To me, capturing weddings is like being a fly on the wall. This photograph captures my philosophy well. During a ceremony, my second shooter and I do a dance of rotating positions, being sure to stay out of the way and as incognito as possible, but capturing as many angles as we can. Ceremony pictures could be seen as boring and monotonous, so I try to mix it up by using depth of field, different focal lengths, and focusing on the different aspects of the ceremony. The couple has taken a lot of time to plan every detail of their wedding, from the altar to the aisle, to the flowers and attire. This is the best time to capture these details focusing on different aspects in each shot. Sometimes the photographs we capture don’t turn out, but we don’t filter during the day, we save that for our culling process. You never know until you try! I am always trying to get creative with different vantage points to create interest (and using depth of field is my absolute favorite).
After the ceremony, I always try to steal away the happy couple to get some more relaxed couple’s portraits. We may only spend 15 minutes together, but these are always my favorite images of the day. During down time or during our pre-wedding consult and venue tour, I will scout out locations for couple portraits. I try to find a spot with some variety in a small area so the couple doesn’t have to move far to get some diversity. Earlier in the day, I saw this bench sitting under the lights, which were not making much of an impact in the bright sunny summer sky. I knew that later the lights would bring some magic to a special moment. To the right of this image there was an archway covered in ivy with some lights hanging in the middle. I brought the couple over a little before the golden hour since there was quite a bit of shade and I needed to be sure to have enough light. We took some photos under the arbor and then I had them sit next to each other on the bench. I told them to just relax and enjoy a few minutes with each other, but especially to ignore me. Meanwhile, I fidgeted with my camera to make them think I wasn’t paying attention. After a few seconds, I looked up and they were just resting with each other and kissing. I quickly snapped this image, which shows an honest moment from the busy day.
Engagement sessions are an integral part of my wedding packages, and I include a free one in every package I offer. I try to tap in to a special place for the couple, somewhere important to them and meaningful, or a place that shows their interests. For this session, we planned a getaway to the beach since this is one of their most cherished spots. We spent a couple of hours capturing all of the typical engagement photos and getting to know each other more. At one point, they had kicked off their Tom’s to get more comfy. Since I love playing with depth of field so much, I focused on their Tom’s as they kissed. To get this perfect dip, I told him to grab her tight, support her back, and step forward with his left foot as he dipped. This allowed him to comfortably hold her for a minute as I lined up the photo and took the perfect shot.
I love, love, LOVE natural light, the Golden Hour, and landscapes…especially in my beautiful state of Oregon. This magical photo was caught last summer when a good portion of our state was caught in wildfires. The couple and I had been looking forward to going up to this ridge since we initially met months earlier, and a little smoke wasn’t going to stop us! Initially, my second shooter and the venue owner headed up to make sure the location was safe and also worthwhile, since there was so much fog settling in. When they came back they said, “We gotta go now!” so we loaded up and took off toward the top of the mountain. What followed was an amazing view. The setting sun bounced off the smoke creating a gigantic soft box. The sun was still a little high so I added a kick of light off camera to the left of this image via a bare speedlight. The flash was just outside the camera view, approximately 10’ behind the couple to a 45º angle. I made sure to set my camera settings to expose the mountains behind them perfectly and used the off camera flash to expose the couple perfectly, but not too dramatically. I just told the couple to stand a little ways apart, hold hands, and just talk to each other. This created the perfect expressions that I couldn’t have orchestrated.
The beauty of weddings is the emotion involved. This wedding topped the cake (pun intended). During the father-daughter dance, the bride and her dad shared a very tender moment, which we caught perfectly on camera. This is a moment to never forget! To get the perfect shot, my second shooter and I took the same philosophy we do during ceremonies, stay opposite of each other and try and get unique angles. We do this for all of the important dances, and special moments that might happen. The only time my second and I are ever together is generally when we are touching base throughout the day, and the moments we get to stop and rest (and eat). I try to get as high as I can and as low as I can to vary the angles of the photos.
One of my favorite aspects to any wedding is the details. I mean seriously, what other time does a couple come together and plan a major event that really showcases who they are, and think of every little intricacy. I’ve seen unique cakes, ceremonies, songs performed, favors, rings, and attire. After the cake is gone and the guests have gone home, all that is left are the memories and photos. My job as photographer is to capture every detail so the couple can look back in 50 years and say, “remember that amazing cake we had!” The rings are no exception. To get the perfect ring shot, I throw on my macro lens and focus, focus, focus. The first major step is to make sure my aperture is open to at least f/5.6, if not more. I always focus on the closest prong. My biggest trick is to add a small splash of light, with my iPhone. Those flashlights aren’t just good for dark keyholes! Even in a well lit room I will turn on my flash and have my second hold it to a 45º angle above the ring. This makes the diamonds sparkle just a little bit more, and what girl doesn’t love a little sparkle?
If you haven’t noticed already, I love using depth of field to focus the attention of the viewer and capturing intimate moments. In this photo, I set the couple up to stand at a slight V to each other, told the Groom to wrap his arms around his Bride, and told them to lean in to each other and savor the moment. Often, the couple will try to look at each other, which always looks super awkward to me. If they try, I tell them honestly, “make sure to close your eyes and just enjoy the moment.” Usually one or the other will start whispering to each other and small facial movements will show their joy in the moment. I didn’t tell this gorgeous couple to smile. The Groom said something to the effect of, “sorry for my breath,” to which the Bride giggled. It was the perfect moment to end the perfect day.
As I mentioned before, details shots are so important to me to truly capture the day in all its glory. The bride spends more time picking out her wedding gown than probably any other outfit she will ever wear, and it deserves to have its own moment in the spot light. I try to find an interesting backdrop to carefully hang the dress. In this instance, the bride had told me on her venue tour and consultation that she loved the John Deere tractor and wanted it incorporated somehow. I knew just where it would fit in. I brought two towels with me. I spread one on the ground and squeezed the other in the front of the tractor to protect the gown. Once I had the dress hanging, I pushed the towels in to hide them while still protecting the gown. This photograph was taken in the middle of the day, around 11:30am, and the sun was high in the sky and very bright (and hot). I set up my speedlight off camera left with a medium sized octobox, at about a 45º angle from the dress. I figured out the perfect settings to perfectly expose the backdrop and then set my speedlight to expose the dress. The result was a dramatic and unique dress image that is my favorite to this day.
When I meet my couples for the first time, I ask questions and try to gauge how comfortable each person will be in front of my camera. This Groom told me straight out of the gate that he hated having his photo taken. I knew right then and there that the majority of their engagement photos would focus on their relationship, with the Groom rarely looking into my camera. When I know I have a client who is uncomfortable in front of my camera, I start that session with informal photos, talk a lot to gain trust, and then get a few more traditional poses. This is an example of a great pose to help an uncomfortable Groom ease into a session, and get more comfortable with you. I told them to stand facing each other, for him to wrap his arms around her, I tweaked her hands and hair to make sure they looked perfect (and because we really do want to see the bling), and then I told him to whisper into her ear. I have no idea what he said, I didn’t ask, but whatever it was made for the perfect expression.
Every wedding and engagement session I do focuses on three pillar poses, looking towards each other in some way, looking at me, and kissing. Each pose I set up, I run through these three pillars. This gets me a nice variety to work with and gets the couple to loosen up. I make it a joke by the end of the session saying things like, “Okay guys, you know the drill,” and it always brings a good giggle. This also sets up the wedding day to be more efficient. These three pillars help make sure I get to focus on being creative with my angles and cropping while they focus on each other.
I’ve been in business as a photographer since 2010 and photograph every stage of life in Salem, Oregon. I don’t have a favorite genre, and every time I complete a session I say, “I love photographing [insert genre here] so much!” and vow to specialize, but I doubt I ever will. Each stage of life that I photograph helps me learn and grow to be an all-around better photographer. Newborn teaches me patience, kids teach me to lighten up, and weddings teach me to enjoy life. Photography is my passion and my outlet, but I also enjoy hiking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
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