OH yes you are seeing double!

Travis and Sallie and Brandon and Erin, June 15, 2008 - Sanibel Harbour Resort - two brothers marry their girlfriends, each with their own set of bridal parties and favorite colors.  This was a challenge for me, but all went well and we got some special and unique pictures! The party was on the Sanibel Harbour Princess, and everyone had a great time - call or email me if you want to see the pictures!

Fun with the fisheye...

June 21, 2008  Dominique and Mike - Naples, FL  Small spaces and a big bridal party warranted me bringing out my fisheye for some fun creative shots - I love the whimsical look it gives to the photos and I think it really helps convey the action and fun!  

Dori & Cy - Caloosahatchee Riverbank reception

June 14, 2008 Labelle, Florida - Dori and Cy tie the knot!  It was nice to see a different Florida backdrop for a change!  Isn't it lovely?  Feel free to email me about any of the events I blog about if you want to see more.....

Hannah & Marc - May 31, 2008 Sundial Resort

I loved working with Hannah and Marc!  They dressed for the beach, he wore a white linen suit which looked so great on him with his olive skin and she wore a perfect dress.  The photography was super important to Hannah and she gave me a detailed list of what she wanted in addition to allotting an ample amount of time to work with them, which shows in the pictures -   I don't want to knock anyone who wants to wear a big dress and black suits on the beach, but when it's 90 degrees out and 100% humidity, I think this is the way to go!   

Golf Pros Tie the Knot in Fort Myers

Nicole & Brian - June 7, 2008 Gulf Harbour Resort in Ft. Myers - This was a lovely wedding with a super fun couple -Here are a few pictures - we ran down the boardwalk to get to the beach before the sun set!  The DJ Sean Corey really rocked the house and had the crowd dancing all night! 

The Wonderful World of Amateur Shutterbugs

At a recent wedding, I was told by a bridesmaid/sister of the bride to “get out of the way” so other guests could get a picture. I kid you not, those were her exact words. Not only was this costing me precious time that I could have been spending on the bridal party pictures and romance shots, but the main problem with this for me (and the bride) was that I got pissed off! And I was on the verge of not caring anymore about her pictures. Also at this wedding, it was really the first time that guests were REALLY interfering in the professional photography. For example, I had people getting in the aisle right in front of me during the processional. One lady was even having trouble with her camera, and someone else stood up to help her with it in the aisle in the middle of the processional! You can’t go back and redo these pictures. And I’m pretty confident that her pictures didn’t turn out because the whole scene was extremely backlit. This exact scenario came up a few weeks ago also, where the frantic bride called me a week after the ceremony and said none of the guests ceremony pix turned out, because of the backlighting. Of course, my pictures look great, because I know what I’m doing.

What to do? It’s right in my agreement that I’m not responsible for people that don’t cooperate and other interference with the professional photography. But in this age of digital cameras, and Ashton Kutcher pushing amateur wedding photography in those Nikon commercials, I think it needs to be addressed. If you are paying a professional thousands of dollars to capture your wedding, and the pictures are going to be posted online and available for everyone to see and purchase, and you are getting a DVD with all the pictures and a reprint release, there is no need for all the amateur shutterbugs to interfere with the professional photographer. Maybe this girl’s family had no idea what she was paying me, or maybe they were totally unaware of the time constraints in getting the desired pictures/results. The photography timeline is carefully planned and even five minutes could mean that opportunities and special pictures are missed. Maybe an announcement should be made at the rehearsal dinner, that guests and family can leave the photography to the professionals and enjoy the wedding. Maybe even leave their cameras at home!

Wedding in Paradise Sweepstakes winner gets rained out!

Hollie & Jeff, June 8th - Inn on Fifth, Naples - These guys won their dream "wedding in paradise" from www.paradisecoast.com!  Being that I love entering contests myself and winning things in general, I was happy to donate my photography services and be a part of! Lots of local vendors donated their time and talents and in spite of mother nature, it was a fabulous event! They were to have a beach ceremony with the reception at the Inn on Fifth in Naples, but we were hit with the 1st major storm of the season and it was a scary one.  Lightning sirens were blaring in downtown Naples, we weren't about to go near the beach.  If you didn't know, Florida is the lightning capital of the world, and Floridians take it seriously.  The wedding took place at the top of the stairs at the Inn, and they managed to steal out for a horse and carriage ride and a few pix in front of Naples Sugden Theatre.   Part of the prize was a 4 night stay at the La Playa beach resort, which is an amazing hotel right on Naples Vanderbilt beach!   So even though the ceremony was not on the beach, the honeymoon was!  I'm behind on my postings, but I'll be getting caught up next week, with posts on 5 more weddings since May 30 - later.....

Dr Dave Dexter - supergroom

April 26, 2008 Marco Island Marriott - Dave and Lisa - she wore Vera Wang, and he was like superman!  He was literally lifting everyone into the air - the groomsmen, the bride....The bridal party jumped higher than any group I've ever had!  They were super high energy!  Check out more pix by clicking on the title....

Teachers tie the knot on Ft. Myers Beach

May 24, 2008 Hannah & Rob Pink Shell Resort - another nice sunset over Fort Myers Beach! Rob wore a black suit with a white tie, looks good with the flowers!

Princess bride and bridal party of 18

May 17, Pink Shell Resort, Melissa & Jake - This couple had alot of friends - they had 18 attendants!  Her accents were starfish, and she had the biggest dress I've ever shot!  It was a really nice beach wedding, and the Pink Shell Resort does an amazing job!  I had another Pink Shell wedding on May 24th, and will post about that one tomorrow!