Ceremony and Reception: Dry Gulch Placer
Catering: Harvest Catering
Couple’s Website: www.lindsayandcharlie.net
Unfortunately, I don’t usually get to photograph to many locals from Breckenridge, Colorado. So when I can’t tell you how pleased I was when Lindsay and Charlie approached me about photographing their wedding. I was equally excited to photograph a Dry Gulch Placer that was recently renovated last year by another local, John Cooney. Please enjoy the photos.
Engagement sessions are a great opportunity for couples to get to know their photographer. The engagement session gives the photographer a chance to understand what the couple is looking for in terms of photos, and it gives the couples a chance to see how their photographer works. I like to think of it as a practice run before the wedding.
I like to start the engagement session off with some posed shots like the one below. A posed shot can be static or dynamic, meaning I might have a couple sit still, or I might give them something to do like walking along the beach.
I want to challenge your preconceptions about wedding photos A lot of times we have a lot of preconceived ideas of what wedding is supposed to be. Some of those preconceptions are good, like the idea that the day is supposed to be a celebration of the couple’s love. Some of those preconceptions are bad, like the ceremony has to follow a predetermined formula.
What I want to do now is challenge your preconceptions about wedding photos. I want you to abandon the idea that your only choices are formal posed photos with your friends and family in a line and candid photos. In reality, your photos can be whatever you want them to be, and I want to throw the idea at you that your wedding can be the perfect time to create something beautiful and different. If you want, you can help create some truly artistic wedding photography.
Ceremony: Denver City Park
Reception: 910 Arts Gallery
Couple’s Website: www.graceandmari.com/
Mari and Grace have been long time friends of Carin and I. I think one of their first dates was hiking with Carin and I around Boulder back in 2007. They joked about how well documented their relationship has been since I have often had a camera with my while hiking with them.
Like Carin and I, Grace and Mari and avid outdoor enthusiasts. They have helped me by modelling for outdoor photo shoots on several occasions that have entailed everything from yoga to rock climbing. Last year when I was teaching a fall colors photography workshop, the even agreed to help out by modelling for the entire workshop for some great fall climbing shots.
I am not always so fortunate to have had so much experience photographing a couple before their wedding, but this was a lucky exception. I was thrilled when they asked me to photograph their Denver wedding. Have known them so long I felt we clicked really well. It was easy for me to figure out what they were looking for, and after the last four years of me photographing them together, they knew they could trust me. These are the photos from their Denver wedding.
One of the best things about photographing a wedding for a friend is that there is a huge amount of trust. Mari and Grace allowed me to play and experiment. Some of the things we tried didn’t work out, but a lot of them turned out to be amazing. I was able to experiment more with black and white, traditional film, and infrared photography than I normally would at a wedding.
It also provided an opportunity for my wife, Carin, who has been studying photography for several years to shoot her first real wedding. Overall the wedding was a beautiful experience.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that same sex marriages are still not legally recognized in Colorado. To learn more about how you can support marriage equality in Colorado or your own state visit:
Location: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado
Officiant: Chris Tunner
Helen called me about photographing their small intimate ceremony this past August in Vail. As much as I like smaller ceremonies, I normally do not have the time to fit them into my busy wedding schedule in the summer. However, when Helen told me that her and Matt were getting married that the Alpine Gardens in Vail, she got my attention.
The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are gorgeous, and I had never had the opportunity to photograph a wedding there before. I agreed to shoot the wedding as long as they let me work on some of the more experimental ideas I had, and they enthusiastically agreed. The following are some of my favorites from the wedding day.
Location: Vail Racquet Club, Vail, Colorado
It is always fun to have another photographer ask to me to photograph his or her wedding. In this case, Ace has been working as a professional photographer for many years and I was honored when he asked me to photograph his and Gwen’s wedding. Here are some photos from their wedding in Vail, Colorado.
Regular readers of my blog know how I feel helping emerging photographers find their way is my way of giving back to the photographic community. I regular answer questions regarding photographing in several forums across the internet. Recently, I cam across this post:
My external hard drive crashed, how can I get the pictures off anyways?
I am a photographer and lost a couple’s wedding because of the crash, I really need to get them back. I heard you can download some programs that can do it? I have an iMac and it’s a ==brand name withheld== external hard drive.
Often “shoot and burn” photographers will burn the images on to a CD, send them to a client, and then delete the images. Well what happens when that CD gets lost in the mail, or if the client loses it? Unfortunately hard drive crashes are just part of the nature of digital photography. However, loosing a couples wedding photos is completely unacceptable and completely preventable. In the next few paragraphs I want to point out possible ways digital images can be lost, and explain my workflow which, in over a decade of professional photography, has not resulted in the loss of a single image.
Read More…
Sara and Paul traveled from Phoenix, Arizona last week for their gorgeous Vail, Colorado wedding. This was another couple that really let me experiment with some ideas that I had, and a result, I think we got some amazing photos. From portraits among the wildflowers in Officer’s Gulch, just outside of Frisco, to an amazing sunset at the wedding deck on the top of Vail Ski Area, everything went great.
Images from this wedding will be available shortly at pictage.com.
Part III of a Three Part Series
Previously, I discussed the importance of choosing a photographer based on the photographer’s style. This time, I want to talk about two other factors: presentation and price. I think these two factors are less important than the previously discussed personality and style, but they certainly can’t be overlooked.
Presentation is the way a photographer shows his or her work to potential clients. This can include everything from prints and sample albums to brochures, but the most common method is the photographer’s website. I don’t expect the average couple to be choosing a photographer based on their ability to design a website, but I do want to make couples aware of the following red flags that should make you wary:
