Not really.  I'm just kidding.  Wedding photography is HARD!  Yesterday I had the honor of taking the pictures at Jackie and Michael's wedding.  I have to admit, I was a little bit nervous.  After all, this is a big day, and you only get one shot (literally!) to get things right.

 

Running Late

I was originally planning to meet up with Jackie and her bridesmaids at the location she was going to get dressed.  That was how everything else got a little askew...it just kind of slid down from there.  The stylist who was doing their hair and makeup did not receive 100% of the help he was planning on, which left him four hairstyles and makeups to do in three hours.  (Actually I think someone else DID do Alex's hair, but that happened before I got there so I'm not sure.)  The extra time allowed me to get a few shots in the salon that weren't planned, but as Jackie slid into her dress at 3:35pm (the wedding was at 4), it left little time for many of the "getting dressed" shots that she and I had planned on.

 

E. Carroll Joyner Park

Jackie had chosen the E. Carroll Joyner Park in Wake Forest to have the ceremony.  It is a lovely place, and she and I had visited it back in the summer to check out possible places for pictures.  The day before the wedding, I went out there at 5pm to check out the lighting conditions.  At 5pm, there was complete shade across the stage where they were to be married.  I located spots for my wireless flashes (which I had permission from the bride to use!) and noted where everyone would be standing.  The rehearsal was at 6pm that night, so I shot a couple of test pictures just for logistics (the light was getting very low by that time), but I felt reasonably confident that I could get the shots we needed.

 

What a Difference an Hour Makes

Lighting during the ceremony

During the ceremony, the stage was not in complete shade.  I watched in dismay as the shadow crept across the stage during the wedding.  The pictures would be full of harsh shadows, squinty eyes, and huge contrasts.  There was little I could do, but I felt terrible for not realizing this the previous day.  At 5pm, the shade was clear off the stage and well into the grass!  But at 4:15, it made a line right behind the pastor.  I wasn't the only one wishing the sun would hurry its way behind the wall either: the guests were having a hard time seeing anything at all as they peered into the glaring sun.

But there was this view that had its advantages.  The breeze blowing in Jackie's face and the sun over her profile made for a breathtaking shot of the couple saying their vows.  As I write this, Jackie has yet to see the proofs, so I am hoping she is not totally disappointed.

 

Posed Portraits

After the ceremony, we were doing the posed shots with family, bridesmaids, and everyone else.  Luckily the park had several shady areas with trees, a stone wall, open meadows, benches, and other items that were nice for photography.  In fact, during the few hours I had spent at the park in the last two days, I had observed about half a dozen photographers taking shots of children, couples, and even another bride!

Normally the couple provides the photographer with a list of shots they really want.  Jackie and I had discussed doing this, but her list was lost when her computer crashed and I never saw it.  We were going to do a rough list while at the salon, but the time for that never materialized.  So I was left with the job of organizing folks I had never met within the poses and ensuring they got to the picture area (which was on the opposite side of the park from the vehicles) instead of the reception (off site).

Horses are my normal area of expertise, but luckily that does include a fair number of win pictures so I have some experience organizing people and their various body parts within the pictures.  I managed to have people laughing at my repeated requests to get closer to each other, put their feet together, and to

do something "acceptable" with their hands.  My wireless flashes at ground level managed to not get stepped on (bonus!) and we only had to move twice to get away from sun peeking through the trees and getting on Jackie's face.  Unlike most brides (I imagine), Jackie was happy to help me direct people to actually get in the shots and she remembered most of the ones she wanted to get.

As we moved away from the group shots into Jackie and Michael's shots, I realized these were going to be my favorites.  I'm not sure if it's just because I know the two of them or just a preference I have for smaller groups, but I actually enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture the importance of the day, Jackie's beauty in her dress, Michael's personality, and their love for each other in an image.  A few of these turned out really well and I hope they love them!

 

On to the Reception

Jackie had secured the Franklinton Saddle Club's clubhouse for her reception.  Through the years, several she had attended several meetings, banquets, and other get togethers at this location.  It was great in the sense that it was affordable and close to the ceremony.  But as a photographer, there were two main problems with shooting the wedding reception in this location.

The first problem was that the area was one big square room, with a small set of steps leading to the only door.  There were no hallways or separate rooms from which to

introduce the couple or have outside pictures.  The one doorway into the clubhouse was not even wide enough for Jackie's dress, let alone Michael.

The second problem was the total lack of light within the clubhouse.  The walls were dark and there were only a few overhead lights.  The action would be moving around the room, so setting up wireless fill flashes would be next to impossible.  I was forced to go with the on-camera flash, and while it was plenty powerful enough to light up the entire room, it created harsh shadows I could have lived without.

 

Conclusion

To sum it up, wedding photography is HARD!  But I really enjoyed it :-)  I made it home after 10PM and was pretty much exhausted.  Even though every image isn't perfect, I am hopeful that Jackie and Michael will find enough shots to remember their day forever.  Overall I think some clouds could have helped me out during the ceremony, but rain would have ruined it, so maybe I should be thankful for the weather I did get.

To see more wedding pictures online, visit Equine Fotography on Facebook and look for the Benfield Wedding Album.

wedding photography

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