The ceremony took place is a nice, brightly-lit church. It was actually very amusing watching these two up at the altar; there was much giggling, snickering, and quietly-said sideways commentary going on. And to tell you the truth, after shooting their engagement session, I expected no less. When we got to the church, I spied the stained glass above the doors, and I immediately knew how I wanted to shoot the grand exit! I always try and get this kind of image if it’s available (in other words if the stars align, and there is stained glass in the exit, and it’s a sunny day where the stained glass is lit by the sun shining through it, and that there is a grand exit…).

The reception was at RiverCrest Golf Club, which is a really cool place to have a party. When we got there, the ladies took a few minutes to make some dress adjustments… and off we went to have some fun with the new Mr. and Mrs.! There’s a great outdoor patio, which we used later in the evening, and some paved paths that lead you around the golf course. There are some nice views along those paths, but what I saw and really wanted to shoot was the big old oak tree that stands right by the club house. We took some shots in front of it during the cocktail hour photo session… but I think our best use of it came much later.

The actual ballroom at RiverCrest Golf Club is one of the nicer ones that I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. I’ve only shot there once so far, so I don’t know if this is their typical setup (although I think it is because it’s just logical that it would be done this way) but the guests are seated on either side of the dance floor. The bride and groom sit at the sweetheart table at the head of the dance floor, and behind them is a set of floor-to-ceiling windows. The place feels full and alive, but having all of your guests there still leaves the room feeling airy, and not claustrophobic at all. Also, thanks to Samantha and Ron, we were seated as guests at their reception… and I can report that the food tasted great!

Later in the evening, we got a chance to pull Samantha and Ron away for a bit of fun outside. Their videographer, and good friend of ours, Tom from TLJ Studios came along with us. We hit the patio for some evening shots at the fountain there, and then moved on to the same path we had walked down before. Now that the sun had set and it was getting dark rapidly, we got some really great night-time shots that we couldn’t have pulled off without Tom’s help! And I now officially want a video light for exactly this purpose. Ron ran inside for a few minutes, but we got to shoot Samantha by that old oak tree, which is up-lit at night! It was exactly the shots I was hoping to get! We met up with Ron again in the lobby for a couple more shots of the two of them together, and then back to the reception they went!

There were a few reasons why Cindy and Jesse decided to see each other prior to the ceremony, not the least of which was to relieve the nerves. They felt that if they waited until they met at the end of the aisle, they would be far more nervous, and I imagine that they were exactly correct. The other reason is that they were looking to get photos at multiple locations around Center City, Philadelphia, while their ceremony was in the historic district. It’s not so long a trip when you have lots of time and you’re not worrying about traffic, but trying to do that between the ceremony and the reception (especially since they were at the same place) would not have been ideal. It would have eaten nearly their entire cocktail hour, and we would run the risk of being late for their reception. So to make the story short, we started early. Hours before the ceremony. A friend of the family drove us around town and we would hop out and shoot where we wanted. Since we started early, we had plenty of time to let them enjoy their first meeting dressed for their wedding without having to rush. And we got all of the formals done before the ceremony on the steps of The Curtis Center. What this meant was they had the entirety of their cocktail hour to relax and enjoy the company of their guests!

The Atrium at The Curtis Center is a really incredible room. (To be entirely fair, it’s not the easiest room in town to shoot in, but we’ve gotten by, and the feel of the place is worth every challenge it has thrown at us.) This time around was a little different than we have done in the past, since Cindy and Jesse had their ceremony in The Atrium itself. The room sets up amazingly well for a ceremony, where the columns and drapery provide an elegant side backdrop, and the water garden which serves as the background for the bride and groom is breathtaking in its own right. The decorated arbor on the stage, with lights and hanging candles, really set the couple apart from the darker rich hues of the water garden. Yes, I realize that these are kind of flowery descriptions, but… that’s truly how it is at the place! Cindy and Jesse have the pictures to prove it!

The catering and overall event execution at the Curtis is handled by Cescaphe. They do an outstanding job, and this time was no exception! These guys make it seem so smooth… At least from our perspective, the whole wedding went off without a single hiccup or rough spot. And they really put out an artful spread! While the couple and all of their guests were enjoying cocktail hour in the Curtis Center lobby (in front of the Dream Garden mosaic), the folks at Cescaphe transformed the Atrium into a reception site! All of the tables… the stage for the band… the sound system… all of the flatware and decorations… ALL OF IT! In one hour! Cindy and Jesse danced the night away, and everyone had a great time! They were treated to a slide show of old family photographs put together by their siblings (who made up their bridal party), got treated to some flambe artistry courtesy of the staff, and generally had a proper celebration of their wedding with friends and family that spanned the continent, and beyond. (You see… they both live in California, but Jesse is from Hawaii, and some of the family made the trip!)

So this is a bit of a hard left turn from my usual work. No flowers… no white dress…

My friend Bryan runs a very successful podcast about comics called Comic Geek Speak. Their reach is wide-spread enough where they, for the second time now, hosted their own convention (SuperShow 2010) up in Reading, PA a little over a week ago. I was tagged to show up and shoot some photos of the con again this year. Lots of fun! Had a great time walking around and taking pictures of the many artists there doing their thing.

One of the groups that was there was the 501st. If you don’t know what/who they are… they do Star Wars costumes. Really really well. If you’re into Star Wars, check them out! They were out and about, walking around in full costume to the great entertainment of all! I got a couple of pictures of kids just staring at Chewbacca (who stood well over 7 feet tall by my eye-balled measurement). Darth Vader was also an imposing figure, as always. They also did a panel discussion on how these costumes are made, which was really very cool.

One of the other things that they had going at the show was an area where there were tables set up, and lots of different board games. Kevin from Sieze Your Turn was there, lending out board games and teaching people how to play them. As I was making my rounds, he stopped me. He said he really wanted a shot of some Storm Troopers playing a board game, and could I make that happen? So we did it up! I ran out to my car, grabbed a few bits of additional gear… we pulled the guys in costume in… and there it is! We actually got lucky because we originally planned on just the troopers, but Chewey and Starkiller were walking by and decided to jump in on the action!

If you’re scratching your head and wondering how this was done; Two lights. One behind (Vivitar 285hv triggered with PocketWizard), and very slightly camera left with a make-shift snoot pointed at the game board/tiles, and one (580exII) on camera, bounced upwards with bounce card out for fill. The snooted light, because it was not an overly long snoot, provided the rim on Chewbacca and Starkiller. I took a bunch of different exposures, and settled on a relatively neutral one. Since this was shot in a conference room while stuff was going on and not in a studio, there were a few challenges… and some things left to be fixed in Photoshop. (And yes, there was extensive photoshop work done to the image.) I wound up manually merging three different exposure settings of the same shot in Photoshop, did a bunch of clean up work which included removing the light stand and the flash behind the table, did some dodging and burning to accent certain things, lots of curves… and the like.

So what does this year have in store for Something Blue? A bunch of new venues to work at, as well as returns to some of my favorites from years before. We’ll be at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell, PA three times this year, and we get back to The Atrium at the Curtis Center in Philadelphia in April. I’m looking forward to shooting in the city again! We also get to return to the Meredith Manor in May, which is a cool venue out in Pottstown, PA. We also get to do a bit of traveling! Assateague in September, and Pittsburgh for New Year’s Eve! They may not be tropical, but it’s the start of destination weddings for us!

I’ve started working much more extensively with GraphiStudio for albums late last year. Every book I’ve had come in from them has blown my mind! Their prints look incredible, and the books themselves are things of beauty! I just got a sample album printed by them in late last week and I absolutely love it! Miller’s will continue to be my go-to standard book, but GraphiStudio wedding books are now officially my premium albums of choice! More expensive, and they take longer to get in, but they are so worth it!

One of the other things in the works for this year is bridal shows. This is something that we haven’t done in the past, but I’m thinking it’s time to start. If you happen to be a bride (past or present) who has attended these kinds of events… I want to talk to YOU. Basically, what I want to know is… if you had to imagine the ideal booth/table setup for a photographer, what would it be like? Do you want to see lots of albums? Framed prints? A slide show going? I have some definite ideas of what I want to do, but additional input, especially from you who is on the other side of the table from us would be really helpful!

And last but not least… the packages have changed some. Again. That, though… merits its own post. Stay tuned!

When you hire a DJ for your wedding, you are hiring one of the most important people that will take part in it, where your reception is concerned. A good DJ will know how to keep things moving when they need to move, and to keep things calm when they need to be calm. A good DJ will be respectful of your wishes, where the “do not play” list is concerned. A good DJ will be able to look at the crowd of guests, and be able to figure out what kind of music will get the party going and get people involved and out on the dance floor. It’s an art, just like photography is an art. As a photographer, the DJ is one of my biggest allies at the reception, because the reception runs according to their announcements. Aside from the wedding coordinator, if one is present, they are the ones that know what’s going to happen when, and a good one will let the other vendors know before things happen so that they are ready. I haven’t had a bad experience with a DJ, but I’ve had some lack-luster ones. Saturday, was possibly the best experience I’ve had.

Allison and Trever (who’s wedding will be the subject of a whole post of its own) had Joe Moser (DJ PER4RM) from DJ’s Available at their wedding this Saturday. This guy way top-notch! When we got into the reception site, just after finishing their Bride & Groom shots, we ran into him, and he quickly ran down the list of what was going to be happening, compared notes with us… and we quickly established a great chemistry. We were now part of the same team. This is huge! Because of this, I know the couple got better photos of their reception, because we weren’t guessing what was going to be happening and where we needed to be. WE KNEW! Most DJ’s will tell the photographer what’s coming next, but Joe went out of his way to make sure we were in the loop, and it was much appreciated. But that’s the logistical behind-the-scenes stuff that brides rarely think about. He’s there to play music… right? Read on.

Some of the complaints you hear floating around about DJ’s is that some of them are liberal with their own ideas about humor, and sometimes go over the top with it. Others might complain that they did not abide by the couple’s requests as far as what music to play and almost more importantly what NOT to play. I mean… if you don’t want the Chicken Dance… you expect not to hear the Chicken Dance. This was totally not a problem on Saturday! When he was talking, he was very professional, and totally not over-the-top. Allison and Trever asked for the usual 70’s disco-era stuff to be skipped entirely. I didn’t hear Brick House, Play That Funky Music, or any of the other stuff like it.

The dinner portion of the evening was fairly quiet, as dinner portions usually are. I had a bit of time to talk to Joe because nobody likes having their picture taken with a fork in their hand and a mouth full of salad. It was at that time that he mentioned that they had requested that none of the 70’s standards be played. He looked around the room, assessed the crowd, and said “I’m feeling 80’s. The way the room is split… I’m feeling 80’s.” So what was so amazing? When it came time to playing music for people to dance to, some DJ’s would have queued up song after song. It’s a valid approach. People expect to hear songs… and many DJ’s play them faithfully. But what did he do? He started mixing things together; more like something you’d expect from a DJ at a club… He took those 80’s songs that he figured (correctly) that people would really get into, and mixed them with dance stuff. You’ve heard The Percolator? Now throw Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics on top of it… The crowd ate it up! Take a basic dancy kind of techno groove, and throw Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey on top of it… and people hit the dance floor, and sing along! The guy was a font of energy, constantly mixing things in on the fly rather than just playing the same old songs. Joe was an artist of a high caliber, to say the least.

So. Bottom line. If you need a DJ, you should check him out. I know I certainly would be happy to work with him again.

I had put a lot of work into this site… made lots of changes, wrote more code than I care to admit to… and got a lot of help from my friend Joe. Joe is an outstanding artist. A designer like no other that I’ve ever worked with. I blame Joe for the new logo, the fact that the site actually looks good, and seems to be relatively consistent between browsers. So yeah… basically… if you like the new site, blame Joe. If you don’t like the new site, blame me. This new design was my idea, but I doubt I would have pulled it off half as well if it weren’t for his help, and general willingness to let me pick his brain on almost a daily basis for months at a time. But enough singing his praises. As soon as I find a link to his website, there will be a link on this blog.

Anyhow… there’s lots and lots and lots that I can type and talk about right now. But it’s really late. Most of the old blog posts have broken images because they did not transfer over cleanly, and I don’t have the energy to fix them manually. And now? SLEEP! Allison’s and Trever’s wedding is in a mere 10 hours… or at least that’s when I have to head out. And the sun is going to rise in about one and a half. Welcome to the new Something Blue. The old site is dead. Long live the site!

Before, my preferred places to shoot an e-session were Valley Green, and Ridley Creek… It was a toss-up which one would be my favorite. But now this complicates matters! A sunny day with attractive clouds makes Penn’s Landing more appealing than Valley Green… Though on an overcast day, it’s hard to beat being surrounded by all the trees. Ridley Creek is always an option, considering the sheer number of different scenes available there… But once again, you’re often surrounded by the park and greenery, and you miss out on a dramatic sky, if one is to be had.

One of the other really nice things about Penn’s Landing is that a permit is not required to shoot there. So many places in Philadelphia come to mind when thinking about great places to shoot… But many of the most popular o es require permits. What it boils down to is additional expense, and being limited to what time the session can take place. So my opinion? Not worth it unless the place has some sort of great personal significance. So which places require permits? The Water Works, Rittenhouse Square, and the Historic District are the ones that come to mind first. Interestingly, the Philadelphia Art museum, if you are on the steps, does not. Or so I was told.

But anyway… I had a blast with Jennifer and Rob. I’m pretty sure it was an even split, time-wise between laughing and shooting, while trying not to laugh. They brought their dog along, who behaved outstandingly well, especially considering the heat. Yeah… It was a hot one. We hit a whole bunch of spots; I dragged the two of them, and Jennifer’s friend Lori who was kind enough to help out with the dog, all over the place there. It was one of those sessions where I simply didn’t want it to end. And now I get to wait until next August to shoot their wedding. Sometimes, waiting is hard.

Kristin and Tom call Washington DC home, but are getting married here in PA. Valley Foege was their place of choice for their e-session, which certainlyade it easier for me. I always scout the location of a shoot before the day we actually shoot because I not a fan of surpirises where my location is concerned. This time around I had a good idea of where I was going to take them.

The great thing is that there are so many things to use, and so many great vistas in the park… some of which offer up a view of wildlife that is more than hapy to pose! There is no hunting in the park, so there are plenty of deer that hang out pretty close to the roads that run through the park, and don’t immediately scatter if you approach slowly. We got a great shot of Kristin and Tom standing in tall grass with a bunch of deer grazing in the distance. And the restored cabins offer a bunch of possibilities for some interesting shots as well.

Rob and I started separately, as we often do; him shooting the guys getting ready, and me with Katelyn and the girls. Soon after I got there, Katelyn was presented with a yellow gift bag. If you’re a guy and you’re reading this… take notes! She pulls out a HAND-WRITTEN letter from Mark. She held up admirably, and very little makeup was harmed in the story that makes up this blog post. She read the letter, some silently, some aloud… and you could tell she was melting! She pulled out a snow globe with a bride and groom in it, and for something so simple, it meant the world, and will probably continue to mean the world forever. So if you’re a groom-to-be, do this! If you’re a bride-to-be, kindly direct you man here.

The ceremony took place at St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic church, and after that, we headed over to the Ryers Museum for some shots of the bridal party, and Katelyn and Mark on their own. I’d give you a flowery description, but I think I’ll let the pictures say it for me. Suffice it to say that the both of them apparently love the camera, and the camera loves them back!

We headed over to the Townsend Room for the reception. This place was a bit of a challenge to find, because Garmin doesn’t quite know where it is. Rob and I were following the limo bus, which was apparently navigating the same way we were. It got us really close though, and we found the place really quickly after that. The staff was great, the food was excellent! (It was a bufet and so we got to eat like the guests and everything we had was dielicious. Thanks guys! We really do appreciate it!)

The new Mr & Mrs danced their first dance, danced with their parents… Toasts were given, food and drink aplenty… And then began the dancing! Katelyn had warned me that she would likely spend most of the night on the dancefloor. True to her word… The question of where’s the bride was an easy one to answer! Everyone had a great time; I know we certainly did. And Katelyn and Mark, if you guys are reading this… Congrats!

Stephanie and Sean got married at St. Francis of Assisi, in Norristown, PA. Their day had a bit of a rough start; the limo carrying Stephanie to the church broke down along the way. Luckily, her Dad was following the limo, and managed to get her to the church in time to catch her breath before walking down the aisle.

After the ceremony and grand exit, off we went to the William Penn Inn. The plan was that we would do all of the family formals there, as well as some of the couple shots. Due to time constraints, we were not planning on doing a lot of couple photos, but there was no way I was going to let them get away without having any done at all. Behind the Inn, out in the back of the parking lot, there is an iron-work gazebo which was meant for this sort of stuff. It has a bit of a manicured garden around it, but the only unfortunate part is the white stucco wall in the background. But even with that… we had a good time there for a few minutes. Since the day started off so high-stress, one of my goals for those few minutes was to make them as relaxed as possible. By the time we were done, they were posing like pros and having fun, not that Stephanie needed much coaching.

When we got inside, the mental picture that I had created for my self late at night as I drove past the place came to life. Immediately when you walk in, you find yourself in a very warm room, with doors leading into two ballrooms. Each of the ballroom has plenty of space for a medium-sized wedding. It’s well-decorated and cozy with a couple of soft chairs, warm white lights, and a table on which place cards are set out. The ballroom itself had a very pleasant off-white / white decor to it, with a grand chandelier in the center of the room. As cocktail hour is cleared away, the guest tables surround an expansive dance floor. The head table was backed by mirrors and plants decorated in the same fashion as the outside of the William Penn Inn; those distinctive little lights of which there seem to be millions and billions.

Stephanie changed out of her ball gown into a much more manageable wedding dress, and the party was on! One of the things that they did a little bit differently from many of the other weddings that I’ve seen was that their dances with their parents were done at the same time. Stephanie danced with her Dad at the same time as Sean danced with his Mom. This had a few advantages that are worth noting. Firstly, from the practical aspect… it got that portion of the reception over quicker. If you’re coming up short on time at your reception, this may not be a bad thing to do. Secondly, since there were only two couples on the floor, it was no less special for either of them. Thirdly, it’s somehow easier to do something when you’re not the only one doing it. So ESPECIALLY if a parent is self-conscious about dancing (I’m not including the bride and groom here because they’ve already had to dance alone for their first dance…) it may be easier on them and thus a good way to go.

The food looked great! The room sounded wonderful both at low volume during dinner hour, and once the volume was raised for dancing. A good time was had by all! Once dinner was over, the crowd came out onto the dance floor, and hardly stopped until the end. We certainly had a great time catching all of the action on the dance floor.

Just as we were about to leave, I remembered a particular scene that Stephanie had described to me. She had wanted a shot in a window… and just as we walked out, I saw exactly what she meant. The foyer of the banquet portion of the Inn has a giant window that, at night, glows beautifully! Sean was already outside, and I sent Rob in to get Stephanie while I started setting up for what was going to be the last picture of the night. It was late… the party was winding down… and we were supposed to have been out of there a half hour ago… but it was such a distinctive feature of the place, and I knew that Stephanie wanted it… so I just had to take it! I’m glad I did.