Melissa and Greg
September 13 2008
Slideshow here
Full set of pictures will be posted here.
This is the second time I've shot at the SF Film Center, the first being last year's wedding of Christine and Andrew. This wedding proved to be a real treat for me however, because it brought a lot of photographic elements together in one place that I've been wishing for for a long time.
1. A spiral staircase.
I've seen many other photographers do the "couple in the center of the spiral staircase" shot, although the one that always sticks in my mind is Renee Allen. It is such a powerful composition and metaphor and I love to use it, but rarely do I get to shoot at a location that has one. So I was thrilled when I walked into Le Meridien hotel in downtown SF, where Melissa and Greg were getting ready, and saw this staircase in the lobby!
2. Extended time with the couple in the limo.
Logistically this doesn't often happen, because usually when they are going somewhere in the limo I have to get there too, and my car full of wedding gear has to arrive with me. But occasionally there is cause to take a drive with the couple in their limo, and something about the enclosed space, the quiet soothing ride, and the distraction of the scenery results in a level of inimitable unselfconsciousness that makes me a happy photographer.
3. A super huge long veil.
Brides in the bay area don't tend to wear cathedral length veils, and I don't blame them: it's hard enough walking around in heels in a dress that is longer than you are. But the image of the bride in a nice long veil is so appealing, and when you combine that with a windy day and a nice view you can do some incredible things. We've all seen those shots of the bride and groom under the veil...but how about when the camera goes under the veil too? Melissa and Greg and I had a lot of fun with this: big thanks to their friends for helping.
4. A deep blue sky with puffy white clouds.
I'm always kvetching about how we don't get a lot of "big sky" in the metropolitan bay area--by the time the sky darkens enough with the passage of day, the fog has usually rolled in and if you're lucky you might get some weird grey streaks in the sky resembling clouds. But this day blessed us with a gorgeous sky worthy of the midwest, and I was all too happy to kneel down low and grab some of it in as background for my pictures of the couple, the ceremony, and just about everything else.
5. One of my favorite florists as decorator.
This is kind of a no brainer, but when the florist and the photog know each other from before the wedding you can usually bet on a stellar performance from each of them: the florist is trying to outdo herself so that she can get some great shots for her portfolio, while the photographer knows she is counting on her and will go the extra mile to be worthy of it.
In this case Laurel Winzler was the florist extraordinaire. She also did Tammy and Jamey's wedding last year.
6. Outside looking in.
Most of my work focuses on shooting from within the event, like a fly on the wall, showing what it feels like to be inside the moment with no sense of emotional distance. Distance is, in fact, avoided at all costs. Maybe that is why I like the contrast of a shot taken from the outsider's perspective so much. It both intensifies the closeness of the B and G, cocooned in their little world...and at the same time draws some focus away from them and onto the outside world, which often seems cold and pale by comparison.
I'm sure you can think of 100 more metaphors for that.
Two more shots I like are below. Much more on the slideshow.
Vendors:
San Francisco Film Centre
florist:
Laurel Winzler
caterer:
Union Street Catering
cake:
Inticing Creations
I love Kelly's style of offbeat, unique, beautiful cakes and I really loved this one. Here is a detail.
dress:
Trudy's Brides
San Francisco Film Center
Recent E sessions: Crissy Field : Palace of Fine Arts : Peju : Domaine Chandon : Rutherford Train Station : Golden Gate Park Conservatory of Flowers
I haven't posted any e sessions in awhile, so I thought I'd put up some of my recent faves.
Nicole and Steve (with Joe), Crissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts
(wedding 10/05/08)
Sanjay and Shereen: Peju, Domaine Chandon, and Rutherford Train Station
(wedding 11/15/08)
Nicole and Greg: Golden Gate Park Conservatory of Flowers
(wedding 4/18/09)
Trentadue Winery, Geyserville CA
Ann and Drew
September 13 2008
Ann and Drew's Slideshow
Ann and Drew's Full set of pictures will be posted here
About time for a new wedding, wouldn't you say? Ann and Drew were married at Trentadue Winery in Geyserville CA, on September 13 2008. Something that really struck me about Ann and Drew's wedding was the sheer number of people who love them. Their wedding was attended by around 250 people: I've done bigger weddings, of course, but with Ann and Drew's wedding you could tell that every single one of those people was like family to them. The warmth and connection in this crowd was huge.
Ann wore a simple, Monique Lhullier halter top dress with a sexy open back, her hair down and adorned by two simple white flowers. I love retro fashion and to me she looked very 40's femme fatale, which was an unexpected surprise to me (from the beginning I pictured her in a more classical/romantic, spanish lace kind of dress for some reason, kind of like the one Erica wore in our bridal session at Flourish) but it suited her perfectly.
One unique thing about the ceremony was when Rev. Dalton had Ann and Drew's parents and grandparents each bless the rings individually, infusing them with their love and support for their marriage.
My good friend Laura Miller of Laura Miller Design did the flowers and she really hit it out of the park. The bouquets were feminine and beautiful and the table settings were colorful, chic, and made the huge, high ceilinged banquet room feel warm and personal. The wedding colors were navy blue and pale pink and the guys wore navy jackets and khakis.
I am falling back in love with lens flare--the interesting, unpredictable effect you can get from shooting directly into a light source (in this case my off camera flash, but also works with the sun esp. when it is low in the sky like just after sunrise or before sunset). In this image the flare is subtle but you can see it as the slight texture overlaying Ann's hair and the top part of the image. Here is a better example of flare from this wedding (the rainbow lines and green circle above the couple):
Flare is caused by light bouncing around in the body of the lens between the glass elements inside it, and like many artistic techniques it takes some playing-with to get what you are looking for...it is also something you don't want to overuse. I like the ethereal look it gives to photos of the couple alone or during private moments, like kissing shots... like a visual reference to the "fireworks" produced by a great kiss.
This is one case where as a photographer you gotta spend the money--the quality of the lens (and the glass inside it, the way it renders light and color) has everything to do with the way lens flare will look in photos taken with that lens, and different lenses produce different flare effects. Top of the line pro lenses like the Canon L series lenses produce the best flare because they have the clearest, largest, highest quality glass inside them. Prime lenses especially (fixed length lenses like the 85mm f1.2L, as opposed to zooms like the 24-70mm f2.8L) are known to produce awesome flare.
Of course any pro photographer will tell you that you are much better off spending your money on top of the line lenses than dropping $5000 on the latest camera body. Bodies come and go and are obsolete in a year, but good glass can last a lifetime, and all the megapixels in your shiny new camera's sensor will do nothing for you if the images you capture have to pass through a cheap kit lens first...
Ok, school's over. Back to the wedding.
Trentadue has some amazing grounds to shoot in, including rows of vineyards, stands of trees, huge pine trees diffusing the sun into golden shafts of light and train tracks that pass right through the entrance to the property. All those awesome converging lines going off into the distance make for one very happy photographer.
This one deserves an explanation. During MOH Shonda's toast, she mentioned how at a family event years back, when Ann and Drew's relationship was just getting started, she had been told that Drew's dad, Andrew Elliot, was capable of chugging a beer while standing on his head. She asked Mr. Elliot to demonstrate at the time and he declined, but placated her by saying "on Ann and Drew's wedding day, I'll do it". Well, now that day had come, and Mr. Elliot was being called out...And he did not disappoint.
This is one of those moments where you can't believe you're getting paid to do this.
3 cheers to Ann and Drew for actually spending time dancing at their own wedding! ;)
And OMG the food was amazing. Trends catering did an incredible job, the cocktail hour appetizers alone were the best--I'm still dreaming about this cheese spread they had with nuts and dried fruit in it--and dinner was fabulous. When I first met Ann and Drew they told me they were not having a wedding cake because they really weren't into desserts and sweet stuff--instead they would be serving some individual desserts for the guests. Well, if this is the kind of spread put on by a couple who "aren't into sweets", I think I'd be scared to see what it would look like if they WERE.
Mmm...rings and bokeh!
Vendors:
Trentadue
flowers
Laura Miller Design
dj
Scott Grothe
That’s Entertainment
officiant
Rev Peadar Dalton
caterer
Trends Catering
videographer
Thomas Hughes
bridal boutique
Glamour Closet, San Francisco
makeup/hair
Tami Maytum
Indulge Salon
(925) 933-2220
I'm kind of a big deal around here: SF Chronicle's Best of the Bay Contest, award winning images, and other silver linings
It's been an incredible summer to be a wedding photographer. Yes, it's true that overall consumer confidence is down, even when it comes to wedding spending (the so-called "recession proof" industry), and I know a lot of people, including photographers, who are struggling.
At the same time, so many amazing things are happening, I cannot help but be affected by them. So while like every other small business owner I have felt the strain of the declining economy, I have also seen more than one silver lining on this cloud, and I cannot help but feel hopeful about the future. It's funny when you've been working for something so long and then all of a sudden the day comes when everything seems to fall into place. So in order to keep things in perspective, I made a list.
Cool stuff that's happened this summer:
1. Nominated for SF Chronicle's Best of the Bay!
The Baylist Best contest allows SF Bay area citizens to choose their favorite local businesses by voting for them. This is just amazing--it's awesome just to be nominated. I'm up against some very heavy competition, photographers who have been in the limelight a lot longer than I have, as well as some of my incredibly talented friends like Lisa and James Sanders, Lilia Ahner, Tara Arrowood, and others. But I think I've got a fighting chance as long as everyone I know puts in their vote!
I also just had a look for the first time at the reviews people have left with their votes, and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to read all the wonderful things people wrote about me! Here are a couple of examples:
and
"Lauren is able to integrate beautifully the technical aspects of photography with the heart and soul of her clients. She is a very gifted and passionate professional artist."
"Lauren a phenomenal photographer who never stops honing her craft so she can deliver the best service possible to her clients. Beside being a very talented artist, she's an amazing person who cares deeply about her clients and the meaninfulness of their weddings."I've got nine 5 star reviews on there already. Thank you so much you guys! If you haven't done so already, you can vote for me for best wedding photographer by going here.
2. My wedding pictures are in demand: images from Wedding Wednesdays get published in newspapers and broadcast on the 11 o'clock news, a KRON 4 primetime special on gay marriage, and HBO Family!
Ok, here's the backstory: The last time I was on TV, I was 8 years old. My class was interviewed by 20/20 on the subject of "gross toys" (Madballs, Garbage Pail Kids, and the like). John Stossel asked me if my mom knowingly bought these things for me, and I in all my adorable little smartass glory replied, "She buys them, she just doesn't know what she's getting into."
Let's say it all together now; "Awwww..."
So as you might imagine, getting TV attention as an adult is something entirely different. I have been inspired by these incredible weddings and the rich, varied, yet shared experiences of each couple. I am lucky to be the one to tell their stories, and thrilled at the opportunity to bring my work to a wider audience. It would be exciting to carry this work outside of the context of weddings, perhaps as a gallery show or something else having to do with the fine art world.
3. Certified by Here Comes the Guide!
Here Comes the Guide is a prestigious wedding resource that represents only the best wedding vendors in California. In order to become a part of it, you have to go through a screening process, in which they interview 30-40 references about your business, including established wedding vendors, and at least 10 actual wedding couples who have hired you. If these people don't absolutely RAVE about you, you don't get in.
I originally heard about HCTG early in my second year of business and wanted to get on board, but when I got to the part about the screening process I stopped--I couldn't even think of 15, much less 4o, wedding references I had worked with at that point. So I put it aside until a few months ago, when I looked at their site again and realized that now approaching my 5th year in business I had more than enough references and happy brides I could send them. This is actually one of the major benefits to the brides who use HCTG to find vendors: the screening process weeds out the fly by night or newbie businesses, as well as those who have a less than ideal reputation.
Unlike most other wedding resources, the text part of your listing on herecomestheguide.com is written by the staff at HCTG, made up of all the nice things your references said about you during the interview process. It's great if you are a bride, because you know that what's written about the business is not self promotional hype. I'm really excited to see what my references said about me.
4. Published in Today's Bride magazine!
I knew when I shot Tammy and Jamey's wedding last fall it was special, which is why I have a lot of images from that wedding in my sample albums and on my walls. As beautiful as the decor was, I also knew it would probably make it into at least one bridal mag. I am happy to say I was right! Two images from their wedding at the Ferry Building made it into the Idea Gallery section in the latest issue of Today's Bride. TB is a nice little publication, handbook sized, with lots of information and ideas for engaged couples. Unlike many other wedding mags there is a LOT of great photography in there and the vast majority of it is from actual weddings (as opposed to editorial photo shoots with models). TB targets an upscale but individualist, somewhat offbeat modern bride population, which makes it a great fit for my work.
5. My image of Ted and Brian wins an award from the WPJA!
This image won 5th place out of hundreds of entries in the "Emotion" category of the WPJA's Q2 wedding photojournalism contest. You can see the placement on their site here and a list of the judges and their qualifications here. Here are some of their comments on my winning image:
"From the distance and lens selection, the photographer has let us see this couple in their own world in the middle of a very big day in their lives. It’s a great picture of a couple paying complete and compassionate attention to the other."
All of the WPJA contests are judged by critically acclaimed working photojournalists and news photographers at the top of their field. Having judges like these insures that the winning images maintain a high standard of journalistic integrity and storytelling, and are of sufficient quality to stand on their own, outside the context of weddings. This is my third WPJA winning image this year.
