Wedding Truths – Ring Bearers and Flower Girls

I always keep my fingers crossed when I shoot a wedding where the wedding party includes a very young ring bearer or flower girl. 90 % of the time they will make it down the aisle without incident. But there is occasion when the kids will get a little shy and need a little help.

Here is a little tip that almost always guarantees success. Seat the childs parent or guardian in an aisle seat very close to the front. If the ring bearer or flower girl knows there is a friendly near the end of their journey, they will at least make it to that point. By then your photographer at least got a few cute pictures and you wont even remember if the kids didnt complete the mission. Maybe you will get lucky and have a cutie like this!

 

Wedding Truths – The Guests

I love a good time as much as the next guy. I think thats why I love wedding photography so much. I get to come to a celebration, and I dont have to bring a present! What more could you ask for?

I will tell you what more…… bridesmaids and wedding cake. Mmmmm, I love wedding cake. Sometimes after they cut the cake and it is being served, I will motion to Mitch to go secure a couple pieces while I go make us some coffee. But I digress.

Anyway, Wedding Truth # whatever, is about your guests. I thought I should write this post after a recent wedding where a close friend of the bride and groom decided a glass of champagne wasnt good enough to express her love for the new couple during her toast. She opted for the bottle. Some people laughed, some people rolled their eyes. She was already on the shit list because she wore a dress the same color as the bridesmaids, and she wasnt one of them!

I have seen some great, alcohol induced moments at weddings. One of my favorites was the groom and 7 groomsmen getting out of the limo 3 sheets to the wind, before the ceremony. And at this one wedding, I watched this drunk grandmother lean over to squeeze the cute little ring bearers cheeks and totally fall over on him. Nobody was harmed.

But you know what, everybody had a great time and in conversations I have had with the newlyweds after the wedding day, the highlights were what they remember the most. Seeing each other for the first time that day, her fathers tears when he saw her in her wedding dress, the ring exchange, the first kiss, you get the point.

Dont worry about it. I promise to destroy all embarrassing photos that I might take. But tell your videographer to put the clip of grandma falling over on the b side. You will want that at some point.

Wedding Truths – The Unexpected

Its important to plan for the unexpected at a wedding, and when I shoot a wedding I come prepared. I bring the obvious things like a back up camera, backup lenses, backup flashes, enough batteries to power a small village for a week, and enough memory to shoot more photos than I want to edit, but I don’t stop there. I bring “My Impeccably Trained Camera Handler”, or Mitch for short.

I also bring a couple of extra dress shirts because I sweat like a pig, and there is nothing more refreshing than a clean, pressed, dry shirt. I also bring a change of slacks, because I know someday I am going to bend down for a low angle shot and my pants are going to rip. I’m sure the guests will be happy to not have to look at my boxers with heart patterns or polka-dots.

Then there are the incidentals. Umbrella, pain killers, power bars, and of course my phone so I can Twit in the middle of the ceremony. So I am prepped! Bring it on! I’m ready for anything. Almost.

So we get to this mountain side resort for a wedding. Early of course. We beat the florist and the caterer. Mitch and I are standing on a large deck looking down this little canyon. At the bottom there is a nice platform and rows of chairs where the ceremony will be held.

I hear Mitch say, “What the? Dude, check it out. A bear!” I reply, “huh?”. “There’s a freaking bear” he states with a little more authority. I look down and there is a big ass bear strolling down the center aisle! I quick, dash to the car, grab my camera and my long lens and start running down the path to the ceremony site. About half way down, I think, what the hell am I gonna do when I get down there. I cant see the site from where I am but I can look back and see Mitch. I can tell he is looking the other way at the bear so at least I know its not right in front of me.

I round a corner and see the ceremony site and the bear is heading back to the woods. Lucky thing cause I was gonna go Ranger Smith on him. I snapped a picture, caught my breath, and went back up to the car.

Now when I shoot in an area where wildlife may be present, I stick a fish in Mitch’s camera bag. I cant run as fast as Mitch so I make sure he smells more tasty.

Wedding Truths – Your Guests

In this new blog category, I will be thinking about experiences I have had as a wedding photographer and sharing my thoughts with you. I warn you, sometimes they may not be pleasant. Your wedding is going to be one of the most memorable days of your life. Just remember that sometimes things happen that are not part of the plan. They will probably be so insignificant that you wont even remember them, unless you read my blog. Here is my first “Wedding Truth”.

I love photography. And I love talking to people that love taking pictures. And I dont mind that every person in the world has a digital camera. And I love that all of those people bring their cameras to a wedding.

Now if you are getting married, this is something you need to understand. One of your guests is going to jump in front of my camera and ruin my photograph. Dont worry, I take a lot of pictures and I will delete those during the edit process.

Also, when I am doing the large group shots, one of your family members is going to stand behind me with a camera to steal a shot. And there is a chance that I will not see your grandmother in the group shot looking at that other camera. Again, dont worry, I take a lot.

Now when your uncle shows up with his new camera and a fresh set of flash batteries and decides he needs to rattle off 100 frames with a flash of the same picture I am trying to take, my assistant is going to beat him with my tripod. I am sorry that your aunt is now a widow, but it had to be done.