Bob and I do a lot of preparation for weddings. We talk a lot about getting a plan together for where we will do photos, understanding the site, understanding where the sun will be during certain parts of the day and judging how much time we might need to get a particular shot. The work is invaluable. It’s like studying for a final exam. You really want to know the material going in. But as prepared as you are, weddings – in a lot of ways – are like pop quizzes. Things change and they change quickly. It rains, the clouds give you spotty sun, the time of the portraits changes. You really need to be adaptable and a problem solver. Ryan Brenizer – a NYC wedding photographer – gets it right. He bills himself as a story-teller/problem-solver. That’s the nature of the work. We work in different places, under different conditions all the time, but the standard to produce great photos does not change. Ever.
We posted earlier about a wedding we did near Elk Mountain for Heather and Michael. It was an unbelievably beautiful day of family and friends. In some ways, it got a little flipped around from the way you would expect a wedding to go. Generally, but not always, the guys don’t leave a whole lot of time for portraits. They tend to want to get in their tuxes and head to the ceremony. Girls, on the other hand, usually leave a little time. But things can get blown up in a hurry. Things take longer than expected and time can slip away in a hurry. So with Heather and Michael we had all kinds of time with the guys for some shots. There was a little less time with the girls but it’s not a problem because you find a way to get the photos your friends deserve. Here are some pre-ceremony shots from the day.
