First Ceremony!

So serene.

Very austere.  

This Saturday was my first experience shooting a ceremony.  Rupert told me that since the ceremony was outside, so he wouldn't need me to hold a light, as long as I could stay out of the way I could shoot the ceremony for my portfolio.  This is pretty important, because although reception shots are great, I think that a lot of potential clients really want to see the ceremony photos.  

The ring please?

The two phases of the event actually pose two widely different challenges.  In a reception, dozens of photo opportunities occur every second.  Every photograph can be fun, sweet, intimate, goofy, or stunning.  However, ceremonies are dark, the lighting is unpredictable, view-blocking crowds appear instantaneously, sometimes the backgrounds in certain directions are unworkable, and the action moves fast.  It's like shooting wildlife.  You catch it the first time, or it's gone.

Adoring fans.  

The happy couple.  

Ceremonies, when outdoors, are brightly lit, have beautiful backgrounds, and tend to be relatively stationary. However, there are certain ceremony shots that are "must haves."  If you take a shot of guy dipping his girl on the dance floor, and it comes out blurry, nobody knows but you.  But if there's no shot of the groom putting the bride's ring on her finger... well, certain states have jail sentences for that.  Also, the reception calls for a little more creativity, and therefore can be a bit more technically forgiving.  Lights can be blurry and streaky to account for movement and action.  But ceremony shots should be perfectly focused, perfectly exposed, and razor-sharp.  Every time.  Ninety percent of the shots should be beautiful and stunning.

Some creative backlighting.  

The camera loves you, and you love the camera.  

Anyway, this wedding was in a beautiful and stately mansion near Newport.  The place is tucked out of the way on a private road.  It has its own dock, immaculate gardens, woods, and a private beach that looks out onto a golf course.  Inside is all chandeliers, gilt mirrors, and marble floors.

A little blur for motion.  

The DJ knew that the guests were there to dance and have F-U-N, so he pumped out dance music all night.  Some people shy away from the camera, but these guys loved it.  I'm not really supposed to take group shots, but every time I lined up a shot, people got into a pose.  It was great.

One of those moments.