Engagements
Weddings
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When last we left our intrepid couple, they were stuck in the mud and playing with chickens.
Now it’s the big day. And with the mud cleaned up and the chickens put away, it’s up to me and my assistant, Elayne, to rock it.
How do I describe this one? Refreshingly unconventional. That’ll do. And that pretty well describes Will and Jessica, too.
They didn’t have bridesmaids and or a best man. They didn’t even make The Big Entrance to the reception, preferring to sort of sneak into the party. Aside from their ceremony, the day was more like a picnic in the park.
Except the girl playing badminton is wearing a wedding dress.
No big deal.
Been awhile since I’ve updated around here.
That’s what happens when you get crazy busy. It’s a blessing and a curse. I’m more than a little annoyed that we live in the “future” and I can’t yet clone myself.
Oh well.
What got my fingers fired up today was an excellent article over at the Offbeat Bride. It’s about the disturbing abundance of cameras at wedding ceremonies these days. You should go read the article yourself. It’s ok. I’ll wait.
Done? Good. If not, I’m carrying on as if you did. I don’t want to rehash what was already said so well. Instead, I want to relay my own experience.
I spend a lot of time behind a lens. I know. It’s a shock. Take a deep breath or two.
But I love taking photos. It’s true.
If I’m not shooting a wedding, or portraits, or some other paid gig, I’m finding some other excuse to drag out my camera. Bugs. Zombies. Amazing skies. You name it.
Last year I was invited to the wedding of a couple of friends. I shot some Save the Date photos for them. I was not, however, their wedding photographer. They’d hired someone before they met me.
I looked at it as an opportunity.
I couldn’t remember the last wedding I had been to as a guest. I decided to fully play the part. I wasn’t going to be “that guy.” You know. The one who brings his pro gear. I’m certainly savvy enough to stay out of the hired photographers’ way, but I wanted to embrace the chance to have zero obligation (self-imposed or not) to hide my face behind the camera.
I won’t lie. I won’t try to pretend that I didn’t feel naked most of the night. I won’t hide that I couldn’t help but look for shots. And I certainly won’t deny that I might have spent a minute or two comparing what the hired pro’s were doing to what I would do.
Part of my passion for photography is to always jones for a camera when I see a great opportunity. This is why I love shooting weddings. Many great opportunities, many great moments. My trigger finger was a bit twitchy all night.
Even so. Even without my mechanical security blanket, the night was fantastic.
I felt like I was a part of the event. I wasn’t living it through a viewfinder, or experiencing an LCD instead of a wedding.
I was engaged in the evening.
And it was refreshing.
If you’re a bride and groom reading this, I encourage you to urge your guests, not their cameras, to be present at your wedding. If you’re going to be a guest, I’d remind you that the couple getting married want to see “you” and not “you staring at a screen.”
Getting the photos is what people like me are for.
So step away from the camera. Enjoy the moment.
Henna is enjoying a bit of a renaissance.
Wait. That’s inaccurate. It implies that it was ever at some point unpopular.
Not true. More fair would be to say that the art of henna is gaining recognition here in the United States.
Not sure what I’m talking about? What is this henna thing of which I speak?
Quick lesson. Pay attention. There may be a pop quiz.
Henna is a plant. Dry it. Grind it into a powder. Mix it with an acidic liquid (like lemon juice) and a few other things. Now you have a paste. Put it in a tube and draw on your skin. Or someone else’s. It’ll be tricky. Ever tried drawing with toothpaste? Yeah. It’ll dry into a hardish crust. Leave it alone! Now the magic happens. The henna stains your skin. The longer you leave it on, the deeper the stain.
It’s kind of like a temporary tattoo.
You can also use henna as a hair dye. However, in the immortal words of the late Leslie Nielsen, that’s not important right now.
Henna has been around since the Bronze Age. It was used for ceremonies and celebrations, including bridal preparations. Henna is one of the oldest known wedding traditions. Yep, it even predates the chicken dance. Quite an achievement.
The application of henna, called Mehndi, is itself an “event” in preparation for a wedding. A bride’s hands, arms and feet are covered in intricate designs. Sometimes the groom is also decorated. In a traditional wedding, this social henna party gave the bride and groom an opportunity to get to know each other and bond. The deepness of the stain is said to represent the strength of the marriage to come.
Having henna applied can be a relaxing and pampering experience. You have no choice but to sit still for a couple of hours. Maybe a glass (or several) of wine will be involved. With all of the chaos leading up to a typical wedding day, it can be just a calming experience a bride needs. Or even one more bonding night for the bridal party. Not to mention that it’s a cool and unique addition to a wedding day appearance.
Interested? Visit Sam’s new Hannaya Healing fan page and give her a shout. Tell her Studio Orange sent ya.
Photo 9: Mallory and Tim, commitment ceremony
Taken on August 21, 2010
9 billion degrees of sticky hell.
That about describes August in Lincoln, Nebraska. It may not be exactly like living on the surface of the sun, but that’s only because the sun is a dry heat.
Yet that didn’t stop Mallory and Tim from making the best of it and having fun with their formal shots just prior to their commitment ceremony.
Technically, we weren’t supposed to be in this location. That always adds to the fun. The threat of a trespassing ticket just adds to the romance. Or something like that.
Everything about this shot makes it one of my favorites of the day. I love the corrugated metal of the industrial bins.
The gravel road. Mallory and Tim standing almost too far apart to kiss, but Tim leaning forward to make it work anyway.
This is the sort of fun couples should aspire to for their formal shots.
You’ve gotten engaged. Congratulations! It’s the happiest of times!
Except that now you have 1,784,261 details to manage between now and the Big Day. You secretly hope the “through sickness…” clause of your vows covers nervous breakdowns.
Soon after discovering that the cost of renting a reception venue is roughly equal to the cost of colonizing Mars, you find yourself pondering: do caterers charge so much because they serve endangered Bengal tiger meat?
Most people aren’t in a position to be handing out blank checks to wedding vendors with the reckless abandon of a Powerball winner buying free rounds at the bar. More likely, you’re looking at every penny like it just pulled a knife on you and plans to liberate all of its friends.
The fact is, weddings are expensive.
Meanwhile, as the bride-to-be, you’ve been looking through wedding magazines and imagining yourself in some of those amazing photos. You’re already planning the Facebook album.
As the groom-to-be, you’re astonished that there could possibly be a market for so many wedding magazines, meanwhile, what’s playing on ESPN-37?
This is when something dawns on you: Everyone and their pet turtle owns a nice camera these days.