Hello again!  Now it’s me (Susan) chiming in with our second half of favorites from Kandace and Curtis’ wedding!  It may be just the cold weather of late we are reacting to, but we love looking at these warm sunny pictures :)  Kandace and Curtis had such an awesome fun side, that we could have photographed them for a week.  We loved how, unlike most destination weddings we’ve photographed, they booked a private area and bar right by the beach for a dance after the reception!  The walkway out was gorgeous, and the dance was amazing.  The pina coladas were awesome too :).

Kandace and Curtis met us in Edmonton while they were in the midst of planning their wedding in Veradero Cuba.  We were excited to photograph their wedding on the white beaches at the Iberostar Veradero.  Their families and friends were great, and so much fun!  Our favorites take up too much for one post, so we’ll do two wedding blog posts :).  Here’s the first!

I thought I should end with what the cover actually looks like!  The cover was designed by Woolsey Design.  I was lucky enough to see the other design options for the cover too, and would definitely recommend Woolsey Design if you are a music artist looking for an awesome CD cover design!

The ceremony was held at the Muttart Conservatory.  Tip to photographers shooting at the Muttart: bring as large a diffuser as you can manage as there is much light coming in through the pyramids at various angles.  With the right equipment any spot in the Muttart can be a great backdrop!

The hors d’oeuvres were amazing and at the reception guests mingled and enjoyed a great atmosphere.  Enough talk, here are some of our favorites!

It’s been quite a long time ago now that we photographed the beautiful Sunil and Dimple’s Engagement Ceremony (so long ago, that they aren’t even on the blog!).  We really loved seeing their first and brand new baby boy!  He was such a cutie during photos, and half-way though fell asleep.  There were many “awww” moments… here are a few!

Photographer tip: during the ceremony at the University of Alberta Convocation Hall, guests were asked to look up for a group photograph- something that is becoming a popularity at our weddings… a sure and easy way to get a large group photograph of everyone!

The love the families shared between each other was beautiful.  The speeches were heartwarming and special.  The picture part of the day kept us hopping from location to location, and the groom and groomsmen played a basketball game in between with the bride and bridesmaids cheering for either the Vest Team or the Jacket Team :).  Since Jennifer is a teacher, we took some photographs in a library as well!  All in all, a great time was had by all!

Nickie & Brandon were a sweet couple whom we had the pleasure of photographing in many odd locations around Edmonton!  Nickie herself is an artist who writes children’s books, draws and photographs too!  It is always a large compliment for us when someone into photography themselves chooses us to photograph them :).

As Nickie and Brandon were up for anything, we took them to a few places we have scouted for some shoots… back alleys and a field full of metal “trash”.  We loved that we had two people up for anything, and willing to deal with some mud and garbage for some unique photos!

For photographers:  Many photographers love the no-flash look in photographs.  So do we in many applications.  Incorporating flash, and more importantly, off-camera flash is not just an important choice to combat the sun and add light into eye sockets, but it is also an important artistic choice.  Notice though how the sky is almost white in the last four photographs, and really dark and rainy in the two images before these.  Also, notice how the light and shadow on the faces changes depending on whether we used or didn’t use flash.  With flash, the tonal variation on the skin gives the illusion of depth in the picture.  We feel it’s important to be able to create a variety of looks, and have many lighting techniques up your sleeve.  Here’s two votes for some off camera flashing!

Stay tuned for part 2 (in 3D and color!…. Okay, not in 3D, but in color nevertheless!).

A trend we’ve noticed with our destination weddings is that they are simply more relaxed. Possibly this is due to the intimate groups that are usually involved, possibly because once a couple arrives at their resort there is little that can be changed and the vacation feeling kicks in.  Whatever it is, we love them for this reason.

Audrey & Kent, we loved spending the day with you and your guests… thanks for being so open to our ideas, and easy going even while photographing in some dirty back alleys and in the rain!

A tip to our photography students: Carry some translucent plastic bags in your camera bags always.  If it begins to rain these can easily be thrown over your flashes, and shooting can continue!  As the light will be slightly more diffused (usually a stop or less – depending on the bag) you will have to turn your flashes up to compensate.

“Audrey is a bit of a germaphobe” I hear during the reception speeches.  I gasped behind my camera because I knew I had just taken her and Kent to my number 2 dirtiest wedding photography location ever!  Before taking a trip out to the abandoned farm I had recommended, we photographed family and bridal party at the Legislative grounds.

For our student photographers: along with some romantic poses, one of my goals for this photography shoot was to add a slightly “gothic” feel to the photographs.  This was achieved by uunderexposing to make the sky that much darker and adding off-camera flash.  I find frontal lighting inferior to what some awesome side lighting can produce, so that is usually my preference when concentrating on just the couple.  When doing off-camera lighting, it is awesome to have someone responsible for moving lights, as otherwise adding in the extra equipment also adds in extra time to your photography session.

Audrey and Kent’s reception was at Bejing Bejing on Calgary Trail in Edmonton.  It was my first ever 12 course meal and the food was delicious!

And a photographer tip… let’s talk silhouettes.  There are a few ways to do these successfully, but the way I like best is to expose first for the background (using something bright is best) and then get the couple in focus and crisp.  I take the shot, then review my histogram.  If I want the window blown out and white without detail, I should see a part of my histogram far right.  If I don’t see this, then I adjust my settings to let in more light and shoot again!  To get the perfect amount of light in a silhouette takes a few tries, and it’s fun to have a few options with varying degrees of visible detail.