A Wedding, As A Guest

Today is a quick and early post that I am sneaking in before I leave for the day - we're taking our son in to Children's Hospital to a clinic that specializes in guiding those afflicted with Cerebral Palsy. We usually go once a year so the panel of experts that evaluates him can give us their opinions on the road his treatment should follow and the options that are out there. But, he has taken a dive in mobility in the last few months and we are really worried about him. He is having trouble getting around at pre-school, and his gait is worsening, so we are taking him in today to be looked at. Any prayers are appreciated - we are so worried he has taken a permanent turn for the worse.

So, after that downer statement, ahem! :) Here's today's post about one of my favorite inspirational photographers and how I "met" her. Enjoy!

I think by now we all know how I feel about weddings but where I stand about photographing them - how much I love them, but really don't want to professionally shoot them... so back in May, I attended my cousin Steve's wedding as a guest, camera in hand - and watched the official photographer do her thing. I, as every other guest with a camera, did not want to step on her toes, but wanted to give my cousins another angle to keep - my angle - from where I sat, and I thought it was fun to challenge myself to get something different without moving or messing up their professional in any way.

But while I was preparing my camera before everything started, I noticed their photographer in the center aisle. I was instantly in awe of her composure. For the rest of the ceremony, I was aware of how easy she made it look - she was just there taking pictures, right? That was the easy vibe coming off of her. Projecting confidence, but not calling attention to herself - visible but invisible - she was calm, collected and got 'er done. And she also, somehow, made it look like she was having actual fun - not about to fall into a wheezing ball of anxiety, which is probably what I'd look like to the outside world in her shoes. :)

The girl I'm talking about is Erin Oveis Brant, the photographer I was inspired by to attempt this 30-day challenge thing, and this is where I saw her for the first time. I remember her because she was different. Most weddings I have been to over the years, there is usually an older guy... who has a great big honkin' camera and sometimes an assistant, and he's your average photographer joe. In a zone the whole day, he seems a world apart, almost bored. He seems to get all the regular posed shots, nothing too exciting or crazy, everything the bride asks for, yawns and then leaves. And then all the brides I know are just ok with the pictures after, like an exchange just happened that was supposed to happen, the pictures get shoved in a drawer, but no one got really excited about the whole deal (I mean the pictures, not the wedding, lol).

Don't fret if you've never seen this go down. I notice these things, you know. It's kinda the business I'm in. :)

But Erin was different - she was like a breath of fresh air that made me sit up and go - hey! wait! she's different... already, I can tell that her style is something I will dig! She had enthusiasm, and you can tell she was there because it was her dream. And that got me glancing her way more than any other photographer I instantly forgot at every one else's wedding I've been to. And boy, she inspired me! At the reception, if she didn't have fun, then she sure fooled me! She was laughing and circling and following the goofiest dancers, giggling at their antics and capturing every minute. She got all the necessary shots and more - and she did it all without seeming to break a sweat. I was impressed. :)

Shortly after the wedding, I contacted her to see if we could get together and do a mentoring session. I felt like such a stalker even contacting her, introducing myself and letting her know I was inspired by her "performance" at my cousin's wedding. :) But, hey - she did inspire me and she was local, so I took that as God sending me a little connection. I went with it. Since then, WNY has lost a very talented girl, since she has moved to California. :( Yay for Cali but boo for us!

So, I thought it would be neat to share my first impression of Erin here - and tell her how much she's inspired me just by doing her thing. Plus, I thought it would be neat to share my pictures of my cousin's wedding and then send you over to her Facebook page to see hers. A bit of a difference. :) (I hope you can access them!)  Erin, I knew you were "different" that day, and after seeing Steve and Tiffany's pictures, it was confirmed that you have some serious talent, girl. I love that you are following your dream, because it suits you and you make so many people happy with it. Take this as yet another confirmation that the path you are following is the right one. <3

Here are some of my pics from the ceremony - I was a total guest, remember, so please go easy on me! lol  :P  And coincidentally, before I really knew about white balance... hence the orange-y hue - a good lesson that I can't believe I got so far without noticing... They are blurry, orange, others too flash-y, all-in-all kinda terrible, but great context for knowing how hard it is to be a wedding photographer, especially in a low-light room.

Now, go see Erin's stuff! :) Please visit her blog or go to her Facebook page and leave her some love - she always has something great and inspirational on there!

Why Terror Can Be A Good Thing

Terror isn't something you wish on yourself, probably not on your worst enemy either - but I am here to say that we all need to experience a little more of it in our lives. There are two kinds of terror - for simplicity's sake, let's call them the good and the bad kinds. You know when you are super excited to do something, like ride a roller coaster, but scared out of your mind at the same time? The same can be said for doing anything you always wanted to do, but were afraid you would fail. This is the good kind of terror. And that's what we need more of!

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a second shooter for my friend's wedding. I think weddings are amazing. The details, the emotion, the love, the details.... did I say that already? So much there to capture, like a banquet for the eyes. I always said that I would love to be a wedding photographer but for a few things:

1. The schedule. Fridays! Saturdays! Sundays!

2. The super duper long days. I love the details, the prep, the ceremony - the reception? Not so much. As I guest, I feel this way too - I like the conversation of dinner, but once that is over, I peter out for the dancing and post-cake social hijinks. :)

3. Flash. I dislike the way I take flash photography. Not saying it can't be done well - I just know I don't do it well, and at weddings, flash is inevitable. :)

4. Equipment. My gear is high-level amateur, low-level pro. My camera body doesn't handle low-light very well and my only battery doesn't handle the long days very well either! These can be remedied in time.

5. So. much. pressure. You have one chance to capture all the mega-important once-in-a-lifetime shots. One chance for that kiss - no going back and saying "uh... could you do that one more time? I missed it!", the emotional hugs of a first look, the kiss of a father saying goodbye to her daughter and handing her over. Monumental stuff, people! And it's that kind of pressure, knowing that you need to be on your toes - and even if you have a plan and are all set to get it - Aunt Edna steps in your face to hit the bathroom right as they are kissing and you've blown it. Your super powers have to be "Highly Adaptable", "Invisible Girl" and if possible, add "able to fly" or "super speed".

6. I was terrified of it.

Notice I said "was"...

No matter how much the rest of that list still hampers me, I can now cross #6 off my list of reasons holding me back, and that makes me happy.

I have had many requests to do weddings, all of which I have turned down for these reasons. My friend Sara was getting married at the end of October and we were invited. I was doing their engagement photos and we were talking about her wedding photographer. This was going to be her first wedding and that stirred a "want to help" feeling in me. First, a desire to help out Sara - it can only help having another camera on the event, to make sure there is coverage. And, without meeting this new photographer, I wanted to make sure she had someone to lean on. Dealing with my own worries about doing a wedding, I think I had a gist of what she might be feeling and I decided to offer my help if she wanted me.

I left that day of the engagement shoot feeling somewhat sick - that "what did I do" feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. I decided to leave it to fate. I offered my help, she had the choice to take it or leave it and I would accept that choice as the Universe deciding for me too. Feeling better about letting go, I got the text a few days later and my nerves began humming. It was the "Holy Crap, what am I doing" thought again, but it was also that ultra-excited, "let's see what I can do with this" mentality layered right behind it. The good kind of terror!

Eventually, as the day got closer, I kept getting more and more nervous - but preparing for the day, practicing here and there, browsing wedding photographers' sites, getting the feel for the look I was going for, creating a mental list of the shots I would need to capture and the ones it would be nice to capture - helped. Preparation and practice are the keys to be mentally ready, and mentally ready means your training and intuition can take more of a lead role in whatever you are trying to accomplish. The terror of what I was about to do kept my visual memory, technical specs and adaptability strung tight and ready, like an arrow notched, and the day began.

The key to weddings, that I soon found out - is the ability to adapt to the many things that WILL go wrong that day. Will you miss things? Yep. Are you going to have to be ok with that? Yep. And knowing that now, it is ok. There are SO many things you are expected to capture, that it will happen. Like Aunt Edna walking in front of a key moment - and you will get your best shots on your ability to work around those catastrophes! There are many things I wish I could go back and change on how I handled the day, but besides being able to cross something off my bucket list, now that I am on this side of the day, I know more about what to expect. And for me, that was a large portion of the terror. :) Aside from also not knowing what the day would hold, I now know that I can do it, and that question loomed larger than anything else in my head, the self-doubt threatening to overtake most of my rational psyche.


There's also the added bonus of doing something that scares the pants off you, that when you get through it, you feel like you scaled a mountain. You learn things, you gain pride in yourself, you gain courage... you are always stronger in the end for it.

That's not to say things will always go well if you tackle that terrifying thing, but you will always be stronger and more ready for the next encounter. Part of the terror is the unknown... and just by doing the terrifying thing, you eliminate that variable right off the bat. Never again will it be unknown! And isn't the anticipation of not knowing what it will be like almost 75% of the terror?


As the bad kind of terror helps us to survive by playing the same role, the good kind keeps us razor sharp, focused keenly on the present. We can't live our whole lives like this because it is plainly exhausting, but it helps get us to the top, to succeed and pushes us to come out the other end with more than we could have imagined we could do. And when we are done, we can look back and say... I did that. I did that! And poof! Just like that, the unknown factor is irrelevant and will be gone forever.

Terror will always be there - and I hope it is at some smaller level, at any shoot. It is what keeps all the cogs and wheels of your mind lubricated and strung tight, working at top peak; it enables the clarity of focus to make sure you are trying to get what you planned to get and to tap dance around the eventualities with ingenuity and come out with something great. And most times, that something great you end up with is not the same something great you imagined, it is something better - outlined by the sharp edge of terror and filled in by your creative reaction to it, and that can never be a bad thing. So, I say - bring on the (good kind of) terror. We are all the better for it in the end!

Beautiful Sara. I never would have gotten this image, that I love, if I hadn't experienced the terror. :)

Reese's Collage

This really is a collage created of the three of them, their family. I am starting to put together a few more themed collages, since it is a great way to group some scattered pictures - say, like the reception - into one, more interesting picture. I don't know about you, but I haven't really looked at my reception pictures in a long, long time! But if they were in one image, I might just have it framed! Or at least "scrapbooked" that way, since I am building 12x12 images for just that reason. It makes it easy to display, either way!

Here's the next one, Casey, Paige and Reese primarily, with a few of Casey's dad interacting with Reese - too cute. I love to see that!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Collages

Not a storyboard, but a collage! Here's just two of the first few I wanted to kind of group into a few shots together. This is a great way to use pictures that might just be ok on their own and you want something more. Put them together with a theme binding them (of course, a wedding is a theme all on its own, so really for these pictures, ANY together would work!) and sometimes you get a really great combination that just pops and wows you, working together. 

This first one is focused on the music at the ceremony...it's funny how great the pictures of the soloist and the woman playing the harp turned out - the sun setting, the light and focus is just fantastic... but then the pictures of the parents walking down the aisle...unfocused and just plain unusable. SO frustrating! To make the best of it, since they turned out so well, I just had to use them here. That said, I decided a collage was the best option to display them, adding in a picture of the vows to lend relevance, 'cuz that's really what it's all about!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Here's the end result:

The next one focuses on the reception, taking a few of the special moments - the dance, the cake, etc... and putting them together. Here's what I came up with:

I hope all of you mothers out there had a fantastic Mother's Day! I am just winding down from our hectic day of outings honoring our mothers...now that the triplets are in bed, I'm treating myself to ice cream, chocolate coffee and a cheesy movie on sci-fi - doesn't get any better than that!

Storyboard - The Bouquet

As I was prepping the pictures of what I did to emphasize out a bouquet shot yesterday, I was overwhelmed with the urge to make a storyboard out of the many (and I mean, MANY) variations I did with this picture.  I went saturated, closer, grainy, sepia, black and white, soft focus...I couldn't stop modifying them! Since so many pretty ones resulted, I decided to choose three and put them together, and here is the end result.  Simpler than my recent posts, which is why I love it - and since I love these flowers, the cobblestone texture - and I have been having a hard time choosing which finish to present, this is perfect for my obsessions. 

I am a flower junkie, and that's probably one of the reasons I love weddings so much! And, the more, the better! I remember my sister's wedding ceremony just brimming with flowers everywhere- they filled up the room in every corner and nook and cranny - and they provided such a romantic, overindulgent - yet fresh - ambiance. Perfect feel for a wedding. The color, the smell, the softness - ahhhhh! It was incredible. Not to say I don't love the look of a perfectly placed, modern display of singular blooms, but if I had to pick for my own wedding, the room would be ab.so.lute.ly. full of every kind and color imaginable. ;)

So, I hope you like this, Paige, but I guess you could say I did this one for the flower addict in me!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Remember, here's the original:

And now, the storyboard:

The Bouquet

One quick post before bed tonight - I have been extremely busy today for some reason!

Y'all know by now that I just loved these gorgeous flowers, but there were really no close ups...believe me, it was the first thing I looked for!....so I made my own!  Since they are high quality, large images, I was able to crop closely and still maintain the picture integrity. I zoomed in and Wa-la! I love how you get the texture of the cobblestone in the lower left corner. Here is the super quickie... 

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

Original:

Zoomed in and saturated, grainy:

Sepia tone:

One of the reasons I am so busy tonight is because I decide to make these variations into a storyboard at the last minute - I am still working, so I will finish in the morning and post it then - it shaping up to be super simple and elegant!

Hush, Little Baby

So, I'm sprucing up wedding pictures of Paige and Casey...and neither one of them are in this next one!

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

This mod stars one little cutie-pie and his aunt! Paige and Casey's son, Reese, and Paige's sister were captured here. I struggled with this picture, since it was a very cute moment...and all I kept thinking was - why was it taken when there was just so much to clutter the picture up? The struggle comes in thinking that this is really what a wedding photographer has to deal with - these moments, surrounded by the chaos, the preparations and the package deal that really make the day memorable, but might not make the pictures perfectly iconic. So, I have to go easy on the critiques of this one - and try to come at it from the back-side: Photoshop. Some pictures just have to be taken with the knowledge that a lot of post processing will be needed to make it work, that the moment would be lost if you decided not to take it, even with all its "baggage".

I got to work, clearing out the excess "baggage", and I had to accept a few things here: I know that I have been a little texture-heavy on my mods lately, but this one, with it's grain because of low light, and the cloning technique adding a softness and imperfection to the background...texture was necessary to mask the problems that could not be altogether eliminated. Black and white was also necessary for the same reason! Sometimes, you just have to go for it, even if it feels overdone, since it will only get done in this way. ;) 

Here's the original - the moment is obvious here, but it is so overwhelmed with the busy-ness of the day (again, not a word, I know. ;) - funny that I am such a grammar snob that I HAVE to make references to made-up words).  I had to make it so these two are the only ones in the room if it were to have any effect at all. 

I cropped to eliminate as much as I could, and to put them on the same line, draw your eye to them and their reflection. I softened the actual pair, drawing more attention to the reflection, on Reese's face.

Then, I got to work, eliminating (cloning out) every other thing and person in the room!  I decided to leave the diaper bag and things on a table to their right, to keep the realism intact. I didn't want them to look like they were surreal! Also, since the low light already lends a grainy texture, I decided to add two layers here, one grainy:

and one flowy:

...and then I added a vignette and I thought I was done for a few days:

Afterwards, I decided to add the text - and I like it here, I think it adds something to the finished picture, focusing on Reese. He is being comforted by his aunt, and his almost crying expression looked like he needed a comforting quote expression! So, here's the final result:

I'm learning to always try and work with what you have, go with it for a while, even if it's not exactly how you would have imagined a shot like this turning out. Not everything works or is saveable, but some things might just surprise you. I'm happy with the result, given the start, and, Paige - I hope you are too!

Hands in Love

Ok, just one today!  I was out taking pictures today of our golden retriever in the spring foliage that has popped up (namely the lily-of-the-valley "sea"). I was just going through them and almost forgot to post! By the way, I must have looked like a crazy idiot to our neighbor, who has no idea I am practicing for this venture, laying on the front lawn with a camera in my dog's face.  Wow!  She drove by and I had to fight the urge to pop up and wave, pretending like I wasn't just laying in the mud. ;)

Anyway, here's one of the recent ones - I don't know why, but this original sparked a need for a "hand shot" of these guys during their vows.  I honestly started looking for a ring exchange picture, but this one got me for some reason.  So, I decided there was no harm in trying to "fancify" (I know, it's not really a word.) this one up.

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

The original image is really nice - I love their location because it gives this "buttery" out-of focus effect to the trees behind, giving a fantastic background for their ceremony, the color is just beautiful. I just decided to crop it much closer and see what happened...

The original:

The only problem with cropping closer is having to get rid of a few distracting parts...the microphone stand, the woman's arm, etc...

Zoomed, cloned out excess.

Added a paper texture and a quote that reflected my feeling of what the picture was saying to me - that - well, basically "all that matters is this moment, the here and now - all that matters is us!"  Here's the final image:

I thought I was finished with this one, and I accidentally hit a button to "wash out" the color in the image.  I sort of liked it - not better than the final I came up with, but enough to include it here.  What do you think?  

Storyboard - Romantic Flowers

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

I guess I'm trying to make up for being gone yesterday!

Here's my favorite storyboard, I think. Remember that I said she had some rockin' flowers? Well, the color they give to this one is just awesome. The fairy tale effect is back with these two lovebirds, being so cute together. Another sweet moment! I like the location of this picture, but again - it could have been so much more. So, it made the perfect base for a storyboard "sprucing".

The original:

Off center, too far away, weed in the foreground, too dark. I really like this spot, but again, I was disappointed with the exposure and composition! 

I cropped in order to zoom in on the main event, also darkening and saturating the color.

Then, after I cropped and corrected color on this one, another very cute picture of Paige and her sister, I stole a strip of the mass of flowers they created in this picture.

Now just the flowers... I added film grain and a soft focus on the edge.

This is the final result, putting the two together...after a background, borders, flowers under a transparent layer...and a beautiful Browning quote to complete the package. 

 

I love the way this one turned out, and again, it gave me tons of practice with layers. Thank you, Paige and Casey!

This picture captivated me so much, I chose to take it in many different directions when correcting it. I will share those variations tomorrow!  Time to take a nap. ;)

Storyboard - The Ring Shot

Disclaimer:  I did not take these pictures!  They are here for a "makeover". Go here to find out the whole story.

I'm not sure if you can consider this a storyboard if I didn't place it on a background, but the work that goes into these is just the same...so I am making the Executive Decision here.  Yes, they are.  ;)

Anyway, this was one of those super disappointing pics in my opinion, and I wanted to give them better!  Too much clutter and a harsh exposure make for a difficult-to-like picture. So, I chose to chop out as much extra as I could and soften the picture with a sepia or a black and white tone, since the color was just way too harsh.  I can't decide which of the final two I like better - vote now! :)

This was really great practice at using the clone stamp tool, so it was a worthy subject to set my sights on. I am happy to have learned the skill! Hopefully, Paige - you are happier with the end result.  :)

Original picture.  Fluorescent light is a photographer's worst enemy.

I cloned out Casey's other arm and fingers (that were trying to hide underneath!) and added a few more flowers to blend.  Then, I added some texture to soften the background.

Then, I added one word; short and sweet!  Next, I converted to sepia, and also to black and white. I really liked this end result! But I still can't choose which one I like better...

My favorite part about both of these is how it makes their rings just pop! Final results: