying in, your photographer and videographer are booked and ready to go. Then, you get hit by a bombshell. Your minister, refuses to marry you in his chapel because you are getting married on Halloween, and were planning a "Halloween" themed style wedding. The couple were both going to wear black, and guest could dress up with they wanted to, but it wasn't required.
The pastor apparently was offended by the couples choice in music. Lisa and Tom apparently wanted to walk into the Addams family theme song.
So who here is right? Personally, I believe the minister is wrong. If the minister did not want a Halloween theme styled wedding in his church, he should have refused their business from the very beginning. Once he signed the contract to provide the service, and took the couples money, he has to go through with it, even if he feels uncomfortable with it. This has nothing to do with religion, morals, or respect. It's about business and doing the right thing. If you sign a contact, you must deliver your service. It's simple as that.
I always believed that one the best economic indicators for the U.S. economy, was the wedding industry. When the economy was great, brides spent a pretty penny on their wedding. When the economy slowed down, brides still spent a pretty penny on their wedding. But starting one year before the recession hit, brides suddenly just didn't spend less, they dissapeared. When business got slow for me, I knew something was really wrong, the economy was sick. Afterall, if a bride cuts back on her wedding, that means they are cutting back on everything.
And when I mean everything, that also means their man's pocket book as well. As any man knows, we don't control our own money, our women do! This is the reason why I think women control the economy.
So what does the wedding economic indicator tell me? It screams that this recession is far from over. Bookings for me are still down, brides are still not spending as much, and honeymoons are still on a tight budget. And for good reason.
I DON'T BELIEVE THE RECENT ECONOMIC REPORTS RELEASED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
According to Washington, the economy grew at 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, which was fueled by government programs such as "cash for clunkers" and "Home credit" programs, therefore they concluded that the end of the recession is in sight. This doesn't mean ANYTHING. I repeat... This bump, is merely a bump, created by government programs. Cash for clunkers and the home credit programs did nothing other than to motivate future buyers, which would have bought homes and cars anyway, into purchasing their cars and homes in the 3rd quarter. That's all. The demand was not brought upon naturally through market conditions, but through steroid injections which do nothing but offer short term results. Out economy, like steroid users, once off the juice, will go back to normal. And normal for us right now is the following: People are still losing jobs and their homes, the dollar is getting weaker by the minute, and our government is planning to tax the job creators (the wealthy) to fund government programs. Businesses are still going under, commercial foreclosures are at an all time high, and industry after industry is looking for a bailout WITH OUT TAX PAYER MONEY. That is the norm for us right now. That is not a sign of an economy coming out of a recession.
Obama and Bush, and many of their economic advisers have also said that in order for America's economy to flourish once again, Americans have to start borrowing again. In fact, it's not just the White house who said this, congress said it, Trump said it, and many other economists as well. I just happen to disagree with ALL OF THEM.
The Internet bubble crashed because investors placed margin calls on all their positions. The housing market crashed because investors and home owners made bad loans, and/or took out equity loans. Developers over-borrowed as well. In other words, Americans got themselves into this mess because they borrowed too much, and saved too little. And this poverty, trickled up and out to everyone.
The solution to this economic mess could have been as simple as letting those who made the mistakes suffer. After all, that's how we learn isn't it? It's called the school of hard-knocks! Houses would be foreclosed on, but filled with buyers who could afford them. Companies would close, but new ones would soon pop up to fill their shoes. And while many American's would have bad credit, they would probably start saving and building up real wealth WITH CASH, and eventually restore their credit to normal. But that isn't what's happening.
The government is keeping those who can't afford their homes, in their homes, consequently ruining the real estate and rental market. Companies are getting bailed out, or taken over by the government. Americans are being told, they should borrow and not save.
So in conclusion I really don't what to say other than to not buy into all the hype that this recession is on it's way out. My brides, future and present...you need to still pull on those reigns when planning your wedding. Be tight, be frugal, save when you can. A romantic wedding has nothing to do with the amount of money you spend. I know it sounds funny from a businessman who is literally saying, "Hey there, spend less with me if you can..." But hey, I'm an honest guy. I shoot from the hip, and I'm on your side.
Hey there. Sorry I haven't been blogging as often as I should for the past month. It's been an extremely busy month of weddings. I'm thinking here, that I want to take my blog in another direction as well. I realize many of you want to hear about my most recent weddings, but I think I would also like to blog about what's been going on in my everyday life as well. Honestly, it's hard to keep writing about weddings, and to keep things fresh from time to time. So, what I'm going try to do is to blog everyday. It may not be about weddings...just things that are on my mind, or what I've been up too. But don't worry, I'll still blog about my past weddings... that is a must.
So let me talk about my October. I had over 20 weddings this month! Yes, the big two-zero! That is extremely busy for an October. Usually, I have maybe 10 weddings a month in October. But noo...for some reason, this month was hella busy!
On the 23rd, I actually had three weddings. The last wedding ended at 9pm, but work for me didn't. That same night, I had to finish up designing a few business cards, and had to drop off photos to a couple in Waikiki by 4am. So all-in-all, on the 23rd, my workday didn't end till 4am the next morning! Arrghh....Luckily, my next wedding is on the 30th of October, so I still have some time to recover from that long day! Trust me, I'm still recovering!
Well, time for me to hit the hay! Talk to you all tomorrow!
Very rarely does it flood in this portion of the beach, but when it does, it makes for great photos
THE PERFECT MATCH The Hawaii Wedding of Robin and Jill
I remember when Robin and Jill's had inquired about my services as it was rather unique. For some reason, we had a whirlwind of strong gust that blew through my neighborhood, blowing roofs off houses and toppling gigantic decade old trees. I took a picture next to one of these trees and posted that picture on my blog. A few hours later, Jill called me. She had seen my picture next to the tree, and realized that it was taken in the same neighborhood at a house that she and Robin were staying at. In fact, after a few minutes of talking on the phone, we both realized that she was staying at a house that was literally a few minutes walk away from me! So I told her that I could meet here in a few minutes, and in literally "in a few minutes" I was in her living room with Robin, answering their wedding inquiry. Now that's a first!
The perfect match
Robin and Jill are my ideal wedding couple. They are laid back like myself, fun to talk to about anything, and as for their wedding plans, they just wanted things nice, romantic, but more importantly, simple. After meeting them for the first time to talk about their wedding plans, I knew that not only that I had booked their services, but I had also made new friends.
So just how did these two meet? How was their first date? And how did Robin propose to Jill? I'd love to tell you, but I think it's better if they told you themselves. Here is their love story, in their own words.
How we met: We met through an Internet dating service about 7 1/2 years ago. After a few dates we were spending most of our time together, and within a few months we both knew we had something special. After two years of dating, we moved in together and then shortly after our 5 year anniversary, Robin proposed.
The Proposal: Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. (Treasure being a loose term for whatever items a geocacher places in a geocache, such as key chains and bottle openers.) A geocacher can place a geocache anywhere in the world, pinpoint its location (coordinates) using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache and discover it's "treasures". Most of the fun is in the challenge of locating the geocache rather than any real treasures to be found. It's a hobby that gets people outdoors and sometimes takes them to places they might not otherwise visit. The geocache can be most anything such as small Tupperware type containers up to military ammo cans.
Robin took Jill out to find a geocache located on an overlook near their home in Camas. Once they located the geocache under a rock, Robin picked it up and quickly stuck Jill's ring inside the small plastic container when she wasn't looking. He then gave it to Jill so she could look to see what kind of "treasures" she might find. She was expecting cheap trinkets in the geocache and was quite surprised to find her engagement ring.
Since then we have located geocaches together in Hawaii, the US mainland and Australia.
This is Robin
Robin's comments:
When I met Jill, I was immediately attracted to her. It was her pretty blue eyes, cute smile and the way she looked in a pair of jeans. I had no chance. I was pretty much hooked from the start. I remember thinking that she was a good mix of classy woman and the girl next door. She even drove a Jeep, what more could a guy ask for? Her easy going personality quickly won me over and I knew I'd found a keeper. She has always been appreciative of the things I do for her and has been very giving in return. Since we've met we've enjoyed many fun adventures together and I always look forward to the next one with her.
And this is Jill
Jill's comments:
I was attracted to Robin from the get go. Even before we met, I enjoyed our conversations on the phone and our daily emails back and forth. He picked me up for our first date in his Jeep Wrangler. I remember he was wearing jeans, boots and a short-sleeved black T-shirt that showed his muscular arms....very sexy! He was quite the gentleman opening doors for me and going to get the Jeep after dinner so I didn't have to walk in the rain. From that point on, his charm and caring personality made me fall in love with him. He has a good heart and treats people well. He's cute, has a good sense of humor, a pretty smile, and a sexy body.
Robin, doing some insane things in his jeep. INSANE!
Hobbies: We enjoy various outdoor activities. One of them being 4-wheeling in our Jeep. We usually make a week long trip each summer to places such as the Rubicon trail in California and numerous trails around Moab Utah. We also go often to trails closer to home such as the Browns camp area in the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon.
Now that's secluded
And that's dramatic
Robin makes a move
So I'll take it over from here. Robin and Jill had inquired about my services two years before they tied the knot in Oahu. Now that's planning ahead. Those two years though, flew by pretty quickly. I'm not sure if the world was spinning faster, or time flew by faster because I just seemed to be sleeping in more, but when their wedding day came, it literally seemed as though they had just booked the month before.
Reverend Elias Parker performed his usual Hawaiian ceremony, and everything couldn't had been more perfect...including the weather.
This is actually a lot harder to take than it looks....
Okay, I wanted to dive into a little photography technical jargon here and describe how I took the shot above. For starters, let me say that I did use a flash for this shot, and fired it at 100 percent, directly at Robin and Jill. As you notice, Robin's dress still retains detail, and their faces are not washed out. This is purely because I shot on film. I would have a lot harder time firing a full flash at a white dress if I were using digital equipment.
The sun looks as though it's a star because the f-stop on the shot is pretty much as close to closed as you can get...f22. Doing so always turns any light into a star. Yup, you don't need to use a star filter to create star effects! The shutter speed on her is probably 1/250. Correct exposure for the sand and the palm trees for this shot is 1/250 f-11, but I shot it at 1/250 f-22, meaning I underexposed the background by 2-stops, meaning in laymen terms, it's 2 shades darker than what you would see in person. Correct exposure for the sky is around 1/250 f-16, so that means that sky is about 1 shade darker than what you would see in person. This is why the palm tress in the background are a little black, the water is dramatically dark, and sky a darker blue. Robin and Jill are properly exposed from the flash. All of this math was done in my head, when I took this shot. Remember, unlike digital photographers, I have no preview screen, so I had to literally envision through mathematical equations how that shot would look. Crazy huh!
Just married
I like this one
Another great example of how a strong flash can over power the sun. If you notice, Robin and Jill are actually standing in their own shadows, yet they are properly exposed
And the sunset shot
From here, I'm going to give the mic back to Robin and Jill. They actually wrote some pretty nice stuff:
How we found Steve: About 2 years ago, Robin and I met a wedding coordinator on the island of Oahu while visiting relatives for the holiday. When we asked about the photographer, we were given many different answers. First, they said they didn't always know who they were going to use, second they would have to get permission for us to view their work, and third they didn't always know who they were going to use until sometimes a week before the wedding! This was crazy! So we went back to our relative's house and started searching on the internet again.
Robin's sister-in-law found Steve's website so we started looking at photos from his previous weddings and reading his blog. We loved his photos so we decided to call him. Come to find out that he lived in the same neighborhood as our relatives! It was meant to be! So Steve was kind enough to walk down and meet us. As soon as we started talking with him and looking at more of his work, we knew right away we were going to use him!
Wow, my ego is just huge right now...
Awee....isn't that nice? And Robin and Jill didn't think I was creepy! You know, I hate to say this, but Robin and Jill's questionable experience with their 1st planner is not uncommon. Many wedding planners you find on the Internet do not offer honest and prompt customer service. Not all are like this, but most. Moreover, when it comes to wedding photography, or videography, they basically down right suck. And most of them can never guarantee that the great photographer who shot the pictures on their website will be available for your wedding. Wow, am I blunt... Yeah, but it's true. It frustrates the hell out of me because these companies, my competitors, could be providing "that much" better service, if they just tried.
All joking aside, I have to say, Robin and Jill could not have been more perfectly matched for each other. I realize that many of my couples meet over the internet, but I think I'm figuring out why.
Keep me in mind when you go for 4-wheeling and stay in touch. Next time you're in Hawaii, I'll take you folks out to dinner.
SORRY HAVEN'T BLOGGED: BEEN SUPER BUSY THIS PAST WEEK An overall update
First off, let me get this off my chest. What the hell happened to my Eagles this weekend? I just finished watching the game, ON MY DAY OFF OF ALL DAYS, and they didn't show up to play ONE quarter of good football. The Eagles, my obsession, did not score one touchdown against the measly Raiders. THE RAIDERS! The Raiders did play some great football though. They pressured McNabb, out-powered our line, and their tight-end exploited our young linebacker crew.
Cry for me Eagles
So back to business here.
As you noticed, I didn't blog for the past week. This week, more so, this month has been extraordinarily busy for me. For some reason, my October was as busy as my summers! On top of that, one of my families rentals lost their tenant, and for all of those who own rentals, you know what that means. "Renovation time!" Ugghh.. yes...good ol renovation time.
So I've been spending a lot of my nights and weeknights, pulling carpet, carpet tacts, scraping floors. I think last week Friday I had two weddings, then after my last wedding, I headed to the rental to pull out the carpet. Talk about a tiring day.
Tomorrow, Monday, I still have to finish up some demo on the kitchen floors and tiles. Fun....not!
Anyway, I have more wedding blogs coming up. Robin, Jill, your blog is going up next. I know you've been dying to see your blog! After Robin and Jill, Tien and Melvin are going up, followed by Paul and Tammy.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER SUED Did he deserve to get sued?
Gareth Bowers, a young photographer located in the UK, was sued by a wedding couple, Marc and Sylvia Day for 1450 pounds. According to Mrs. Day:
He (the photographer) seemed very reasonable, very polite and professional. He even showed us albums of his previous work, which we really doubt could have been his. The standard of photographs from our wedding were not to the level of samples he showed us.
From my research, the couple had interviewed more than 10 wedding photographers before finally settling on Mr. Bowers. The photographer, 23 years young, who operated under the name, Fresh Images, said that he had shot 20 weddings and had been in business for four years. That would make him 19 when he opened his business....
Judge Nightingale ruled, "It is not just the quality of the photographs, but the subject of the photos is unworthy of wedding photographs. "
Out of the 400 digital pictures that were taken, the bride thought 22 of them, 5% were acceptable. My comments on the photos, well, they are definitely not the best wedding photos. But's it's really hard for me to say if there were only 22 that were good out of the 400, without see all 400 photos. Digital photographers do shoot a lot of photos, and on average, only 5 to 10% of the come out great. That's why they shoot thousands of pictures at a wedding. I feel as though the media may be cherry picking the bad photos out of the 400 taken. But that's just me guessing.
Now there are two big questions here that should be addressed:
1. Should the photographer, have been sued?
2. Were their warning signs that the Bowers could have recognized to avoid this fiasco?
The answer to both questions is a big "YES!"
Aside from the fact that only 5% of photographers pictures were usable, a lawsuit was just cause because he did not deliver everything that was promised in his invoice. It's important to note that his this photographer probably did have a signed contract with the couple. But it was not the contract which justified the ruling in the case, it was the invoice. Remember, the invoice is more important than the contract 99% of the time. Contracts are used primarily to defend the vendor from lawsuits, never the consumer. Your strongest piece of evidence in any wrongful business suit is your invoice or receipt.
Now there were warning signs that the Days recognized about this photographer, but didn't react on. Remember, they went through 10 other photographers, before settling on him. So what didn't they react on?
Lets start with the photographers age. At 23 years old, the odds of he, Mr. Bowers, being a great photographer, and a businessman, were pretty low. Photography, especially wedding photography, is a skill that is crafted over years of practice. At 23 years old, I was still a protegee, learning the ropes from a great photographer from Taiwan. It took me roughly two years to get good. Till this very day, I'm still learning with every shoot that I do. Business wise, I have to say I matured as a businessman at 27. I'm 32 now. And even now, till this very day, I'm still learning about business.
The Days also mentioned that it was very difficult to get a hold of their photographer. He wouldn't return phone calls or emails, even prior to their down payment. Like any relationship, communication is the key. Communication, is also a choice. A vendor is never too busy to return a phone call, even if their busy. It's very easy to devote 5 to 10 minutes of their time to a customer, potential or existing. I handle 20 plus weddings a month, and I am very easy to get a hold of. Now I may not call up family members of mine as often as I do clients, but again, that's a choice...haha.
Lastly, the Days took a look at Mr. Bowen's wedding album, and it looked great. But their photos did not come out as good. Honestly, you truly cannot tell how great a photographer is by just looking at one of his albums. Any amateur photographer can create a great wedding album. Any amateur photographer can also have 1 or 2 great references. What separates the pros from the wannabes is consistency.
You don't have to look at any entire album to recognize talent. You could possibly just look at a handful of pictures of different wedding couples, at different times of the day, different lighting conditions, BUT...AT THE SAME LOCATION. He may repeat some poses, and that's a good thing. The main question you want answered when looking at these photos is that he or she is able to produce a great shot, under different lighting conditions, with different people, at the same location. If he can, you got yourself a great photographer. Amateurs have a very difficult time replicating quality.
There are more things to note, but these are the major tell-tell signs to be on the lookout for.
With that being said, for those of you who booked with me, you can rest easy that I'm no like Mr. Bowers.
Well, I better get to bed. I have 2 weddings tomorrow and a football game to watch!
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT The Hawaiian Wedding of Cameron and Lindsey
Some couples have it all, good looks, a good job, a nice apartment, and a perfect partner in crime. This is the case of Cameron and Lindsey, a young couple whose incredible looks match their intelligence.
Carmen and Lindsey, the only time they'll ever be on the rocks.
Cameron and Lindsey had contacted me close to one year before their wedding. They were not looking for anything very fancy. Just a simple wedding on the beach, with chairs, flowers, and a luau at Paradise Cove to follow. The total number of people in attendance to her wedding was around 28 or so. I really didn't expect there would be any complications in the planning, but the State of Hawaii would throw a pitchfork into her wedding plans.
I was a week before Lindsey's wedding when the State enacted an unconstitutional beach permit law that regulated all weddings and restricted chairs, arbors, and tables from appearing on the beach. The DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) declared that they had enacted these regulations to protect the environment from the "harmful" impact which weddings had caused in the past (Are you kidding me?) One employee of the DLNR that I interviewed even told me that they were regulating weddings to save the environment and to control global warming. Someone is smoking some good weed in the DLNR office, that's all I have to say
I broke the word to Lindsey, and told her the State had tied my hands and every wedding company hands behind their backs. She truly wanted chairs at her wedding, but there was nothing I could do. If I did anything, it would risk having her wedding shut down by the State.
As expected, the curve ball, thrown by the State, didn't sit well with Lindsey at all. I had to think of something.
I contacted numerous lawyers for their advice on how to approach the situation. An ACLU lawyer had informed me that if Lindsey would book the chairs herself, it would not be considered a commercial activity, and would clearly not fall under the enforcement of the State. Therefore, setting up chairs would be her constitutional right to peacefully assemble to practice her freedom of speech and religion to get married on the beach. If the DLNR would stop her, the ACLU would gladly sue the State on her behalf and make her a happy millionaire. So that was it. The answer was simple. Lindsey would simply have to book the chairs on her own. Problem solved...bride happy.
By the way, the entire beach permit law is unconstitutional and the State is currently being sued by a very powerful constitutional attorney. I believe in about a year, beach permits will no longer be needed.
Once we got the chair fiasco handled, it was smooth sailing from there once again.
Here comes the bride
Since Cameron and Lindsey's Wedding consisted of a small bridal party, we elected to have a quick rehearsal a few days before their wedding on the beaches of Waikiki. Rehearsals are rather easy and help pull everything together. Their truly not needed, but having one helps calm a bride down. In total, rehearsals take about 5 minutes to coordinate, with 20 minutes tacked on in the beginning as we wait for all the participants in the processional to show up, basically friends and family.
As expected, everything ran very smooth on her wedding day. Cameron showed up with his friends and family early, and Lindsey soon filed in shortly after. Reverend Elias performed an excellent non-denominational Hawaiian wedding, and picture taking shortly followed.
Here's something you don't see often. Chairs on the beach at Ko'olina
Cameron and Lindsey listen to Reverend Elias
And on goes the ring. If you notice here, her veil is gone! The wind took it.
Lindsey was nothing but smiles
The weather was perfect for their wedding. But it did get a little windy. So windy, Lindsey's veil blew off her head midway through the ceremony. We caught it on video, check it out.
A Hawaiian tradition, the sharing of breathes.
Their first kiss together as a couple.
The day of Cameron and Lindsey's wedding, the waves were extraordinarily large. The waves washed the sand into itself creating an overly turquoise look. It doesn't usually look like that.
Their first kiss after walking down the isle.
Lindsey made another attempt at using the veil.Here it is getting in the way while Cameron signed the marriage license.
Lindsey making her marriage official. Check out that water, it's coming up close!
As you probably have noticed, I'm posting quite a bit of their photos online. Lindsey had me take 5 rolls of film at her wedding since she had quite a few number of guest at her wedding, and for the fact that she wanted her reception covered. Hope your enjoying the pics!
Lindsey and her bridesmaids
Another picture of the girlsThis shot is a lot harder to take than it looks. As you can see, I'm shooting directly into the sun
Cameron's band cover pic. FAITH + 1 (from Southpark)
Footprints in the sand, a lot of couple love this shot
Kissing under the hot sun
It's not usually like this! Here is Cameron picking up Lindsey just before the waves shot over the breakers.
What I really liked about Cameron and Lindsey was for the fact that they were very easy to photograph. Not only were they photogenic, but they just fell naturally into poses. I didn't really have to pose them. They just had fun, and I literally tried to capture the moment. I love it when I don't have to think.
The Baywatch, running in the sand shot
They look good even when they're not looking at the camera
A spin on the sand...to....a....
...kiss....
Hey you've seen this shot before. I always make sure I get this shot...I always shoot it.Couples always love it!
A final walk on the beach before heading to Paradise Cove
After the picture taking, we headed to Paradise Cove, where their guest were already waiting for them. It was my first visit to the Luau, and I have to say the food wasn't that bad. You can read my review by clicking here. I do believe though, that Germaine's Luau is a bit better.
Paradise Cove. Cameron and Lindsey had a table in the shade. A perfect view.
Check out that wedding cakes... They tasted great
Sunset at Paradise Cove...caught it just in time
Still at Paradise Cove
Last shot at Ko'olina Cove
Cameron and Lindsey met through a mutual friend. They had been together three years prior to getting married. That means around year two, they got engaged. What brought them together? I'm thinking similar personalities, and similar intellect, maybe even similar interest in airplanes. Like I had mentioned before, both Cameron and Lindsey are extraordinarily smart. They both work for an airline manufacturer in Long Beach, so that tells you something right there....they are going to have some very smart kids one day!
The average age of most of my wedding couples hovers around the 30's. The bride, usually younger than the groom, is usually in her late 20's or early 30's. The groom, usually in his mid to late 30's. They say, 30 is the new 20, and I can see why. Most men and women are getting married 10 years after what was considered the norm back in the 70's. My mother got married in her early 20's, and my dad, well he was in his mid 20's.
As for John and Kayla, they did it the old fashioned style. They were high school sweethearts, and a little after they both graduated high school, they decided to tie the knot.
Kayla has a very fresh look, great for modeling
John's parents watch from a distance
So it was Kayla who first hit on John, according to Kayla's mother. And she literally hit him. With what I don't know. But I know it's not a tire iron. John at first didn't take to Kayla, calling her names such as "Barbie doll." But that opinion quickly changed. I guess John wised up. There's nothing wrong with having a skinny girl at your side. Trust me on that one.
In attendance to this young couple's wedding was both of their parents, and nothing more. No friends or enemies were present. It was a small affair, and very intimate. Performing the ceremony was Reverend Elias Parker, who did a stellar job as always. And there was this awesome photographer at their wedding...hmm..wait, that was me! haha.
John and Kayla tied the knot at one of my favorite beaches, unofficially labeled Secret Cove. It truly has no official name. Secret Cove is great for pictures, as the setting and lighting is perfect (if you know what you're doing).
A very difficult shot that most photographers can't pull off because of the strong back light.
I can tell you right now that a lot of wedding photographers struggle with taking pictures at this cove because the sun can cast a very harsh side-light. This side-light makes it very difficult for digital photographers. It can light up one side of a subjets face, and leave the other dark. If a photographer isn't careful, his or her shadow can be in the shot! The side-light can also make the wedding ceremony rather difficult, as either the bride or groom could be staring directly into the sun during the wedding ceremony if they are not positioned correctly.
The side lighting was so severe during John and Kayla's wedding, Elias and I decided to have the sun as the actual background for their wedding. With the sun as the background, John and Kayla could face each other, without squinting. Now for digital photographers, positioning the sun directly behind the minister, would be a disaster. The result would be a white washed out sky, and tons of photoshop work to fix skin tones. But for a film photographer, this really wouldn't be much of a problem, in fact it was a dream...as it was special effects time!
Most of John and Kayla's ceremony shots were special effects shots
John and Kayla were your typical Generation Y, young, rocker couple. Kayla looked like a model, and John looked as though he could headline some punk band. Because of their age, I knew I could get away with shooting some very cool, dramatic shots for their wedding. You know, not your typical blue sky stuff. Since the sun was at their back, I could make day look like night, and use my on camera flash as the primary light source for all of their shots. This technique is commonly applied to the fashion industry, almost never at weddings.
Their first kiss as husband and wife
..and their first hug...
Camera techie stuff 1/250 f-stop 18, flash manual 1/1 FULL. Normal exposure for this day, 1/250 f-11
So that camera mumbo jumbo you read above here, that basically means I'm underexposing this shot, and using the flash to fill in for the foreground. If it wasn't for my flash, John and Kayla would be nothing but sillouttes.
Keeping with the dramatic theme here
More photo mumbo jumbo here: John and Kayla ordered the eloping package, and opted to just utilize the one roll of film that came with the package. Most couples usually opt for an extra roll of film, so they can get a bit more of a variety. With just 36 shots, most photographers would swear that it would be literally impossible to get a great variety of pictures for you. But, honestly, it's not that hard of a task, if that photographer takes their time to get it right. See, most photographers operate under the theory of "praying and spraying." Meaning they'll take 1000's of pictures, and pray that 1 of them come out right. I always thought, that with a shooting accuracy of less than 1%, how could any professional photographer employed this technique call themselves professional? Doesn't accuracy count? Wouldn't it be better if you could get the perfect shot, in just one shot?
The Gen Y couple
And here you have my usual sunset shot!
I have to say, I truly envy John and Kayla. I always wondered what it would be like if I married my high school sweetheart. Of course, now that I think about it, I didn't have a sweetheart. It was just me stalking one of my favorite blond friends....good times...good times. All joking aside, planning weddings, taking pictures at weddings, doing the video, etc...etc... It's just really cool being part of peoples lives as they start a new chapter in their life. Every love story I hear is truly unique, and it truly gets you thinking, that there is such thing as destiny.
