 | | | | | Welcome to this month's Adventure in Photography! Spring is a good time for loving, and so we focus the spotlight on two wonderful couples, both engaged to be married, who rocked my camera and left me with something special to share with the world. Oh, and if you feel jipped because any of the following images appear too small in this letter, just click on any of the images to be transported to a gallery with larger versions of each.
 TIM AND LIZ The first adventure was another 'time travel' shoot (like last month's Elvis and Priscilla shoot here), where we attempted to channel the aesthetics of the past to make a fun period piece. This photo (above) star Tim and Liz, who re-recorded the old tune "As Time Goes By" to give away to their wedding guests, and wanted to take the period idea to its fullest extent, inviting me to help them make an appropriate image to help design the CD packaging. As one examines the image, one may be led to believe that we invested thousands of dollars in the set and took weeks procuring just the right props and period-specific kitchen accessories, hauling them into the studio with borrowed Uhauls in order to shoot the image, but one would be gravely mistaken. Indeed, our initial chosen location fell through, and we had to make a quick scramble to pull a solution together. This set just happened be pre-constructed and the powers that govern the premises gave us their blessing to use it as our shoot location. I honestly cannot imagine a set more suited for our goals. Every once in a while I realize I'm a happy victim of generous providence.
For the technically minded, the lighting on this set is a combination of a strip-soft box on Tim and Liz, a gridded spot through a cookie for the shadow effects in the upper left corner of the image, a light fired into a large 4x8 foam core board for fill, and a narrow gridspot fired into the window to make it appear as light was coming in from outside. I was working without an assistant and had run out of stands, so I put the camera on a two-second delay so I could point the gridspot on the window from an angle outside of the view of the camera and not hit Liz's left elbow with the light. I especially appreciate Liz's look into the camera with a handful of flowers (+1 point for Tim) and the not-so-subtle "home-cooking" phrase on the wall. Giddy up!
 My next adventure was as much rock and roll as it was a couple's shoot. Here, Whitney and Dustin delivered some seriously maude expressions that are as fit for a fashion magazine as they are for a vibey engagement announcement (above).
 We pulled up the studio stakes and grabbed a few pictures on a tall hill, where I threw a long lens on my camera and kept my distance (left). Instinctually, Whitney and Dustin composed themselves and went through a few playful gestures. I love the charm of this hillside moment. With an increasingly darkening sky, I couldn't resist making another dramatic rock and roll portrait to finish things off (right). Thank you Liz, Tim, Whitney, and Dustin, for bringing just the right props and a creative spirit that made these adventures a success. ....and thank you for reading this long letter! See you next month. Rory Here's more information than you need: If you need a wedding photographer, visit my work and info here.
Interested in more pictures? Check out my alter ego RORSHAK who shoots artist portraits here. Maybe you just want to rock. Check out my gospel cigar rock here.
| | | | | | | |
