Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Recap: Post-Wedding Pics, Cocktail Hour, and Reception Intro
www.tips-fb.com ~* Ash *~
All images courtesy of Martin Studio Photography and video by 3 Blind Mice Productions.

To continue my video/photo recap of our wedding day, here's what happened after our ceremony.

As a wedding guest (and having not been in a wedding since I was 6 years old), this is always the weird part of the day. You know that the couple is taking pictures and having some one-on-one time, but some people pop up to the reception in 30 minutes while others take two hours!

We had a cocktail hour planned for our guests, but I was adamant that we not take a ton of pictures. I'm not a fan of really posed stuff anyway, so we just took the basics in the church: bridesmaids, groomsmen, family in various combinations in the church. (Note: My FAVORITE part of the video clip below is 1:44-1:47. Love it!)



After the formal pictures, we had some fun! The church had a playground in the back, so Lu and I played around there with the rest of our bridal party joining us.






Ms. L spotted this weird piece of equipment -- not sure how you're supposed to play with it, but we got a really cool picture of our whole bridal party! We also took some pictures in our vintage car before heading over to the reception.







Once we were there, Gary -- the amazing hospitality director at the Atrium at Treetops -- shuttled us upstairs, where he had a plate of appetizers ready for us. We took a few minutes to bask in the after-ceremony glow before getting ready for our glass elevator entrance.

We wanted to break up the formal parts of the reception a bit, so we came in and did our first dance right away then danced with our parents before settling down to a delicious dinner.






Tomorrow's post will be on the after-dinner fun stuff -- toasts, cake-cutting, bouquet toss, garter belt hot potato, and of course dancing!
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Ready for My Close-Up?
www.tips-fb.com ~* Ash *~
With all the lingerie and Victoria's Secret gift cards that I got at my bridal shower, I've seriously been considering having a boudoir shoot for Lu.

Boudoir photography is essentially the bridal version of Glamour Shots. (Yes, as in "the" Glamour Shots. Apparently, they still exist but have nixed the feather boas!)

You take your average bride, add makeup, fluff her hair, and then take coquette-ish pictures of the newly-minted, bombshell in lingerie. After the shoot, the photos are retouched and put into a nice album or hardcover book.

From normal to "wow" by photographer Ellen Ho: www.hong-photography.com

Boudoir photography is meant to be fun, sexy, and flirty. The photographers are skilled to make you feel comfortable and look gorgeous -- not trashy or slutty. At $200-1000+ for a photo shoot and an album, you certainly pay for the entire glamour experience.  

It's become so popular, that it's now a trend for women to give their grooms pictures as a wedding present. Since our photography package comes with a free engagement session that we aren't using, I contemplated having a boudoir session instead.

Bridal Boudoir by Pussycat Pinups: www.pussycatpinups.com
I've decided that a boudoir book is much more appropriate for our first-year anniversary for the following reasons:

#1) The groom normally opens the present before the wedding.... Although I can have a "for your eyes only" clause, I don't want to risk having Lu's closest friends, plus his dad, and my 15-year-old nephew -- talk about scarred for life -- seeing me in my unmentionables.

#2) He has me on our wedding day. After all of our time being celibate, I'm sure that I'll be a much better gift than some pictures. Besides, if he wants photos of me in lingerie, then we can take our own that night. (Hey, don't judge me! I'll be a married woman.)

#3) Most people -- both men and women -- gain weight after they get married. The average woman gains right around 20 lbs during her first year of marriage. Yikes! What better incentive to stay in shape than knowing that you're going to be taking pics in your undies in a few months? Trust me, re-touching can only do so much.

#4) The first anniversary gift is paper after all. ;-)
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Shutterly Speechless
www.tips-fb.com J
I'm sure everyone has heard the cliche: "A picture is worth a thousand words." Well in my opinion, the photographer who can take a remarkable one is worth just as much. Although I doubt this post will turn into a 1000-word essay on how good our photographer, Jeff Martin of Martin Studio Photography, is (in fact, Val made me promise this wouldn't because I could go on twice as long), there are a few keywords I feel should be associated with him.

Keyword #1: Skilled

He shoots with a Nikon. For me, one of the newest initiates to the Nikon family, that's enough right there. For those of you not so optically inclined, let me shed some light on it. In the world of professional digital photography, there are two poles that determine the gravitational field: Nikon and Cannon. And whereas both manufacturers produce high quality lenses and cameras, they both do so in there own unique (trademarkable) way. My point is not to make a case as to which is better (although I am biased), it's just to say that anyone claiming to be a professional photographer more often than not shoots with a Nikon or a Cannon.

Even more important than his equipment, is his ability to compose a picture in his head before pressing the shutter release. Don't just take my word for it. Take a look at these cool pictures he took of Maggie, Val's dog, during our consultation in his studio:




Keyword #2: Professional
Jeff has been shooting professionally for the last 18 years. Therefore, just as his photographic skills have developed during this time, so too has his knack for running a successful business. From the beginning, his desire to create satisfied clients stood out. He was the first of all our vendors to contact us after signing our contract with the Atrium, and made it clear as our photographer his job more so than not was to capture the moment, not create it. Therefore, from the moment we arrived at his studio, he made every attempt possible show us that this was OUR wedding and he was only there to take the pictures WE wanted (see Keyword #3: Flexible). In addition, Jeff made sure that we left with every questioned answered. He was very transparent about his shooting preferences and potential concerns. He gave advice from his experience with other weddings, as well as his own. He was friendly and personable and made us feel at home in his studio, instead of like guests in a museum. Overall, he was a pleasure to talk with.

Keyword #3: Flexible
Understanding that we were graduate students on a fellowship-based budget, Jeff made no attempt to pressure us into purchasing more time than what came in our package. To the contrary, he showed us how we could fit all of the pictures that we wanted in the time we already had. No matter whether we chose to have a receiving line following the ceremony, pictures in a park afterwards, or pictures with specific guests, he showed us just how it all could be done. And since my groomsman Mr. J took such great engagement pictures of us, Jeff was willing to take our engagement session,and use it for additional time the day of the wedding. Again, I have to reiterate that he made it clear that this was our day and he was only there to capture the memories.

Keyword #4: Passionate
Needless to say, Jeff really likes photography; but when you're as passionate about it as he is, a few words wouldn't help. He loves what he does, and that comes every time he talks about something photography related. In his studio are tons of pictures that he's taken. Pick one, and he'll give you a play by play description of how he captured the scene, right down to the exposure, shutter speed, and ISO he used on the camera. It's almost if he uses these opportunities as teaching moments, which for me was great.

Which brings me to my next point, his goal isn't to be the only photographer out there. He understands that parts of responsibility is to impart the skills and tricks of the trade he's learned to other up and coming photographers, which is why he host several workshops covering topics from understanding camera basics, to landscapes and portaits. In fact, I plan on taking one of his courses this weekend....That's right Val and I are taking another trip to Maryland.
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