I thought I’d post one more of the weddings that I helped shoot while in Alabama.  This was the very first wedding that I photographed with Mark Lawley & Associates.  I told Mark how common it was to have outdoor weddings back in Alaska, and all he had to do was have me follow him around one time to realize why southern brides love air conditioning!  It was ridiculously hot!  Summer hadn’t even gotten into full swing yet but you could easily see how an outdoor wedding could knock a bridal party off their feet!  Thankfully, the rest of the summer, the weddings I helped with were all indoors!

This particular couple was going on an Alaskan cruise for their honeymoon, so I felt right at home meeting the bride for the first time.  She was surrounded by a wonderful group of friends and we had an easy morning spending time at the salon.  They chose to have a “first look” where the bride and groom see each other prior to the ceremony and it was a beautiful opportunity.  I had never participated in a wedding with a “first look” before and had the good fortune of witnessing several more before the summer was over.  What a great idea!  I wish I had thought of that with my wedding.  

When we arrived at the church we were joined by Keith and Carla,  additional members of Mark’s Photography team, who took over with the bulk of photographing the wedding.  I was able to step back and watch some seasoned pro’s in action.  It was a great start to a wonderful summer!

With the threat from my dad that he was going to whack down all of those yellow weeds in the pasture, I knew I had to rally the boys and try to get a last ditch effort of a portrait in the bag!  The plan was a bit over ambitious.   Since the yellow flowers (ie, weeds) were in the horses pasture,I decided that Roger and T2 – the horses –  would make a good backdrop off in the distance.  Since the flowers were on the ground, I figured the lazy old dog, Sam, would make a good pal for Solomon to lean on.

We loaded up the gator with horse feed, two boys, lots of gear, and the grandparents.  We headed out with happy dogs trailing close behind.  Unfortunately the pony stood guard over the top of the pasture and the dogs would venture no further.  My mom is convinced her pack of not so wild dogs are afraid of the teeny tiny little angry pony.  So, scratch the idea of Sam the dog in the photo.

Step two, the horses are cooperating nicely.  We have a very short timeframe before they gobble up their feed and then head off to who knows where.  

Step three, Sid is yelling and crying and refusing to step foot outside of the gator.  Sol is cooperating but not so happy about it.  I am rolling around on the ground in between horse droppings and giant Alabama ant hills.  This is going well!

I give up on Sid and get barely a frame or two fired off before the horses start heading our way.  Sol is screaming and giggling or scriggling and trying to run from Roger, the oldest of the mangey beasties!  My mom, with that knack of hers for animal behavior, knows just what to do to send T2, the sexiest of the wild beasts, off into a gallop.  I click off a few good shots of T2 and then head back for the family portraits underway.  Grandma carried Sid out into the middle of the flowers and then walked away.  Sid stormed off swinging his fists and crying the whole way back to his beloved Grandpa Mark and the safety of the gator.  Sol was gracious enough to oblige his photo happy mother and did a few more jaunts out into the flowers for me.  

What an adventure.  Can’t wait to see what is in bloom on our next trip to the farm!
 

Prior to the start of our trip down south I had the good fortune of meeting Mark Lawley of Mark Lawley & Associates. Mark allowed me the wonderful opportunity of photographing weddings with his team based out of Birmingham, AL. They kept me busy throughout the summer and shared their vast knowlege that comes from years of experience in the business! The last time I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding as a team was back in 1999 when I still shot film! Needless to say, I picked up several fun new techniques this go around!

Mark’s approach to team shooting is such an awesome and comprehensive way of capturing the story of a wedding. After my first wedding with these guys, I was already excited about all the possibilities for weddings in Anchorage. I’m so thankful I was able to gain this experience but more importantly I had the opportunity to work with and develop friendships with some great fellow photographers! Thank you to Mark, Keith, Carla, Randi, Maggie and now baby Noah!

I’ll be posting images from some of these weddings over the next couple of weeks. The first batch is from the last wedding I photographed with Keith. My favorite images were from the dance floor. We were taking turns working some backlighting and trying to keep up with the dancers!

Earlier in the day, there were some beautiful moments captured. The first image to follow shows the father of the bride quietly looking out the window while we were wrapping up the formals.  Also, there is also a fun moment when the flower girl gives the bride a high five after the ceremony — total cuteness!  

I recently found out that a high school friend of mine started a beautiful art & antique gallery in Homewood. After twisting her arm, Susan Reynolds Smith (Suzy!) along with her business partner, Laura Wilson, allowed me free range to come in and photograph their collections for some upcoming marketing materials. I had a blast and I had the opportunity to work with Julie Brannon which is always a treat!

I’ve posted just a few of my favorites from the day but I’d highly recommend checking their store out in person. They have a beautiful selection of arts and crafts style furniture and a huge selection of gifts. A great time to visit would be at the upcoming book signing for the Birmingham Sketchbook on Friday, February 20th, 2009. Hope to see you there!

Four Seasons Antiques, Art & Botanicals
2910 18th Street South
Homewood, AL 35209
205-803-4059

One of the great opportunities of being down south, is the chance to attend all the workshops, seminars and photography events that I can muster in one year.  The first progam I attended was Sandy Puc’s “Bellies and Babies” Tour. Sandy is an extraordinary photographer who has been photographing children for what sounds like at least two decades. Her work is beautiful and dreamy and she provided those of us in the audience a glimpse into her techniques and workflow.

One of the areas she really worked into a science is the art of photographing a newborn. Getting great photographs of the baby or the baby with her mother can actually be fostered through a quick run of a handfull of poses.

In the past I would just sit and watch to see what would happen or I tended to wait until babies were about 3 months old. After seeing Sandy at work and incorporating her poses and techniques, I felt much more prepared for the unknowns of the newborn! For the first attempt with my new found arsenal, I enlisted the help of a local mom and her little girl, Kallyn, to do some modeling for me.  Thank you for your patience and allowing me the opportunity to photograph your beautiful baby girl!

We are living within about an hour of my childhood hometown. One of the biggest perks included with that is the opportunity to see my best friend since childhood on an almost routine basis. She recently moved back to Alabama from stints in New York and Chile and she brought with her a beautiful family! It helps that her boys are both under four and makes for a nice pow wow when we all get together with my rambunctious sons!

One of the things I love to do with the portraits I’ve taken is to create cards or portrait books. Christmas cards are my favorite and my BFF was game when I proposed the idea as a little Christmas present. We rounded up the boys in her basement and I fired away. My homemade backdrop didn’t work out as planned so we solved that problem by going black and white. I think subconciously I had the inspiration for their photos from some groovy paintings she picked up recently at a garage sale. The two paintings remind me of era of the fifties or sixties. They are dark and dimly lit and are of a matador and a lady. Our photo session tended to have a bit of that Spanish flair, especially the photos of just the husband and wife.

Quite fun!

I spent an awesome three days attending the Shoot With Beckstead workshop here in Birmingham, Alabama.  What fun!  It added another realm of thinking to my composition.  Mark Lawley hosted the event and was kind enough to hook us up with two incredibly vivid locations to shoot.  

My mind is now swirling with all the new ideas and inspiration that I was able absorb from David.  David is a world renowned photographer who focuses primarily on destination weddings.  His work is brilliant.  Check it out.  www.davidbeckstead.com