I have Moved my blog...

Hello Friends and Followers....If you are still tuned to this blog, I would like to say Thank You!! BUT~please come on over to my New Blog!!

www.everafter-erieweddings.com

I have some great stuff I am going to be blogging about!

See you Soon!

The Before and After...basic edit

Sometimes we hope for the perfect sunset or the perfect location....and sometimes we need to work with what we get.

When I began shooting I was a film shooter and so photoshop was really something only few photographers used and was accually popular for restoring old photographs.
Now I think many photographers have many images running through photoshop in their edit process. And why not??? Just check out the basic tweak of a simple image taken on a overcast gray day.



The first image is straight from the memory card. Shot at about 400iso and apature priority f13 and 1/100sec.

My first step to edit this image is to adjust the contrast.
Second....my writing in the sand is not quite showing up as dark as I'd hope to accually know it is there so I am going to use a brush and I am going to adjust the opacity a little and I am going to highlight their names in the sand.
Lastly, I added the sky. It's not something I generally do~but I really wanted something that looked good and my sky moved south and it was so blah i wanted to bump up the image a little but not over the top...but just enough to get a second glance.



I like the final image. It has good contrast with darks and lights and good use of space.
I would like to hear your thoughts. Too Much~too little...just right?

Invitation....

Here it is...Please come see my blog at www.everafter-erieweddings.com At this blog you will see current weddings, stories and photography specials. Also THIS blog you are following is going to be a "how'd you do that" kinda spot. It will highlight locations of photography sessions. Vendors that contributed to the event, as well as a few posings and tricks and tips to get the expession from families and couples that work for me.

Stay tuned...updating shortly....in the meantime be sure to visit,


www.everafter-erieweddings.com

p.s. I have a fantastic couples special I plan to announce very soon!!

The New Trend...

The new Trend...

Below you will see a few pictures from Last weeks wedding. The party was a huge success. I think at every wedding the bride and groom really want to be sure their guest have a memorable time. After the traditional pictures on the dance floor with the new bride and groom the DJ started playing some great tunes (DJ Greg Anderson) and we opened up our photo booth.

Together this was a huge hit. The bag of props I brought really helped the shy guests enter the photo booth. After their picture was taken they were instructed to go get another couple and bring them to the photobooth~

The continued documentation on the dance floor was not missed either. Having two shooters helped to be sure to cover the entire party.

An added bonus to the photobooth at a wedding is that depending on the bride and grooms needs...we can turn these pictures around on the same evening and the guests will leave with a great memory of the wedding in a 4X6 photo frame. I think my first photobooth was done about 4 years ago. Now I think this fun trend is catching on.

I offer this service with some wedding packages. It is a great perk to the regular dance floor shots. All I need is a little corner and I set up my stuff and start rounding up some fun!

As you can see from the pictures~ Young and Old, everyone is having a good time! (I could not leave untill I dragged DJ Greg Anderson into the Photobooth. LOL-he was a great sport.

Rain Rain Go Away....Raining on A Wedding Day!

Well, It's a Saturday in May, and it's raining!
Today I am photographing Erin and Tom's wedding and by the looks of it outside~It may not clear up. I think every photographer and Bride and Groom want to have that perfect sunny wedding day with perfect conditions. But that does not always happen so we roll with it!

It's one of those days that I am sure Erie Wedding Photographers will cross paths at the Erie Art Gallery on State Street. It's the most popular spot on a rainy day. It has beautiful white columns and a quick few steps from car to cover.

I have some plans of my own on this rainy day. Stay tuned for my next blog to see pictures. Also my car is loaded with about 10 oversized umbrellas ready to hand out for cover!

A few pictures attached are from Kelsey and Mikes wedding on Conneaut Lake. The day was raining, but after the reception, it stopped for just a few minutes to catch a couple more pictures. We are going to roll with today, We have memories to make and we won't let a little rain get in the way!

Kids in the Wedding...

From the Wedding of Cindy and Steve this little man was the highlight of kids I have photographed at weddings. He was just darling.

Sometimes having kids in a wedding can be more stressful than it needs to be. From experience I would recommend that small children have an official "kid manager" LOL~ This is the person who makes the day as flawless as possible. This person is relaxed and without any other wedding tasks. For some children on the wedding day they know there has been a power shift...they have LOTS of power. I have seen my share of pleading and begging from grown ups. I have also seen my share of children that realize that they have the upper hand!!

My check list is simple:

Be sure to have a regular potty stop.

Water is the perfect beverage of choice.

snacks/food/lunch, on a busy day be sure the children are fed regularly. This may seem like a no brainer but on a hectic wedding day food is often overlooked.

Pretzels, goldfish, fruit snacks depending on the age a lollipop can go a long way! Be sure to put snacks into a ziplock bag before the ceremony. Nothing like listening to a pretzel bag opening during the ceremony!!

Also it is great to see coloring books and crayons at the reception. At one wedding they had a lego play table brought in. There were 5 boys and everytime you looked over to the area they were all accounted for.

No matter how challenging it could be to have children in a wedding....I LOVE THEM!!

Children can make for the cutiest of pictures! The More the Merrier!

Wedding of Lauren and Jeff

Well if you were able to view the above video I would like your feedback!! This past weekend I really enjoyed photographing a great couple, Lauren and Jeff.

Their wedding took place in North East and the day was perfect!