Here is a Canon "Explorers of Light" interview with Denis Reggie -- check it out...

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=926&fromTips=1

Want to learn more about a wedding that cost $90 million? Check out:

http://www.weddingsutra.com/community/featured_vanisha_main.asp

for all the details on the June 2004 wedding of Vinisha Mittal to Amit Bahtia. The celebration lasted SIX days! (Most people are lucky to have a honeymoon last six days!)

Today being Thanksgiving or "turkey day" in the United States I wanted to take an opportunity to remind photographers to always over-do the main thing. If you are hired to photograph a wedding...don't forget to get LOTS of pictures of just the bride and groom alone. I've heard from people who've told me that their photographer didn't get enough (or, perish the thought, ANY!) formal pictures of the bride and groom alone. I realize that a lot of emphasis has been placed on purely photojournalistic photography at weddings these days...but that doesn't mean your clients want JUST candid pictures! In all likelihood there are going to be parents and grandparents who want, expect, and deserve good quality posed pictures -- at the very least, a wide assortment of candids that show them just the main subjects of the day!

So remember to "keep the main thing the main thing!" It's better to have too much than not enough when it comes to pictures of life events like weddings!

Every once and a while I have to release some built-up creative energy. LOL

I was shooting a wedding today -- glorious weather, beautiful bride, handsome groom, fun and cooperative wedding party -- what more could anyone ask for? :)

The bride had a number of different places she wanted to go for pictures and we covered most of them. The reality is...whether you are a pro shooting a wedding or an amatuer out in the backyard trying to get your kids to line up for this year's Christmas card picture...you need to give your models / subjects a break from time to time or you'll end up with those tired "I don't want to have my picture taken" shots.

Are you still with me or are you wondering about the overwhelmingly obvious nature of today's tip? Here's the key...when you tell your subjects to take a break...that doesn't necessarily mean you should stop shooting! Sometimes a short break is what your subjects need to get back to their natural state (of not being so stiff with plastic smiles) -- this is a great time to get a few great candid images! :) Yes, you as the photographer need to take a break from time to time as well, but you'll likely get some very nice candid shots of your subjects when they aren't so conscious of having their picture taken. As Dori from "Finding Nemo" might say if she were a photographer..."just keep shooting."

If you are shooting a wedding today (like I am...and tens of thousands of other photographers are), be sure to get some calendar pictures if you can...and as many images of 7's as you can!

"Good luck!" :)

ALWAYS look for opportunities to show family relationships in your images. I love to position myself such that I can get shots of a bride with her mom in the background -- whether that be while she's getting ready, she's being given away by her father, or dancing with her father -- I'm constantly looking for ways to put mom in the shot too.

Today was another wedding shoot -- one of many scheduled this summer. My wife helps me out at a lot of the weddings I shoot...she doesn't shoot all day with me, but typically she helps me cover the ceremony and formals after the ceremony.

On her way to the wedding she had a blowout - BAM! - flat tire on an interstate highway! Now, why didn't I join the American Automobile Association (AAA) again? DOH!!!! I wasn't in a position where I could leave the wedding to help her change a tire on a minivan (and I'm old-fashioned...I DON'T expect her to do it!). Fortunately she got ahold of our oh-so-helpful neighbor and he went to change the tire for her. What a super-nice guy...and we were very lucky to have been able to get ahold of him. Monday morning, first-thing, I'm buying him a gift certificate to a store that he likes as a token of our appreciation...then I'm going to sign us up for AAA coverage.

I realize this wasn't exactly a photo tip to improve your photography -- but it was an experience that I didn't have in my "emergency preparedness wedding photography" plan! So, perhaps you'll learn from our unfortunate experience.

Thankfully, my wife showed up about 15 minutes before the ceremony and she was able to get a few very nice shots within the bride's room. :)

Lousiana photographer Marc Eric Motichek started a web-site called Trash The Dress. Marc has been getting a LOT of buzz and publicity lately for the site. It seems that there are plenty of brides out there...to match up with all the eager photographers...for dress trashing sessions.

So check out http://www.trashthedress.com/ and learn more about the latest fad in wedding photography!

If you are a wedding photographer, or you aspire to be one, I encourage you to check out BanquetBuzz.com. Banquet Buzz is an online community for wedding vendors of all sorts (though it's dominated by creative photographers! ;-)). Be sure to register as a user so that you can view and participate on the forums. You'll find plenty of inspiration from the many photographers and other wedding vendors who are members of the Banquet Buzz community.

I've worked well over 120 weddings since 1985 -- and I always seem to learn a new lesson each time I shoot a wedding. Yesterday was no exception! :)

I use Lowepro lens cases to carry my lenses on my belt when I'm shooting a wedding. (see picture below for image of a Lowepro case from B&H)



The wedding I shot yesterday was in a fairly small church but I shot it without an assistant so I had to move around quite a bit during the ceremony to capture the shots I wanted / needed to get. Notice the zippers on the case? Those zippers make noise when attached to a fast-moving photographer in a quiet church. Solution? Duct-tape? Nah...too sticky!! Electrical tape!! Of course! A small piece of electrical tape wrapped around the zipper pull will deaden the noise of the zipper! :)

If the bride and groom have sets of grandparents that are still living...make sure not only to get a formal portrait of the grandparents with the new couple, but take the time to get a nice photograph of the married grandparents. Ask them how long they've been married. Chances are they may be celebrating a golden anniversary (or other milestone) in the near future -- so a nice formal portrait of the grandparents is a definitely a keeper image!

Tamron sponsored photographer Michael Ayers gives his list of top ten do's and don'ts of wedding photography on the Tamrom web-site. I'm especially fond of his recommendation for using a lens shade instead of a UV filter to protect your lens.