This is an important concept, as I believe many people think that you can only get great pictures if you have a great camera. While there are some clear advantages to having a DSLR, you can still make amazing images with a simple point and shoot. The simple fact is that the rules of photography, the science of it, the compositional aspects, are the same whether you shoot with an Iphone or a Hasselblad. It’s a lot like playing the piano: A good piano player can coax an amazing sound out of an upright piano while a hack won’t be able to make a Steinway sound good.

Anyway, I hope you’ll join me on this great teaching journey. Many of you have asked me for tips and tricks along the way, and I hope this new section of my website will help you gain the understanding you need to make great images.

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for more!

Weddings that take place at the same location as the reception (most country club weddings are like this) are a little bit tricky. The issue is that once the actual ceremony is over, the cocktail hour starts almost immediately. That means that the usual 2 hours or so a photographer would get between a church wedding and the reception is gone. When this happens, I like to “front load” the photography. Basically, I do all the major photography sequences before the ceremony actually starts. It does, of course, require that the bride and groom see each other before they get married, which is frankly not as big a deal as it used to be. In fact, all my country club weddings over the last 2 years have done it this way. It’s cool because you can actually craft a “reveal,” or a moment when the bride and groom get to see each other that is totally their own. I hang back with a long lens and capture this special moment to let the bride and groom feel that this moment is completely theirs. It’s a better photo then any photo I’ve ever gotten in a church of that same moment.

Carolin and Jordan agreed to this approach, and we were able to do their family shots, bride and groom, bridal party, pre-ceremony candids, and everything else before the ceremony started. As a result, they had a nice, evenly paced day that wasn’t rushed, and when the couple is at ease, the pictures flow…

Carolina also had a large number of her family in from Argentina, and the music, played by Silver Sound DJ Vaughn Walter was a great mix, including Argentinian music. With time to do all the photography up front, including the “reveal” followed by a 30 minute session with just Carolina and Jordan, we had moment after moment of great photos.

As I do with just about all my weddings, I do quite a bit with off-camera lighting. This approach gives the photos a “chiaroscuro” quality to it, meaning, literally, “light-dark.” The benefits of getting the light off the camera means the light is now directional, and that casts shadows and gives amazing depth to the pictures. My assistant, Frank, did an amazing job lighting these sequences (and as an avid golfer, he mentioned it’s the first time he’s been on a golf course without playing golf).

Anyway, the Chiaroscuro approach to lighting is a huge part of my style, and I’ve included photos below that illustrate this. In every one of the photos below, you’ll see light coming in from either camera left of camera right (and in a couple of cases, from directly behind).

Thanks to Carolina and Jordan for an amazing day, and of course to Downingtown Country Club for continuing to partner with us. I love shooting there! Enjoy the pix!

A couple weeks ago I was scheduled to do 2 shoots there, back to back. We all had our eyes on the weather because there was rain in the forecast. When I woke up, I thought, “Ok, this is going to be fine.” I texted my groom-to-be, Sean, and he agreed we were good to go and they were coming on out. I packed my bag with fully charged cameras and set out the door.

Two minutes into my drive: RAIN. Lots of it. I quickly called Ann and Sean and told them it was raining out this way (seems like Chester County always gets it first…). They said they had already gone too far to turn back, so we were going to do this thing, rain or shine.

These types of situations are a great test for the photographer, because in the end, you don’t get to choose the weather. What if it rains on the wedding day? What it does mean, however, is that the photographer is called up to make very quick decisions about how to structure the shoot. Will this be an indoor shoot, with the entire engagement sitting taking place in a barn or under a porch (the answer is “no” in case you were wondering how I ended up on that one…). How can we use the rain to our advantage? Are there natural places we can go that offer some cover but still take advantage of the beautiful location we’ve chosen? Can we introduce any “props” that will add to the photos while also sheltering from the rain? (hats, umbrellas, etc).

I quickly answered all these questions as the couple pulled up. I pulled a black umbrella out of my trunk, had some preliminary conversations about what Ann and Sean wanted to get from the session, and we started. I shot for over an hour in the rain, and I have to tell you, this ended up being one of my favorite engagement sittings of all time. The rain, the umbrella, and Ann and Sean’s willingness to stay out there in the name of great photography really paid off. I’m tellin’ ya this is one of my favorite engagement shoots of all time. I gotta shoot in the rain more often…Springton Manor Farm seems to be a great place for photography no matter what the weather…

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Gino Guarnere Photography was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Gino Guarnere Photography is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Gino Guarnere Photography for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Gino Guarnere Photography is one of the very best Photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today!

To learn more about the Bride’s Choice Awards, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

Olivia and Greg found me through my website, and we hit it off right away. That counts for a lot when deciding on your wedding photographer.

Olivia and Greg chose a beautiful luncheon, and the food was fantastic. It was a hot day, but we braved the outdoor ceremony without a hitch and then retreated to the golf course for some fun candids.

A lot of people ask me how we get our couples to “look like that…” The answer is simple: we use “off camera lighting.” That means that instead of the simple flash you see on top of most cameras, I bring additional lighting including softboxes, umbrellas, and other lighting tools that shape and bend light to create images that are truly different. It’s one of the reasons I get calls (not to mention my fun, effervescent personality Anyway, if you’re considering me for your wedding, why not contact me to hear more about how my approach can make your photos truly stunning on the day of your wedding.

Olivia and Greg were just loads of fun, made us laugh, and I am always thankful to the couples who bring us out on their most important day to capture those memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks, ‘Liv and Greg, for having me along for your wedding. It was truly magic from beginning to end!

Preferred Vendor at Downingtown Country Club

On another note, I’m pleased to announce our status as a preferred vendor at the Downingtown Country Club. This status means that Gino Guarnere Photography is a trusted partner, we know the course, the staff, and that means your life just got easier on “game day.” What it means for you as a my client is that if you are having your wedding at Downingtown Country Club and you hire me as your photographer, we’ll do your engagement sitting on the actual golf course. That’s HOT!

This was my first professional indoor lacrosse event. I was invited to the game on a media pass by a good friend who works with the team. I wasn’t sure what the photographic opportunities would be, but I grabbed a Canon 50d, a 70-200mm f2.8L, and rolled out the door. When I got there, it was clear that I wasn’t going to be the only photographer: they have “official” photographers, media photographers, newspaper photographers, student photographers, and me, who fell into the “I have a friend who can get me in” photographers.

One thing that amazed me was how fast these guys are passing the ball and actually catching it. That ball looks pretty small to me, and trying to catch it with a net that is smaller than my sneaker looked like a pretty insurmountable task. Of course, that’s why I’m not a pro lacrosse player…

I got some great images at the event. I was able to actually take pictures from the field during the opening ceremony, was situated between the Wings bench and the opposing team bench for a good portion of the event, and got to meet some of the photographers who are down there every game. I hope to get down there more next year. In the meantime, I leave you with some images from the event. Enjoy!

Once you get past that, however, there are some nice, time-saving features that get you to the business of creating slideshows. I was happy to see that Fotomagico is using the slideshow below on their own website as a way of showcasing what the software is capable of. If you need to make slideshows quickly, Fotomagico Pro might just be worth a look!

We decided to approach the photography two ways: we wanted candid shots of some of the music lessons and instruction, and also wanted shots of the facilty itself. I did a 3 hour shoot there and captured a large number of images, which will be featured on the new website. You could look at this as part “product photography” and part “people photography.” I was really happy with the results as was my client, Glenn.

Included here are a few of my favorite images from the session. The new website is live and will be getting the final touches over the next couple of weeks. Check out The Music Centre to see more examples of my photography as well as the web work I performed. If you’re a musician looking to record, I highly recommend you check out The Music Centre. They have the talent, expertise and facility to bring your project to life!

You must take pictures that give people goosebumps. Show us your best portfolio shots and make us say, “Wow, I wish had taken that picture…” We’re not really interested in your photos of pets, art-house, still lifes of fruit, architecture, or Ansel Adams-type stuff. We need to see how you take pictures of people, both posed and photojournalistic.

You must be super-easy to work with and have the right blend of diplomacy coupled with the ability to tell large groups of people what to do without getting them angry…it’s a fine line and you must be able to walk it with your eyes closed and a couple thousand dollars of photography gear around your neck…

You must have dependable, pro gear including flashes, the usual arsenal of lenses, and at least 2 camera bodies. We don’t care what brand you shoot, as long as you know your system like the back of your 3″ LCD display.

Experience necessary.  This isn’t a gig for those interested in “getting into” wedding photography.  I pay well and expect results that will continue to build our studio in 2011 and onwards!

If you have what it takes, I want to hear from you.  Compel me.  Start with the contact form…

I have to say I feel blessed to do this. You get to hang out with families on what is one of the most important days of their lives and chronicle the entire day with a camera (or three). My last batch of weddings have just been so great, with great people, great families, and great parties!

Jen was getting ready when I arrived, and was still tweaking hair and makeup. Her bridesmaids were some of the most helpful I’ve encountered this entire year, and made things easy for both Jen and for me as I shuffled from room to room, getting my signature shots as part of the pre-ceremony.

After the pre-ceremony, I followed Jen’s brother over to Dave’s house. Dave and his groomsmen were looking slick, and they were ready when I got there. The weather was perfect on this particular day, with fall colors all around. I did a large series of shots of Dave and his groomsmen, but was particularly fond of a shot I usually do. I call it the “Sex and the City Strut.” It works for both males and females. The trick is simply to get the group to more or less start walking towards you, not have them look at the camera ideally, and to walk right past me while I tee off taking a bunch of photos. This particular shot was converted to a black and white to increase the dramatic effect, and I love it.

Dave was patient, and his groomsmen and I had a ton of fun exploiting the many outdoor photo opportunities available to us.

After that, we rolled over to the reception, and did a lot of the pictures that usually take place after the ceremony. This approach allows the bride and groom to actually be present at their own cocktail hour. While it creates a little extra hustle and bustle for me, the payoff is that by the time the cocktail hour starts, you have 90 percent of the wedding in the camera. Then it’s time to capture the party!

Dave and Jen’s wedding marks my second-to-last wedding of 2010. I can say it’s been a fantastic year for me, and next year I’ll be coming out starting in March to begin the next season in earnest!

Thanks to Dave, Jen, their families, and to everyone at the event who made it special for them. They certainly made it special for me.

If you would like to see the entire wedding, head on over to my event website!