What's my policy on kids at weddings? They ROCK!

Check this out! I got Emily and Mike's invitation today for their wedding...so freakin' sweet!!! At first I thought I'd gotten an x-ray from them, since the envelope was roughly that big. Pulled out the invite, and my jaw dropped! I want this to be *my* wedding invite. Can I get do-overs on my invites? Put a pine cone next to it so that you might be able to tell the size. It is BIG!

This post is mostly for my fellow photographers and blog stalkers...but others might be interested too. Like politics, the internet is full of debates on which style of photography is the best way. I had some great conversations about photographic style at this weekend's wedding, which got me to thinking about *my* style. My favorite photos are of emotions. Emotions (at least the true ones) don't come out of people when they are awkward, stiff or uncomfortable. So, in every way, I would say that the success of my photos depends on my abilities to get someone to relax, especially when that dreaded big black camera is pointed in their direction. So, I guess that's what I would consider the first component my style. The second phase comes in the actual picture taking with things like shutter speed, aperture, flashes, etc. I try to use as little equipment as possible with one purpose in mind. I believe the less "stuff" I have around me when I take a photo, the more relaxed people will be...it's less intimidating when there's no lightstands, reflectors, boom arms, etc. Of course, there are situations where I have to use a flash...and I do. BUT, in general, I will try to avoid it for as long as possible. The last phase comes in taking that photo and making it special with post-processing. I actually use two programs for all my editing; Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom (beta 2 version). Between the two programs, everything you see about my photos is usually done in about 30 seconds to 5 minutes per photo. Longer if the kids are pulling at me to do something for them :) So...what kind of edits do I do before most people even see the photo? Here's a rare look behind the scenes of an edit...I actually remembered to stop and save the in-between steps. Straight out of the camera, this is what the photo looks like. It was extremely overcast this particular day. I had Kristin lit with a mini-softbox (just had to use a flash due to the overcast, dark skies), but also because in this particular case it was for formal bridal portraits which are traditionally not all about emotions...so a little bit different than my usual shooting style. I kept it deliberately underexposed just a little bit so I didn't lose any details in her delicate dress and veil. Then, I did some edits to "warm" up the photo a bit, added a lot of contrast, and desaturated it too. Some corner darkening was also applied to add a little vignette. Her face was brightened just a touch to highlight her beautiful face. Next, I did a little skin smoothing and brightened the whites of the eyes just a touch. It's really starting to look nice now! Final touches are optional. In this case, I added some texture layers to the image to add warmth and interest. And one other mystery edit, if you can guess what it was...you win a gold star! The final editing is taking the tilted horizon out of the background...just to make it a nice and clean. And one more fully edited shot of Kristin and Shawn to show off that awesome sky we had to work with!

Ohhhh, my eyes are barely open right now. Probably not the best condition to be looking at photos right now...so I'm going to be just putting up a quick peek at Edrienne and Eric's wedding yesterday. The party went so well, that I got swept up into the celebrations. You know how you feel great all night long, you go to bed looking at the clock that says 12:10am and you think "WOW, it doesn't *feel* that late"...and. then. you. wake. up. the. next. morning. OUCH! So, with that preface you know it was a good time! Edrienne is leaving beautiful San Diego to move to Mason City, Iowa to be with Eric. Now that's love if I've ever heard of it. Isn't Iowa where that white stuff covers the ground during the winter? I looked at Mason City, Iowa's website to learn a little more about the place, and I learned that it has an average winter temperature of 18.2 degree F. I sure hope that 0.2 degrees make a BIG difference, because I'm pretty sure 18 degrees isn't that warm. Since I am from San Diego, I can appreciate the magnitude that a move to Iowa represents. Edrienne REALLY loves Eric! Thanks Edrienne and Eric (and all your friends and family) for letting me share in a bit of the fun. Now for a few pictures.

The bridesmaids were given a run for their dancing money by 2 (almost 3?) year old Riley. She lasted the WHOLE night on the dance floor. Many of the other kids were asleep in mom's arms, but she was going and going and going. And finally, one of the little flower girls made this awesome drawing of Edrienne and Eric to leave in their room that night. She spent hours on the drawing and it is priceless.

It was a warm day yesterday out at Zenaida Cellars but I thought the officiant said it best during the ceremony..."Sometimes love is hot and can't you all just feel the warmth of Angie and Lewis' love?" Angie and Lewis were married in an intimate affair under the oak tree, on a perfect Central Coast day. I barely heard a peep out of Angie for the first hour...I couldn't tell if it was nerves or calm. But, as soon as she popped up off the hair/make-up chair, her face lit up and she smiled huge. Then I knew it was just patience, waiting for the opportunity to put on her dress and start the party. Angie's mom was a crier, just like I am. I love this shot of her seeing her daughter in full dress for the first time. Something borrowed: Angie wore her mom's bracelet from her wedding day. So cool. Angie's mom had a great toast, and she held it together enough to say it all without stopping to cry. I think that deserves a gold star. Rather than do a bouquet toss, Angie handed her bouquet to her grandmother and grandfather at the end of their anniversary dance. I believe I heard they've been married for 57 years