or never having been to Mexico before - Lynora couldn't have picked a better spot to get married. Lynora and Matt's wedding in Playa del Carmen was hot in just about every sense of the word and it was a delight being witness to their day.
Lynora's wedding dress was so lovely and intricate.
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On our way out of the Occidental Grand Xcaret, as we were about to head over to the church where the wedding was to be held, we made sure to stop for a few photos.
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And then it was the guys turn. As you might see - this was one of the wildest and funniest group of guys I've ever seen gathered in one place.
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We had just a little bit of time at the church before the ceremony and I grabbed this image of Lynora waiting outside in the shade. I love the simplicity of this moment.
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Matt wasn't quite as relaxed as Lynora appeared to be. Here he is moments before he saw his bride.
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The ceremony was wonderful and filled with smiles.
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Afterwards we dashed back over to the resort for a few photos of the newlyweds together. I took them the long way (sorry again!) to some Mayan ruins hidden down a little jungle trail. As we were hiking through I snapped this one...
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How cool is it to have your wedding near some ancient Mayan ruins!?
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I love this shot! So happy!
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And I'm in love with this one as well - Lynora and her father...
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Here's the beautiful wedding party.
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And speaking of wedding parties.... Julie (Classic Creations) and Karyn, who together make up 'Destination Divas', put on a fabulous one!!
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And this guy earned his way into this blog post by delivering the funniest best man toast/speech I've ever heard (and I've heard a few!) Seriously, any guys out there who haven't yet decided on who their best man is going to be should ask him. Really! It was that funny!!
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I don't believe anyone shot a photo of me as he spoke, but I'm pretty sure I would've looked exactly like Matt here...
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I'm sure there's a story behind this - but Matt got blasted with numerous cans of silly string...
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Mexico! Sombrero time! Actually, even funnier, is that he's wearing another man's pants on his arms...
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Congrats Lynora and Matt! It was an amazing, amazing wedding. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of it.
I just left hot and beautiful Cancun, and returned home to dreary and snowy Denver. Now don't get me wrong - I don't mind the snow - but it's supposed to do that when it's still winter, ya know!?
Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I'm back and will be posting some great stuff this week just as soon as I get caught up on a few things. In the meantime, I know you all like to see pretty pictures - so here are a couple to tide you over for a day or two. :)
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Lots more where these came from...! Have a great week everybody!
PS. Totally unrelated and random... Some kind souls bought my wife and I a mattress when we first got married nearly 10 years ago (5/29/99!). The last couple of years have been pretty uncomfortable around here - not with the marriage, but with the mattress!! Well, today I brought home a brand new mattress and I just can't tell you how excited I am to go to bed tonight. Sweet dreams, ya'll! ;)
his past Saturday was a dreary one here in Denver UNLESS you happened to be a part of Danielle and Michael's wedding at the fabulous Magnolia Hotel. From beginning to end Danielle and Michael, along with many of their family and friends, saw the silver lining around all those stormy clouds and celebrated their wedding as it should be - the best day in the world!
And, hey, umbrellas just add to the fun!
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I've got to thank the very talented RJ Kern for that shot, as well as a few of the rest here. Thanks for shooting with me, RJ!
Meanwhile, Dani was getting ready up in her room at the Magnolia.
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While we did venture outside briefly for a few photos... (love this one!)
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We did quite a bit indoors at the Magnolia. Of course, without the sun lighting up the world you have to get a bit creative with some manufactured lighting. It's always fun to see what you can come up with! Just check out this shot of Dani - along with the help of a video light or two.
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RJ and I share something in common - and that is our admiration for all things John Michael Cooper. JMC has been showing off some 'Single Flash Multiple Frame' work lately - and we kinda went with that in these shots. This one is about 13 photos melded into one...
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And I believe this one is 11 shots in one. How great is this image!
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Of course, it wasn't all play - there was a wedding to get to!
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I so love this moment at a wedding - when the Bride and Groom are walking back down the aisle. Just Married!
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While the guests crossed the street to the reception, we hung out in a room and waited. That's when I snapped this photo. I *heart* this image!
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And then we had time for some more creative lighting shots. How fun is this snugly little booth at the Magnolia!?
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And we did manage to get outside during a brief clear moment in the evening skies.
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I can't take credit for this next one. Great shot RJ!
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We held up numerous Taxis, Shuttles, and even a Dominos Delivery person. Hey, they can wait - Dani and Michael owned 17th Street!
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A touching moment as Dani's father shared some thoughts.
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I just gotta give a big shout out to Kate Kelly and her great team at the Magnolia for putting on such a fabulous event!
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I, for one, was so happy they had a giant bowl of chocolate covered espresso beans. I kept snacking all night long!
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They were leaving for Puerto Vallarta like 9 hours after this photo was taken. Hope you guys are havin' a blast!
his is a quick 'How-To' for all the photographers out there, and anyone else who would be interested. To see the results, visit this previous post.
Here are a few photos I snapped of the setup:
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And here's the list of supplies I used (you might not need all of these to make it work, but this is everything I had for this photobooth):
Probably the most important piece of equipment you will need to get this 'look' is the Alien Bee Ringflash. If you are unfamiliar with a Ring Flash - they're very popular in fashion photography and macro photography. Since the source of light surrounds the axis of the camera (the camera sticks through a hole in the center of the flash) it softens shadows, reduces wrinkles, and creates an awesome 'halo' shadow around the subject.
I also attached the Moon Unit. It definitely makes the light and shadows softer - and enlarges the light source as well.
The next little gizmo you will need to make your fully automatic photobooth is the Dot Line Wireless RF Remote Release. There are other, more expensive options, but this thing does the trick and works great! There is a small little receiver that you plug into your camera (I was using my old 20D) and then someone takes the transmitter and pushes the button. Voila! One thing I figured out - set the camera to single shot! If it's set to multiple frame, one little push of the button on this transmitter and it will fire off a few frames. A quick thumb will still manage to send your camera and flash into 'rapid fire' mode - but not quite the machine gun approach that would occur by holding down the button!
I also used a Tripod (the Manfrotto 055XPROB) but the AB Ring Flash will also mount to a light stand.
Finally, I used a Savage Port-A-Stand to hold the 9 ft. Wide Seamless paper (that I got in a color to match their wedding).
A couple tips:
Turn OFF all the auto settings on your camera. I shot at f/8 - I'd recommend this or even stopping down. I then set the focus where I wanted it and then I switched it to Manual Focus so it wouldn't move. We marked a little box on the ground that gave people the 'frame' within which they could get an optimum portrait taken - and we even marked an 'X' in the center to show the prime location. Of course, people are still going to be all over the place and so that's why stopping down gives you a large working area of focus - and for the most part, all the photos will turn out just fine.
Turn off the Auto White Balance as well. Tweak the Kelvin to what looks the best and then let it fire away.
I had a 16GB card in the camera and had it set to RAW because that's how I shoot my weddings. But when I saw how many shots the guests were firing off I snuck in there during one of the rare 'down' moments and turned it to JPEG. Since my exposure was consistent I really didn't need RAW - and switching it to JPEG meant that my 16GB card could last the night. :)
So, that's it! I took me about an hour to set up and about 30 minutes to tear down. Other than that - fully automatic baby!
And, of course, us photographers got in there for a few as well... :)
ani and Michael got married this past weekend - and I'll be blogging that soon. But one VERY cool little twist was that I set up a fully automatic funky photobooth at their reception. To say it was a smash hit with everyone in attendance would still be an understatement. Check out this craziness!
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And it looks great in full color too! (I specifically found a seamless paper backdrop to match one of their wedding colors)
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Pretty cool stuff! Did I mention it was fully automatic!? I'll explain in another post just how it's done and all the tools you need to set it up. But basically there is a remote control device about the size of your thumb that triggers the camera. If you look closely you can see it in a few of these photos. I will explain more soon...!
And here is a super funky video with over 500 photobooth images in rapid succession. Enjoy!
have a confession to make: I subscribe to, and read, Bridal Blogs on a regular basis. Yes, I realize that I'm way outside their target demographic - but I'm finding that as these Bridal Blogs celebrate of all things 'Wedding' it's helping me to have a heart of celebration. Not that I needed a whole lot of help, really, I just love everything about weddings and I love reading the insight from these people who also love weddings, and who work so hard to inform Brides and Grooms, Wedding Coordinators, and... the occasional male photographer.
I'm so excited to share that Elizabeth Anne Designs (one of my regular 'reads') recently featured Elena and AJ's wedding in Mexico!
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In case you missed it, another one of my favorite Bridal Blogs, Southern Weddings, featured Marissa and Jeff's wedding about 6 months ago.
By now you should probably have figured out how to subscribe to your favorite blogs via RSS. So, subscribe to these wonderful Bridal Blogs and in a matter of days your mind will be overflowing with creative inspiration for your wedding day!
his past Friday I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the late afternoon doing an engagement session with Laurie and Patrick. It started off as something of a gloomy day, but it turned into one of those 'feel good' evenings where it's just a joy to be out and walking around, talking and laughing... Laurie and Patrick looked great and I know their wedding in Steamboat Springs is going to be spectacular!
I love this one of Laurie looking at the camera...
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And this one with Patrick looking at the camera.
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They both started off wearing flip flops with the idea that since we'd be near the water, they could jump in! Well, the evening wasn't so nice that they could splash around and get soaking wet - but we still captured the essence of these outdoorsy nature/water lovers!
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So sweet!
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Where there's water, there's a bridge!
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This one just looks so snuggly - I love it!
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Is this not the best natural smile/laugh photo or what!?!?
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And then we go from super happy to super smokin'!
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Congrats on the engagement! I'm looking forward to September in Steamboat!!
