General Philosophy
Monthly Archives: July 2009
Jeremy & Rachael’s was my first outdoor wedding. It was held at the Hidden Lakes Winery in Aviston IL by a waterfall. The day was picture perfect. Rachael has a beautiful daughter who also played an important part in the wedding. This was certainly one of the most scenic weddings I have ever photographed, and as it would turn out it would not be the last at this location. The ceremony was so colorful under the June afternoon sun. A guitar player off to the side only added to the ambiance of the joining of these two people’s lives. I especially enjoyed the bride & groom pictures we took around the amazing lake that was next to the waterfall. I always try to take full advantage of whatever surroundings I have to work with.
Their reception was full of life and love with a heavy dose of joy sprinkled in. I stayed to the end of this reception. As I was packing everything up in the car at midnight, I looked up and noticed this amazing moon in the sky. I rushed to get the bride and groom telling them I had one more idea for a shot. Despite being tired, they were game. I had them embrace in the parking lot under the moon, which was so big it actually looks like I hung it above them. I fired off about 6 shots and they turned out so beautifully. I had my doubts when I was done because the lighting conditions were so harsh, but the results surprised me.
Here are some of my favorites
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kate & Nick
I actually had to be talked into my first wedding. At that time I was only doing fashion photography. I had always heard that shooting a wedding was about the hardest thing a photographer could do. I had 6 months to prepare, most of it spent reading about what great wedding photographers do and looking at their pictures. Annabel Williams was probably my biggest influence. Her wedding/portraiture book is the only photography book I have ever purchased. When the big day came needless to say I was a bit terrified of making a mistake or missing a shot.
What I discovered was that I loved every minute of it. It was a surge of excitement and the circumstances of a wedding allowed me to go crazy with my creativity. Despite the fact I have come a long way since that day, the portrait I took of Kate in her dress remains to this day one of my all time favorites.
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I had the opportunity this year to photograph St. Louis Fashion Week. Thanks to Dwight Carter and Attilio. This would be my first fashion show and I was quite excited and eager. The show was held at the Lumier Place Casino on the St. Louis River front. The casino was beautiful and the runway was amazing. At the end of the runway was a very small marked off area for photographers. It was no more than 7 or so feet wide and maybe 7 or so deep. It was a first come first situation. The earlier one got there the better spot you got. The ideal spot was directly in the center. All 5 nights I was there I was slightly off to the right or left. I was usually the 3rd photographer there each night. As soon as I was finished teaching each day I would rush home, change and head out.
Generally I arrived about 2 hours before each show. That was the only way to get our spot. So for two hours I sat and watched the models do their dry runs down the runway. There was a flurry of activity before each show began. Models were racing up and down the stip. The DJ was working with his music and timing. Attilio was all over the place making sure everything was perfect. None of the audience was allowed in until everything was ready. Once the doors opened everyone would be escorted to their seats by an attendant.
When it was time for the show to begin the lights would dim, that designers logo would be displayed on the screen and the music would begin. The funny thing about a fashion show is that there is either no or very little commentary. The show starts, the models walk, the designers take a bow, the next show starts.
I did this for 5 nights straight. The camera was like a machine gun. I did this for the experience and the exposure. I learned a lot. Different designers have the models walk with a different attitude or emotion. One designer had his emerging model stop and glare at the exiting model before she started her walk. The audience got a thrill out of that. I saw maybe 1 or 2 series missteps that entire week, so the models were well trained. The entire event was well executed from my point of view. The lights were dazzling and everything to the after parties in the casino were filled with beautiful people, neon lights and buzz and excitement. The entire week was like some huge caffeine high. Needless to say when Sunday came around I caught up on sleep. Consider that each day I taught for 8 hours and shot the entire evening, not making it to bed usually until midnight.
Once again this was a test for my new 5dMKII. When I looked over the shots from the first night I was thrilled. The keeper rate was probably at 99% or so. It simply did not miss any shots. And I was not always using the center focusing point. The camera passed with flying colors. I used SRAW to conserve space since I was shooting so many shots and the files are still huge, clear and full of detail.
So this was a fantastic learning experience for me. Would I want to do it again? Likely yes.
Fashion week links:
St. Louis Fashion Week web site
This is the spot for information, video, photographs, etc of the entire week.
Dwight Carter
Check him out for your promotions
St. Louis Alive
If its fashion and in St. Louis, then St. Louis Alive is probably involved.
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John & Mary
This was my second wedding and it had special meaning to me. Johnny otherwise known as ‘Lucky’ is a friend of mine who bartends at Mcgurks in Soulard. He had been serving me beer for about 10 years or so. He found a lovely bride named Mary and they started to make their plans. I was thrilled and honored when they asked me to be their photographer.
This was going to be a huge wedding. It was Catholic & Irish. Johnny was born and raised in Ireland and many members of his family were flying over for the event. On top of all that they had a beautiful baby daughter that was going be a part of that special day as well.
The ceremony was in a beautiful church. When it was over the party began. I did mention it was an Irish Catholic wedding didn’t I? The reception was filled with fun and a lot of Irish musicians, all very good and many very famous. I stayed until the end of the reception which was past midnight! My favorite musicans the Irish Birgade was playing. One of the last times any one got to see all of them together.
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The Scion Open
I had the opportunity to shoot my first sporting event in the winter of 2008-09. It was the Scion Open held at Hidden Valley in St. Louis. The sky was crustal clear, but the air was bitter cold. I bought ski under wear and layered myself as much as I could. I was outside for about 8 of the 10 hours I was there. By the end of the day I was literally frozen. Remember I was standing in one place for most of the day and not moving around a lot.
This was going to be the first big test for the 5dMKII. I had read lots of reports that the camera had a focusing system whose faults would be severely exposed in a sporting venue when trying to capture moving objects. I was surprised at the performance of the camera. Not that I didn’t think it could do a good job, but I had probably had a 80% keeper rate in standard focusing mode. I shoot with the 70-2002.8 & the 1.4L extender for most the day. I also used my circular polarizer which I love to use in the sunlight. I questioned the nearly 200.00 price tag on it when I bought it, but the results are worth while I often get asked about the shots I take in the sun and how I achieve the results. It’s the polarizer. I was getting the same look with the 40d.
The clarity of the photographs was absolutely stunning. The camera did a fantastic job. I watched these young men and women do these amazing stunts for the entire day. At one point I positioned myself under the jump ramp on the big hill so I could shoot them as they flew over the rail and after which they would continue down the hill. This was a perfect spot expect when on skier aborted his jump and headed unintentionally right for me. He slammed into me as I turned sideways holding the 5,000 worth of camera equipment high in the air with the opposite hand. I spun as he literally slid by hitting the side of my body. I can only imagine what that looked like the spectators. Luckily he was fine and continued down the hill and neither me nor my equipment was damaged.
Thanks to Missy and all the folks out at Hidden Valley. It is a great place to hang out in the winter. You must try it out, even if you don’t like to ski. They have a restaurant and its always fun to watch the daredevils.
Here is a link to more photos from this event.
http://brianrickey.zenfolio.com/f698370356
Here is a link to the Hidden Valley web site. They are closed for the season, but winter is right around the corner!
http://www.hiddenvalleyski.com/
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