Good Times
I love celebrations, and very few of them bring family and friends together they way a wedding does. The Reception is that time celebrate the significance of the day and to unwind from all the formalities, to let loose. Traditionally it begins with the cocktail hour with guests rubbing elbows with one another. While this is going on typically the bride & groom are being photographed in what I call “moments alone”. If the couple has contracted for an 2nd photographer/photojournalist, he or she would typically cover the cocktail hour while the lead photographer is photographing the couple. The 2nd photographer/photojournalist would also take the very important photos of the details such as the cake, table settings, the signing table, the seating chart, and other decorations in the reception.
I love color, I do! I love B&W too, but since we’re talking about the reception, color makes any room come alive. I was once photographing in Costa Mesa in a Christian Church and the couple had decided to host the reception inside the Church School’s gym. While I immediately thought bright white lights and not so shinny wood floors, I remember walking in and totally being amazed by what the lighting company had done to transform this place. There were color lights shinning against all the walls, there was a huge chandelier that had been hung in the center, there were white/black drapes carefully hung throughout and all of this had completely transformed the place. Of course you don’t have to be in this situation in order to transform the look of place, it’s widely done at most high end wedding venues. The Hyatt in Huntington Beach comes to mind as does the Montage in Laguna, Tivoli Too in Laguna also comes to mind. Most lighting companies offer all sorts of ways to help you improve the look of your venue, but some venues won’t allow this so it’s something to look into.
My coverage
When I’m back from photographing “moments alone” with the couple. I’m quick to grab shots of the guests sipping cocktails and just having a good time. I also concentrate on shooting the details, the center table, the signing table, the cake and everything else. Throughout the night I will be at the ready as the action unfolds in front me. I prefer my low light lenses in the 1.4 aperture range which I combine with a high ISO to photograph above 1/60th in order to freeze motion and reduce the color cast present because of mixed lighting situations. As the friends and family recite their speeches and toasts, my mind is constantly thinking album. I want photos of each person who speaks, (Best man, Maid/Matron of honor, parents) showing emotions and smiling and just catching the moment. As the receptions continues with the first dance and mother & son dance & the daughter & father dance, much like the reception I aim for a wide angle preferably showing foregrounds of the guest as they look with their eyes in amazement, but I also want close ups of the couple showing their emotions. I ask my couples to remember to loose each other into each other’s eyes and to keep that twinkle in them, to show emotions and to charge into the moment. It’s an amazing moment!!
The nights continues with dinner and while most guests are eating I too get to grab a bite of food. Most venues have places set aside for vendors to grab a bite of food. The cocktail area is by now desolate or if nearby tables are around this where the DJ, the Wedding Coordinator and myself converge and share a thought or two about day’s event. There are some venues that know that while the couple is eating that this is the time to feed the photographer because as soon as the couple is finished, they might use this time to walk around to thank tables and it’s generally a good time for the photographer to be available for this so they know. Others not so and you have to remind them about it but it’s all good.
The celebration continues at the pace of the DJ and at whatever the couple has planned in advance. I’ve photographed special dances take place, or special presentations. The cake cutting ceremony awaits as does the bouquet toss and the garter toss. These always complete the reception in they’re so much fun to photograph. The partying will continue and the photographing continues to show the emotions and the good times
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