Wedding inspiration, wedding photography and more

When I shoot weddings, there are essentially two types of assistants I hire to help out – a second photographer and/or a photo assistant. My second photographers are trained wedding photographers brought on for day to make sure every moment is documented. The photo assistant role can either be filled by the second photographer or is an assistant hired to help the shooters.

Can you get by without using either one? Absolutely. But there are definite advantages to hiring either one or both….

Reasons you’d want to hire a second photographer:

1. Can get the most important images as they happen rather than having to choose what NOT to shoot.

Ceremonies happen quickly and the action moves rapidly so the more people covering the event, the higher the quality of the representation of the ceremony.

Shooting locations are often limited at ceremony locations, which means it can be difficult and distracting to move around (think Two photogs reduce the need to move around as much

Get more than one angle of shooting

Makes it easier to capture special moments
-Can divide up the shot list (that we create in the pre-wedding consultation) so attention can be focussed on different things
-often there is more than one stand-out image from a particular moment (eg. during the first dance, you want pics of the couple but it’s great to have reactions of the parents as they look on). The moment really only lasts for a minute or so

Takes stress off the main photographer – they can handle things that come up quickly and easily and help the image creation develop even further and anticipate the needs of the photographer.

Frees main photographer to explore non-traditional shooting angles and image composition. A shot that might be considered risky because you might miss out a more traditional shot,

Reasons to hire a photo assistant (PA):

1. Imagine everyone you want to have in your family picture. Now imagine lining all of those people up while they’re talking, laughing, fixing their hair and the sun is setting so we need the picture now… If it feels a bit overwhelming, a PA might be a good bet. PAs can streamline the formal image process by rounding everyone up and getting them organized and ready to go.

2. They check the details. PAs are there to make sure every detail of your wedding is perfect. They catch crooked shirt collars, out-of-place hairs and bunched trains.

3. They are human light stands. Well, actually they are much more than that but PAs do make adjustments (and sometimes hold) lights, reflectors and diffusers. It’s also very helpful to have a second pair of hands to make quick adjustments to the lighting set-up, saving everyone time and energy.

4. They’re a second pair of eyes. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t see what’s going on behind me. PAs let me look in two directions at once and make sure I’m not missing anything. They also keep an eye out for alternate perspectives and moments to share with the main photographer.

5. They reduce wear and tear (on the photographer, that is). The less heavy equipment the photographer has to haul around, the more energy they can dedicate to getting the perfect angle. Because a good PA will anticipate the needs of their photographer, the photographer can be absolutely in the moment.

Sara and Tyler are an easy-going couple that will be getting married at Red Rocks in July. They decided to take me up on my free engagement session package so we headed over to Washington Park (right in Central Denver) to get some shots.

You can see right away how much fun Sara and Tyler have together – they’ve been dating since college (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) and have one of the coolest “love” stories I’ve heard in awhile… They were walking through the campus and sat under the Davie Poplar Tree on the Quad where legend has it if you sit and kiss on the bench, you’ll get married. They sat. They kissed. And, four years later they’re planning their wedding!

And their wedding should be as laid back as the couple themselves. They’ll have their reception at the Table Mountain Inn in Golden where they’ll play off the Southwestern theme by using orange, stucco and terra cotta for their colors while keeping a simple decor that compliments the outdoor surroundings. Should be a fantastic wedding!

You have the perfect dress, gorgeous shoes and your wedding photographer lined up and ready to go.  Your wedding day hair appointment is set and your best friend will handle your make-up afterwards…

Wait a second. Unless your best friend is a professional make-up artist, I’d recommend that you give your make-up the same consideration you’re giving your dress, hair and accessories and call in a professional.

Why should you hire a professional make-up artist for your wedding day?

1.  You want to look your best. In the same way you trust your hair dresser to give you a hair cut which reflects you, your personality and personal style, a professional make-up artist helps you look like your best self.  They’re trained to evaluate your face and enhance your features while minimizing blemishes and spots (hey, they happen). And, once you have the knowledge, you can use it in your married life for special occasions, like your first anniversary.

2.  They can find the balance between not enough and too much. Brides are often surprised at how washed out their features look when they try on their wedding dress. A make-up artist can help bump up your features to match the drama of the dress without giving you an overly made-up look.

3.  They minimize flash problems. Have you ever taken a close-up photo of a friend and the auto-flash plays off of their forehead so you end up with photo of them with a sunburst on their head? This happens when oily skin reflects light and, unfortunately, can ruin otherwise usable photos. Make-up artists can help prevent this by working with your skin type to minimize oiliness (while making sure you don’t break out).

4.  They’ll work with your wedding light. The make-up that works at a night wedding featuring a lot of flash photography may look unnatural and overdone at an outdoor wedding featuring natural light. A good make-up artist is trained in lighting and will be able to ensure your make-up is appropriate for the location and setting.

5.  You’ll save money in the long run. Frankly, poorly applied make-up shows in photos. And while there’s a lot I can do to touch it up in Photoshop, I’d rather you spend a bit of money on the outset rather than a lot of money in post-production. I want you to love the way you look in your photos rather than focusing on how we might want to touch them up.

The bottom line: You’re investing a lot in your wedding photos and you want to get the most out of your investment. The more images you look great in, the more images you have to choose from. By hiring a professional make-up artist, you ensure we won’t have to throw out a great image simply because your make-up is less than perfect…

You may remember Mike and Lisa from their Red Rock’s engagement photo session… A relaxed, fun-loving couple currently living in Texas, they came out to Colorado to get married in Lisa’s hometown of Evergreen.

And, because they love a good beer, they got the festivities started right with a night out at the Great American Beer Festival. One of the constants throughout their wedding events was Mike and Lisa’s genuine excitement about having all of their family and friends in one place; the Beer Festival was a great example of everyone getting together and having a great night out.

In their Pre-Wedding Consultation, Mike and Lisa were very specific that they wanted their photos to capture the essence of their style – simple, easygoing and fun (speaking of fun – make sure you check out their baseball cake, set off by a handmade quilt created by a close friend of Mike’s mother). And Lisa also had a special request. She wanted photos of Mike enjoying himself, specifically hitting the dance floor. Fortunately, some requests are easier than others to fill…

Erin and Tyler are family friends from Milwaukee who invited me out to their winery-filled weekend in Sonoma, California. Because I was there as a guest, and not as their hired photographer, I was able to take a back seat approach and focus on capturing images outside the norm – the table details, friends waiting while the photographer was taking group shots, the view of vines extending down the valley.

And as I was in the audience at the ceremony, I had a unique opportunity to photograph it from the guests’ perspective. Because we were facing west, the guests ended up looking directly into the sun and I wanted Erin and Tyler to get the feel for what we were seeing. At the time I thought they might be too washed out but they ended up being some of my favorite (and, okay, most romantic) shots of the day.

California natives Erin and Marc are one of those couples wedding photographers dream about – they’re easy-going, laid-back, lots of fun and easy to shoot.

For their engagement session, we headed towards Downtown Denver so we could get some photos with their newly adopted city in the background (they moved here a year ago from California) and we had a great time. Marc and Erin were game for trying out different locations and poses; you can see from their smiles, getting them to convey their love and happiness wasn’t hard at all…

And, it was great practice for their wedding at the Green Briar Inn in July, where Marc and Erin plan on making the day as much about their guests as themselves. No doubt their wedding will be filled with lots of memorable, genuine moments; I’ll be bringing my A game to make sure I capture them all!

Dana & Whitney came out to Colorado from their home in Greenville, South Carolina for what was truly an idyllic mountain wedding. It was a simple, elegant affair (coral and pale yellows) for about 125 guests with a ceremony in Aspen followed by a wedding reception in Snowmass Village at the Silver Tree Hotel. They ended up finding me on theknot.com and hired me for 10 hours of wedding photography so we were really able to cover the wedding in-depth!

Both Dana and Whitney enjoy fine dining, quality wines and travel so it’s no surprise dinner was a fantastic 5-course meal. Their close friend, Chef Steven Devereaux, flew in from his restaurant Deveraux’s in South Carolina to specially prepare the meal. The menu included: Sashimi of Hamachi, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Lobster Risotto, Carolina Quail and Coffee Rubbed Filet of Beef. And yes, it was as good as it sounds.

They were a gorgeous couple in what ended up being a true Colorado wedding…

Mike and Lisa made the trip to Denver so we could take their engagement photos up at Red Rocks, namely because they love outdoor photos. And while they are currently living in Texas (where Lisa works for NASA at Mission Control!), they’ll be getting married at the Hiwan Golf Club in Lisa’s hometown, Evergreen.

They’re planning a laid back, Colorado wedding with a bold, simple presentation (think red tulips, blue hydrangeas and sunflowers…) that is going to be all about their guests. They’re really emphasizing making sure everyone at the wedding is recognized, which is just so cool. They want to make sure I capture “who their guests are and what they are all about” while acting unobtrusively; I plan on going heavy on the candid moments while working my “stealth approach.

And a couple of wedding details – they’re having a bagpiper play at the ceremony and Lisa’s mom has designed and sewn a family quilt for the big day. What a fun couple…