Last night I met up with Ginny and Neal in Bessemer (halfway between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham) to go over the details of their wedding. Occasionally Ill bring a camera with me to these meetings because for me, its the first time you meet your new friends. I am very confident about my abilities to take care of my customers, anyone who Ive shot weddings for know this. I will do anything for my clients, once they have booked. The pre-booking phase is SO dynamic and interesting to me, but that is another entry. All I know is the couples I book are about to have their expectations blown away and in the end they will know there wasn’t anyone else they would ever consider if they were to do it again. Maybe this is cocky, still….its what I strive for.

I think the most accurate description for booking a client is total and complete gratitude towards them. Think about it…here they are really just starting their lives together. They will have a family, children and grand children. Pictures of their wedding will be on the walls of their home. The album you make will be looked at by thousands of people over the years- clearly this is one of the most important days of their lives….AND…..they have chosen you to be their photographer. It is an amazing compliment, I really cant think of anything better in terms of being a photographer when a client demonstrates their faith in you and says “we think you are the best”. You are dang right I am going to take care of them!! 🙂 so…ya….I love these meetings, its like we are agreeing to first be a team, and next be friends. 🙂

It was about 7:30pm, INSIDE when these pics were taken. Without special lighting your options are limited:

1. This is why I hate the pop-up flash on the 40D, see how it washes out everything? See how everything is flat? Drives me crazy. Turn the flash off, go for natural lighting. In dark situations, bump your ISO up, slow your shutter speed down, and try to get as close as you can. This second picture was taken at 1/13th of a second, which is a relatively long shutter speed. I always tell my students to avoid shooting people slower than 1/50 or 1/60th of a second- and this is a good way to start, but with practice, close distance, and Image Stabilized lenses you can get away with slower shutter speeds.There is a third option, referred to as Slow-Sync- I use all the time at weddings….but that is another blog entry, and another video. 🙂

Ginny is a jaw dropping beautiful bride-to-be. I am very lucky to have some of the most beautiful women choose me to be their photographer, it makes my job that much easier. 🙂 I am excited for this wedding!