Wedding at Jasmine Plantation - Aug 28, 2009

Scott_Quier

A couple of weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of shooting a wedding with Melinda (Memories by Melinda) as my second shooter. At the risk of loosing her to someone else, she's a really great person to work with .... takes direction, has a sense of the moment, and knows how to take the initiative to get it done right!

Aside from the "getting ready" shots, the entire day was outside. The temperature was well above 90°F all day and I think the humidity was well above 80%. I know how to keep hydrated and it was a good thing. My shirt - I was dressed in cargo shorts and a nice polo shirt because I knew what the day was going to be like - was completely soaked. I could have wrung water (sweat, really) from it had I tried. There were two distinct times I remember getting dizzy .... bad enough that I nearly passed out. I did have to sit down with my head between my knees to get things back under control. I think I scared the MoB.

Anyway, I really did have a great time working for them. Here are a few (ok, a few more than just a few) of my favorites from the wedding (I'll even point out the one's Melinda took :deal)

1. From the rehearsal. There are so many things "wrong" with this photo, but it works for me.


2. The bride (Erin) and her father (Smitty). The first time I met him (at the rehearsal) I wasn't too sure about him. But, he's a real stand-up guy. She's lucky to have a father such as he.


3. The groom - the first time he saw her in her gown. A very controlled individual. He smiled a lot all day long, but didn't show a lot of emotion. I feel pretty good about getting this one! Edit: It has been brought to my attention that this is Melinda's photo, not mine!:deal :bow


4. This is one of Melinda's shots - the bride holder her father's finger. The response we got back from the bride on this one was something along the lines of it having made both her and her father tear up.


5. Another of Melinda's


6. The groom - he had such a way with the little ones. The little guy was feeling a little left out of it all so the groom took a few minutes to share some time with the little guy.


7. This is one of Melinda's. She processed it up and submitted it into the Wedding Challenge (here), but I like my processing of it better:wink


8. Her emotions were all over the place. During the "First Dance" she was laughing


9. and crying


10. and laughing again. Note, these three are shown in the order captured. Oh, and when I chimped this one, I like it soooo much I showed it to her parents (OOF, in the background) and her mother started crying! Gotta love it when you can elicit those kinds of appreciative emotions!


11. Dancing with Dad!


12. Mother-Son dance. In the background, the bride, the MoB, and FoB. I didn't know which they would like more, so I took two with distinctly different focus.


13. The last dance - this is just the kind of bride she was all day long! Couldn't ask for a better client/bride/friend.


14. Last one - and a fitting last one I would think, compliments of Melinda!

divamum

How nice to see some pictures from you, Scott - seems AGES since you've posted anything! Was this the 5d2's first outing?

Looks like you had pretty harsh light to contend with as well as the heat, but navigated it well! The dance pictures are so sweet and I like #1 too, - obviously not a "standalone" shot (and if you can minimize that phantom arm on the lh side any further it might be good) but as part of the whole set it's a great storyteller. (Did you Holga-ize it in processing?)

Looks like it was a fun day despite the temps!

Scott_Quier

divamum wrote:

How nice to see some pictures from you, Scott - seems AGES since you've posted anything! Was this the 5d2's first outing?

Looks like you had pretty harsh light to contend with as well as the heat, but navigated it well! The dance pictures are so sweet and I like #1 too, - obviously not a "standalone" shot (and if you can minimize that phantom arm on the lh side any further it might be good) but as part of the whole set it's a great storyteller. (Did you Holga-ize it in processing?)

Looks like it was a fun day despite the temps!

It's been a pretty dry summer - not a lot of work and not a lot of time to do any, so it kinda balances out. But, things have been picking up in the last month or so....

Yup - the first real outing for the 5D2 and it was a joy to use!

As for #1 - that was from the rehearsal, in front of the minister and she was goofing off. The processing was a save of a really bad color shot and is a straight B&W conversion with a white vignette. The arm/hand is that of the minister performing some sort of blessing.

heatherfeather

Lookin' good!

I love your dancin' shots.

The father of the bride sure has a fun look.

It appears that Melinda and you made a stellar team! A really well rounded set.

angevin1

Nice Set!

Like you said about the first photo...yet in conjunction with the others, I think it fits and adds a wonderful contrast to the FoB overall!

You were really workin that cam weren't you? And you were obviously on it!

Good Job!

Scott_Quier

heatherfeather wrote:

Lookin' good!

I love your dancin' shots.

The father of the bride sure has a fun look.

It appears that Melinda and you made a stellar team! A really well rounded set.

Thanks. I kinda like them too As for Melinda, yes, I really like working with her (and others). What's really got me bummed is I just found out she (and her family) are moving out of the area soon and I won't have her as a resource for much longer :cry

angevin1 wrote:

Nice Set!

Like you said about the first photo...yet in conjunction with the others, I think it fits and adds a wonderful contrast to the FoB overall!

You were really workin that cam weren't you? And you were obviously on it!

Good Job!

Thanks for looking and commenting. The 5DII is a real dream to work with. From a feature standpoint, the buttons are all pretty much in the same place as my 50D, but the 5DII is much more fogiving of certain things. Like a good coat of paint, this camera lets you hide a multitude of sins.

Blurmore

Good job Scott, all that you posted are very "Scott" in processing and style. Man with everyone getting 5dMII's I feel left out. I have the cash, but the camera still seems over-priced for what is essentially (and supported like) a high end consumer camera. I was really excited to see the 7D though, and I will be on that like a honeybee on wedding cake in late summer. One thing about the shot of her holding the pinky, this looks a LITTLE bit greenish the suit doesn't look quite neutral.

Scott_Quier

Blurmore wrote:

Good job Scott, all that you posted are very "Scott" in processing and style. Man with everyone getting 5dMII's I feel left out. I have the cash, but the camera still seems over-priced for what is essentially (and supported like) a high end consumer camera. I was really excited to see the 7D though, and I will be on that like a honeybee on wedding cake in late summer. One thing about the shot of her holding the pinky, this looks a LITTLE bit greenish the suit doesn't look quite neutral.

A little "Scott" - is that a good thing?

As for the color cast in the "pinkie" shot - two colors of light. We had the direct sun on their backs and light reflected from the trees in front. I attempted to split the difference.

Oh, and the 5DII is like gold! Love that machine!!

Tim Kamppinen

The guy in #5 is my moustache hero.

Here's a recent self portrait to show you what I mean:




Oh, and nice shots...

Memories by Melinda

Scott_Quier wrote:

Thanks. I kinda like them too As for Melinda, yes, I really like working with her (and others). What's really got me bummed is I just found out she (and her family) are moving out of the area soon and I won't have her as a resource for much longer :cry

Thank you Scott. I have learned quite a bit from Scott and plan to gain as much knowledge as possible before heading to Texas. I am glad that we will get to shoot another wedding together before moving. I understand Scott's humor and that is extremely helpful.:D Seriously, this is the third wedding we have done and they were all fun. He is a good mentor.

urbanaries

Scott....

while I really love #3, I'm not seeing it as anything better than the shots you were getting with the 50D...it's sharp, well exposed and composed, but your shots historically always are!

In fact, some of these (#11, especially) seem really soft to me. Is it that your culling has evolved to more forgiving technical aspects in favor of artistic ones? Not sure. I would probably have kept 11, too, just not used to seeing from you.:D

I'm also not sure the white vignettes are working...

I would normally keep my mouth shut but you always gave it to me straight

Scott_Quier

urbanaries wrote:

Scott....

while I really love #3, I'm not seeing it as anything better than the shots you were getting with the 50D...it's sharp, well exposed and composed, but your shots historically always are!

In fact, some of these (#11, especially) seem really soft to me. Is it that your culling has evolved to more forgiving technical aspects in favor of artistic ones? Not sure. I would probably have kept 11, too, just not used to seeing from you.:D

I'm also not sure the white vignettes are working...

I would normally keep my mouth shut but you always gave it to me straight

#3 was taken by Melinda using a 70-200 on an XTi

#11 is soft and yes, my critiera for culling is changing (evolving? I hope so) and I kept it for the feeling I got from it. Here's another one, from Melinda this time, that survived the culling. The bride, groom, and the first two attendants ... at 1/50s, the softness is all subject motion blur, but I think it works and I really like it:


As for the white vignettes - I like them in these examples.

And, I love it when I hear from you and I have always respected your opinion - thanks for offering up your thoughts on these.