Tag / Weddings

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Carolina and Jordan had the most perfect day for a wedding imaginable. Moderately cool outside, sunny, golf course, and a very light breeze. It was amazing. Of course, Downingtown Country Club has exceptional weddings, and they cater to the bride and groom from the minute they walk in the door til the time they leave. This day was no exception. Everything was outstanding.

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!

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Olivia and Greg had a fantastic day for their wedding on July 16, 2011. I was thrilled to be on hand with my trusty sidekick and assistant Nikki, where we got great weather, great family, and great photos! Olivia and Greg were so easygoing throughout the day, and that makes everything go more smoothly. They were also really interested in getting great shots, and that means putting in the time and effort to get out on the Downingtown Country Club golf course (which is beautiful) to get the shots. We had a great time getting pre-ceremony candids, and everyone was calm, relaxed, and laughing. A good sign, for sure! (more…)

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You bought your camera, went to school for photography, and now opportunity knocks! Chester County, PA photography studio seeking to add 1 additional photographer to build out growing wedding photography business. Here’s what we need, and we need all of it…
You must be dependable beyond measure. If your car breaks down, we trust you’ll talk a bus driver into personally driving you to the wedding in exchange for a free portrait session. Anything to get to the gig on time. There’s nothing worse than arriving late to a wedding and starting the day off with an angry bride and her parents… (more…)

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Dave and Jen were referred to me by my neighbor. We spoke early in 2010 and they had their wedding date set for Friday, October 22, 2010. I didn’t have a chance to meet them before their special day, but when I spoke to them on the phone, I knew it was going to be a great time, and I was right in all respects. (more…)

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I was really honored to take photos of Katie and Mike this past Friday. They came to me as a referral last year when I was really starting to get my wedding business of the ground. I remember it was really snowy, and since they lived in Philadelphia, it was going to be rough getting there. I drove down and found a parking spot that could only be reached in a 4 x 4 vehicle. Luckily, that happened to be what I was driving at the time! (more…)

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Jill and Arun had a really great wedding. Combining 2 religious ceremonies with a beautiful, scenic background and a wonderful outdoor event, it was everything you could hope for on your wedding day.

Jill and Arun came to me on somewhat short notice, so I was happy to be able to step in and cover this wonderful event (not to mention it was 8 minutes from my home). Springton Manor Farm is actually kind of my photographic “Area 51.” Basically, every time I get some new equipment, I tend to drive over to Springton Manor Farm to try it out. Therefore, the number of photos I have taken there is in the several hundreds…This, however, would be my first wedding there, so I felt comfortable knowing the terrain and was really pumped to see how they did weddings. (more…)

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Let me start out by saying I love Columbia Station. Having lived out in Mont Clare for a number of years, it’s been great to watch the Phoenixville area turn into a mini-Manayunk. Kelly and Andy apparently agreed, and had a fantastic reception there as well as a beautiful ceremony right off the main line. (more…)