Priester Photography

Picking up where we left off...

In our last post we saw a lot of the flower girl and ring bearer, some preparation shots (not to be confused with Preparation H...that's a TOTALLY different subject), and the last shot was of the father and the bride preparing to make their way down the aisle.

Well they made it and Dad relinquished Bride to her patiently waiting betrothed.

Bride is happy to be standing by Groom,

and Groom is happy to be standing by Bride.

I really like the graininess of this shot. And it's a good thing because I had to shoot with a high ISO because it was super dark in there and I didn't use my flash so it's grainy all on its own.

Without the help of photoshop.

Rings!

The Kiss!

Dad and Bride after the wedding. I love that you can just see her face peeking over his shoulder.

I realize this is blurry. The thing is...I could tell you that I wanted it to be blurry and it would be accepted and considered a good picture. But I don't want to be a fibber so I'll just tell you right now that it's blurry because I missed my focus.

Shame on me.

I'm okay with it though, because I think the patting of the cheek, and the smile and eye contact of the bride more than make up for a little blurriness.

Don't you?

Just look at that handsome bridal party!

Having a little fun.

The fun shots are ALWAYS my favorites. Always. I wish I could get away with shooting nothing but fun, candid shots and no traditionally posed group shots.

Why?

Because when you look back through your pictures after 5, 10, or 20 years of marriage you will always prefer those shots to the posed ones.

Because shots like these give you a little peek into the subjects personality. It makes you remember something from that day about that person. It makes you feel something.

Trust me.

Even though you may not like this picture now because your face looks funny or you don't look prim and proper, these shots are the ones you'll keep coming back to look at years from now.

I know what I'm talking about. How can you look at these shots and not smile?

Uh oh.

This does not look like its going to end well.*

*No grooms were hurt in the making of these images.

Rockin' out to Pandora radio...

and editing like a mad woman.

My play list is actually more folk than rock though, so I'm technically folkin' out. Um. That doesn't sound quite right. We'll stick with "rockin'" and hope everyone's okay with the incorrectness of the term.

I'm not sure I could edit without my music. It's like a good friend...it gets me through the tough times.

Thank you, music. I owe you one.

I can't stop looking at this shot. They look so somber and melancholy...not to mention vintage. And you know how I am about vintage. If you don't know how I am about vintage then you should read my blog more often. So there.

This shot, like several from the last post, will NOT be to everyone's liking.

I'm okay with that.

I just don't want to hear about it. Stop! I actually DO want to hear about it. I'm ALWAYS interested in hearing what people have to say about anything. That doesn't mean I have to agree with it...or even like it...but I still like to hear it.

It gives me insight.

And really, who doesn't want to be insightful?

Just look at these handsome devils! And I do mean devils...you particularly have to watch out for that tallest one. He thinks he's a photographer and tried to take credit for MY ideas.

Don't you deny it Mr. I-have-a-camera-phone-and-ain't-afraid-to-use-it. I'm keeping my eye on you (making a serious look with one eyebrow raised).

I just love the casual moments like these...

It makes me feel like an undercover spy when I'm shooting candid shots. I have to be all on the down-low...inconspicuous.

I'm probably about as inconspicuous as an elephant on the subway.

Poor Jordan. Yawn. "Can we walk down the aisle YET? Let's get this over with already!"

Typical male behavior.

Jordan getting a little knuckle bump from an usher after what I'm guessing was a pep talk about the big walk down the aisle.

I have to say that this was one of the best flower girls and ring bearers that I've ever had the pleasure to work with. They went in there and got the job done.

No screaming, crying or fit throwing.

Seriously. Just look at how patient they were here...waiting for the ushers to roll out the carpet for them.

They had one little glitch right before they started walking down the aisle...Little Aubree (I hope that's her name...I can't remember for sure) couldn't quite figure out how to hold on to Jordan's arm while at the same time holding her basket AND throwing the petals.

Everyone else had already walked down the aisle except the bride and her father, but with a little help from yours truly, they were on their merry little way.

The crisis was averted, the petals were scattered,

the beautiful bride and her father were able to make their descent down the aisle, and they lived happily ever after.

Wait! I'm missing something.

Something crucial.

Let me get back with you on this...

Some people are beautiful and don't even know it...

I think someone wrote a song about it.

This bride seems to be one of those people.

She's absolutely gorgeous. Stunning. Yet you don't get the feeling when you're around her that she thinks she is. Not that she seems lacking in self-confidence..she just has a graceful, humble attitude about her. Very princess-like.

Good qualities to have.

I realize the first shot won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's my cup of tea. Actually it's my pot of tea...my keg of tea.

What I'm trying to say is, I love it!

Do you see this look of gracefulness I'm talking about?

Oh my. Beautiful bride.

Shoes can be beautiful too.

Now this little sweet pea was trying to steal the spot light from the bride and she was coming pretty stinkin' close. The tiara nearly pushed her right over the "princess-like" status.

I love that I got the little ragamuffin in the background on this one even though she wasn't technically supposed to be there. It was a happy accident.

Not sure who she was looking at here, but it wasn't me. That makes me happy.

This dress was so elegant. I loved how simple it was.

Again...these last two won't be for everyone but they just screamed for this look.

Particularly this last one. She doesn't necessarily look happy but it's still so beautiful. It reminds me of an antique photo since no one ever smiled in those. She looks so serious and demure but model-esque at the same time.

At least that's the feeling I was getting.

I'll be posting more as I work.

Feel free to comment.
B

Dr. Gregory House in the studio...

Well. Dr. House has been in the studio. Just not necessarily MY studio.

Too bad.

Too, too bad.

Though I didn't get any bonding time with Dr. H, I DID get a macro lens today...a rental anyhow. So while dining at the in-laws I decided to get some shots of Mr. Hugh Laurie himself....from the cover of a magazine.

Nice.

Very nice.

I love what I can do with this lens. This is straight out of the camera. No cropping in photoshop. If you zoom in on this you can actually see the individual pixels.

Just don't lose the focus of those beautiful baby blues.

Since I had Dr. on the brain, I decided to take some anatomy shots. Matt's eye. If you zoom in on it you can see some little specks that appear to be dust.

That can't be good.
Matt's whiskers....the kids said they look like little worms. Ew. I kiss that face.
Mercede's eyelashes. Isn't it amazing how everything can look so different just by taking a few steps closer?

It's all about perspective.

A slightly "Breezy" day.

I'm addicted to this vintage look.

I can't get enough of these shots that have the wind blowing her hair.

I'm completely obsessed with these textures.

Maybe I should seek help for my photo junkie behavior.

I may need rehabilitation.

Someone HELP ME!!

Let me know what you think of this one. I was going for a "lady coming out of a painting" look here.

I'm a liar.

That was actually not my intent when editing this shot, but when I got somewhere between half and three quarters of the way through the editing process, that's the look that it began to take on. At least to me...so I went with it.

Three cheers for moody, black and white skies.