Bill and Anne Edwards, Novemeber 11, 2006

Anne Kelly and Bill Edwards were joined in marraige November 11, 2006 at the lovely Aerie Bed & Breakfast, New Bern North Carolina. Anne and Bill are both such lovely people and were a pleasure to work with. The Aerie's owners and staff also were a joy to work with. I know that the couple was extremely pleased with the Inn and the hospitality of its staff. Located at 509 Pollock Street in New Bern's historic downtown area (and near its waterfront), for a nice weekend away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, or if planning an intimate wedding, you couldn't go wrong with a stay at the Aerie.



The wedding took place in "The Carolina" room with Reverand Bonnie Compton preforming the ceremony. In attendance were members of both Bill's and Anne's families. For the reception the Aerie's staff provided a buffet that included cold-cuts on croissants, a variety of cheeses and cold vegtables, and cold boiled shrimp.

Cherity and Kennth, October 28, 2006

Ever since she was a little girl Cherity had dreamed of riding off from her wedding in a horse drawn carriage. Her fiance, Kenneth Gurganous was just the man to make her dreams come true. A few days after her bridal portrait session (see Nurse Cherity and the Half-Naked Native) I received a call from Kenneth. He wondered if a) I could keep a secret and, b) would we be able to work a carriage ride into the wedding schedule. I was happy to give him a resounding yes to both questions. Making dreams come true, what a wonderful way to start a life together. Congratulations Kenneth & Cherity.

The wedding was held at the Saint Francis by the Sea Church, Indian Beach North Carolina. It is a beautiful location for a wedding. The interior of the church is simply gorgeous and the natural areas outside of it would be an excellent location for group portraits and shots of the newlyweds. Cherity, however, had other plans.

She really, really wanted wedding day photos taken at the beach. But the weather report for the weedend had been anything but promising for those plans. Luckily the sunshined for Kenneth and Cherity. Her chariot carried her to the near-by beach access where we took some lovely photos. I must apologize to the couple though. While intently working to set-up a shot I failed to notice a larger than average wave. Cherity laughed through the drowning and, with the help of her cheer, Kenneth was able to find the humor in it as well. Nothing like a loud "oh crap!" from your photographer as he runs backwards, camear clicking all the way.


The reception was also held at St. Francis by the Sea. Music was provided by T & L Karaoke Express. Catering by Macs. The wedding cake, one of the best I've ever tasted (and I've tasted a few) was made by Krissys' Dessert Creations of Cedar Point, NC. The couple's love for each other was apparent throughout the day. I know they'll enjoy many happy years together.

Wedding Photography: An Inside Look (Part One)

It's been a while since I wrote much about photography. While I love to show-case newlyweds and recently betrotheds, one of the goals of this blog is to talk a bit about photography. So, with that goal in mind, I thought I might write a bit about the profession of wedding photography.

Many amateur and student photographers seem to have the impression that wedding photography is easy money. The fact being that professional wedding photography is hard work and requires a significant investment. Lets explore the investment part first.

No matter how you look at it the beginning of a marriage is a significant event. As such, you cannot afford to take chances with recording it for the happy couple. What that means is, at a minimum, you need two quality camera bodies. (I carry a third camera just in case things go really, really far south).

In addition to a pair of cameras you need a complement of lenes to go with them. The "kit lens" you may have gotten when you purchased your camera isn't going to cut it either! Weddings tend to take place in venues with subdued lighting, and the reception hall will likely be darker yet. You need "fast" lenses capable of capturing crisp images in the worst of conditions.

Now some of you may be thinking that a decent flash will solve most of your low-light problems. While it's true a good flash (you'll need two actually) can bring bright light to a dark room, flash frequently isn't allowed during the ceremony. And, even if it is, most true professional photographers avoid using it during the main event out of respect for the ceremony.

Others may be of the "ambient light is better" school of thought. I hate to break this to you but wedding photography is more a matter of dealing with "ambient darkness." You're going to need a good flash and a good back-up flash at a minimum. Of course your artistic control will be pretty limited if you're stuck with on camera flash. Better add a couple of off-camera cords to your shopping list. And if you really want to get some interesting lighting during the first dance, group shots with interesting lighting, etc., you better plan on investing in a light stand, umbrella and some kind of portable light/flash fired by a radio remote.

Well that's it for Part One, a look at equipment. I'll do a Part Two sometime in the future and provide a look at the labor involved before, during and after the event. Until then, here's a list of minimum equipment requirements to keep in mind:

• 2 Quality SLR Camera Bodies
  
• 2 or more rechargeable batteries per body
  
• 1 Wide angle zoom or prime, f2.8 or faster
  
• 1 Mild telephoto zoom or prime, 2.8 or faster
  
• 1 Telephoto (300ish)zoom or prime. 4.0 or faster
  
• Slower back-up lens for each of the above
  
• Good quality tripod with ball-head
  
• remote release (wired or wireless)
  
• 2 Quality Speed Lights capable of TTL with your cameras
  
• 3 changes of rechargeable batteries per flash
  
• 2 Off-Camera Cords
  
• 1 or 2 Flash Brackets
  
• 1 or 2 Modifiers for your flashes (I use Stofens)
  
• 1 Light Stand
  
• 1 Light Stand Adapter/umbrella holder
  
• 1 38" or Larger Umbrella
  
• 1 Manual flash or portable studio flash
  
• Radio Remote flash controller (such as Pocket Wizard)
  
• 6 or 8 Large capacity Memory cards.
  
• Misc. lens cleaning devices
  
• Waistbelt system for carrying extra lenses and memory cards
  
• Bag(s) for transporting all the above