Ashley & Ryan Wedding

Last year, while still living in New York, I got a call from my friend Ryan. He was getting married and said that he would really like for me to shoot his wedding. Weddings are not my thing but how could I say no when friends asked so nicely. The date was set for April 20th.

We decided to shoot the bridal pictures before the ceremony while everyone was fresh and excited. Ashley and Ryan wanted to walk the line of traditional photos with a mix of the eclectic. I met up with the groomsmen first at the Old Main building at the ASU campus. We started out with some more traditional photos and then had a little fun with it. When Ashley showed up we did the pictures of the couple with a little more traditional slant. While we were shooting the bridesmaids, we found a secluded area with benches and a water feature surrounded by trees and flowers. I brought Ryan back over and we got some great pictures of Ashley and Ryan, especially when she grabbed his sunglasses and did her impression of him.

The happy couple in a calm little garden before the wedding.

The wedding was set for the courtyard with a fountain in front of the building. The bride would walk down the stairs toward a waiting groom by the fountain. The ceremony started a little late to give people who didn't allow for extra traffic time to make it. The delay turned out perfect as Ryan finished reading his vows from his iPhone and the officiant read from his iPad "You may kiss the bride" right at 4:20pm on 4/20. Which was loudly proclaimed by someone yelling from a neighboring building.

It turned into an iWedding with the officiant consulting his iPad and Ryan reading his vows from his iPhone.

The ceremony came to a close and everyone headed over to the rooftop deck of Studio 5C for the festivity and frivolity. The bridal party stayed behind to do some pictures and for some general clowning around. The entire group was fun-loving and relaxed around each other which made my job so much easier.

Three rings to rule them all.

I am happy and honored that I was able to be a part of Ashley and Ryan's special day. These are just a few of the pictures shot that day.

To see more of the pictures, check out the gallery.

I also put together a slideshow:

Contemplating Engagement Photography

When I started my first go around as a photographer I promised myself I would not shoot weddings or porn. Mostly for the same reason. They pay well, lack creativity and you can be very easily pigeonholed into that genre. I only broke that promise one and a half times. I shot a wedding for a friend that turned bad when the photo processor ruined the film. The half was a shoot involving a tattoo shop, a tattoo covered stripper and another stripper in a nurses outfit. It got out of hand.

Times have changed. Terry Richardson has made a mainstream name for himself in fashion after starting in porn and wedding photography has moved away from the traditional to a very creative hybrid of photojournalism, fashion and fine art. I've seen some amazingly creative photographers during a search for my own wedding.

I have agreed to do another wedding for a friend this April and am looking forward to it in large part due to the influence of the next generation of innovative wedding photographers. People like Fer Juaristi, Jasmine Star and Benj Haisch have caught my attention and I've been reading their blogs to prepare for the upcoming event. I still don't think I am interested in making wedding photography an offering because of some personal reasons and I think there's just too much pressure in that environment. But I am starting to get interested in a related field.

Before I got engaged, I never realized there were engagement shoots. Laurel was telling me we needed to do one. I like being behind the lens, not in front of it so I was definitely dragging my feet. We had a non-photographer friend shoot them with me setting up the shots and coaching her. I also did all the post-production. To my surprise, the engagement session was a lot of fun. Laurel and I had a great time and got some fantastic pictures.

It's hard not to get playful when vamping it up for these sessions.

I recently did and engagement session with my friends Katie and Tyler and enjoyed it very much. The shoot was fun and I enjoyed seeing the playful and affectionate side of both of them come out. There is an easy-going attitude for an engagement shoot that is the opposite of a wedding day. It's just about the couple connecting rather than all the pressure of the "special day" with family, friends, pomp and ceremony, not to mention the pressure of everything being "perfect" for one day only.

Katie and Tyler didn't have a serious moment the whole shoot..

So now I am thinking of doing more engagement session work. I'm just not sure about the feasibility of only doing engagement photos. The interesting thing about it is most wedding photographers try to add the engagement session on the the package after they have booked the wedding (or they sell it as part of a larger package from the beginning). How would I market myself as just an engagement photographer? How would I turn down couple who are happy with my work and want me to photograph their wedding as well? Why would a couple hire two different photographers when one would do both events in a package deal? Those are the questions that immediately come to mind. The easy answer would be become so good at it that couples would want me under any terms I set (that's easy, right?).

Obviously, I am not going to limit myself to one type of photography so I wouldn't have to worry about making a living only in this one niche. So if these sessions come along infrequently, it won't be a big deal. The bottom line is that I get some happiness and satisfaction beyond the image and that counts for a lot. Every type of photography I want to do is related. They are some form of portraiture. I think there is a larger journey in this for me. More of that will come out as this blog progresses.