I am currently working on Christine & George's wedding book and recently delivered their proof set. It was a beautiful day and this wedding produced some spectacular images. I think the bride and groom were very happy with the results as was I. I will post more about this wedding in the near future but for now, here are a few of the best shots.
SAMPLES: Cherie & Brian E-Shoot
My most recent engagement shoot was with Cherie & Brian at Casa Feliz in Winter Park, Florida. Contrary to many of my shoots, I pretty much knew what I wanted from this location and this couple so I had a plan and for the most part, I think I stuck to it. We had a lot of fun and I certainly look forward to working with them at their wedding in April at the Hard Rock Hotel.
SAMPLES: Slideshow!
This is a slideshow made from my "Top 50" images:
SAMPLES: Marnie & Scott E-Shoot
I worked with Marnie and Scott this past weekend for their Engagement Shoot. We shot at Lockhaven Park near downtown Orlando and despite a tiny bit of rain, we had a great time.
As usual, I started them out sitting. This takes away most of the pressure of posing and lets us work on getting comfortable with each other. On that subject, I think it's extremely important for me to be comfortable with my clients as it is for them to be comfortable with me. I think the process of making great images of people is a totally collaborative process and if there is unease in front of, OR behind the camera, then the quality of the work produced is affected.
Of course, as a professional, I would never allow any negative feelings affect my work too much, but honestly, if we are all having fun (oh, and by the way, fostering that fun is 99% my job so sit back and relax) then the chances my work will rise above good to great is much better.
With my shoots, this is almost never an issue because I will do almost anything to ensure a good atmosphere.
Ok, back to the shoot...
As usual, things didn't go as planned, or should I say that the light didn't cooporate much until I thought we were about done. Then it decided to play nice so I told Marnie and Scott, who were relaxed and I think having a good time by then, that we would make our way back to where we started, recreating some of the shots we already did, this time with much better light.
They were old pros by now and it was not a problem. Scott was even picking up on the little details like hand position and Marnie was glowing as bright as the sunlight we now had to work with.
By the last couple of locations, I didn't really have to tell them much, they were comfortable getting into natural looking poses and I was able to capture some really nice moments.
This engagement shoot was very similar to most. Things started out a little uncomfortable but quickly warmed up. This "getting to know each other" is one of the most beneficial things about these shoots and maybe more important than the actual images produced because it makes getting started on the wedding day that much easier.
-Robert
SAMPLES: Christine & George E-Shoot
I recently did an engagement shoot for Christine and George who are getting married on January 18th in Orlando. Christine picked a wonderful spot near where she works and other than a fisherman who decided to walk through the background of a lot of our shots, everything went great. There was no wind so I was able to take the soft-box light out and I think it really worked well. I can't always do this since it's not very portable and susceptible to blowing over if there is much wind at all.
This was a rare time when I shot a lot of color at an engagement shoot. Normally I do mostly, if not all black & white but I just thought the environment and the lighting looked better in color. We may decide to convert to B&W later on, which is a nice thing about digital.
This is probably my favorite shot from this shoot. We were walking back towards our cars, pretty much finished for the day when I spotted this patch of saw-grass sprouting from a gully. We were walking on a raised area of grass and I thought it may be fun to shoot through the grass, creating a more "intimate" feel, as if we are looking in on two lovers sharing a moment together (yea, other than the weird looking guy with all the cameras running through the mud and that big light on a stand next to them...it was a very intimate, personal moment).
I think it worked out just about how I envisioned it.
Usually, as I shoot the more "traditional" things at a wedding, portrait or engagement shoot, I am constantly looking around trying to see the unusual, or dramatic in every setting. Most of the time this eye for the "different" results in my best work.
Next Post: Memorable Shots from the past season - Part 1