As promised, here are a couple more images from the wedding last weekend. The reception was at the Zoo and the staff allowed us to shoot virtually anywhere we wanted. We even had an escort with a stretch golf cart to wheel us around. I’m sure it was so we could be supervised, but it was nice not having to lug my gear all over the place! Maybe I should roll up to weddings in a golf cart from now on… My only regret was not getting a shot with the foot fetish penguin. Check out the book,  Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland Oregon By Chuck Palahniuk, if you need to know more about this notorious penguin.

Here are a few of my favorites from last weekend’s wedding. I shot Ben and Ariel’s engagement photos last fall, and they graciously asked if I could cover their wedding as well. The ceremony was outside at McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. High afternoon sun is always difficult to shoot in, but once we got into the shade I got the lighting I was looking for with the couple shots. The reception was in the Compass Room which typically serves as a movie theater or live music venue. With its abundance of natural light and arched ceilings, it was a fun location for a reception. During a break in the action I was playing a game with a little girl that was in attendance at the reception. She would poke her head out above and below this chair as if she were trying to avoid me taking a picture of her. I won!

Congrats to Ben and Ariel, and thanks for inviting me to be a part of your big day!

Here are a few images from the wedding I shot a couple of weeks ago. The rain this fall is really starting to hack me off. This time it forced me into a scramble to find new locations to shoot that were covered. The two middle images were taken directly under I-5, just before the Marquam Bridge. We had to scream at each other to be heard, but at least it was dry. I guess the one redeeming quality of rain is that it produces a reflective surface that can add some great character to a photo. I had originally set up the dancing shot with a flash overhead, but the batteries in my flash gave out just as I started to shoot. Since the rain was starting to pick up again I decided to steady the camera on a table, leave the shutter open for 1 second and just use available light. The convention center lights in the background illuminated the low clouds and made the cool looking halo. This area is where the ceremony was going to be held before the rain forced it indoors, so I’m happy we got at least one shot there for Ben and Lindsay.  Also, for any future couple that want me to stick around at the reception little longer than originally planned, tell me to help finish the Keg and have college football playing at the bar

“Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight? I always ask that of all my prey. I just like the sound of it”

Batman, 1989, The Joker – Played by Jack Nicholson

I’m still processing photos from the wedding I shot in Kansas City last weekend.  I wanted to post this particular shot first though. It was taken of the bride and groom dancing during the reception. Since the wedding was on the 31st of October they turned the reception into a costume party. You really couldn’t of asked for a better setting. It was located at the Bingham-Waggoner estate in Independance, MO. The house was built in the mid 1800’s and really looked like it had a few unexplained stories behind its doors. The area where the reception/dance was held was VERY dark. Its tough to shoot in this type of setting because  your constantly trying to find an appropriate balance of off camera flash and available light. To make things more difficult, you have to maintain a decent shutter speed if you want any chance of your flash being able to freeze the action on the dance floor. Not to mention the camera’s auto focus is pretty much useless because its so dark, so the only option is to manually focus.  I think the lighting balance in this shot turned out perfect and I squeaked by with a just enough shutter speed to freeze the action with a few light trails in the background. I guess it just goes to show how much goes into a shot like this to get it to turn out the way you want.

Technical details.

24mm @ f3.2 1/4 sec shutter ISO 1000