Beverly and I are far more accustomed to shooting our collective load at the wedding ceremony, revving up with fast hydration and a powerbar, then powering back in with mustered energy to begin the reception anew with fresh vigor and enthusiasm. There was no ceremony for this event, just the reception. We were fresh and ready for what felt like should have been a round two for our photographic day. At least we were fresh!
Jenny hired us to photograph their reception at Urban Studio as they had a rather small, family wedding in Maui a few weeks earlier. We were available and willing to cover that event by the way, we just weren't asked to cover the event. Whatever. I'm not bitter.
BTW, a brief plug for Urban Studio:
Urban Studio is located on SW Davis St. and 10th. It's a sizable two room, multilevel establishment with some hip but basic furnishings. There's a sizable bar in the middle capable of servicing three sides so there never seems to be a big wait for beverages. The space is pretty basic which also means it's super flexible. There's even a couple of movable walls to lend angles and ambience to the rooms depending on the venue. Lastly, the staff was superb. Smiling, polite, professional. Great event staff. I'm looking forward to future venues in the space, it's got tons of photographic potential.
The event got off to a slow start as some invites had 5:30 as a start time, others erroneously said 7:00pm. That was OK, 5:30 starts tend to be somewhat empty since everyone is still ending their summer Saturday activities, showering, driving into the city, etc. A mild beginning meant we could work on some pics of the fine cupcake spread, glassware, framed family pics, etc. Plus, the warm afternoon light filtered perfectly between the diffused white curtains. The room was filled with warm light and pleasant chit chat. We rotated through the staff and got a couple hundred candids as folks mingled, hugged, and caught up with each other. The lighting was so enjoyable and we had time to play around with different techniques, shooting with backlit subjects, front lit, side lit, you name it. We had time and they didn't notice we were there.
It almost feels like cheating as a professional photographer when the subject is stunningly beautiful. Really, it was not challenging to make Jenny look good, we just had to decide which angle of beautiful we wanted to capture. I'm also sure Jenny is the social glue of her friends and family. She effortlessly rotated amongst the crowd, smiling, laughing, embracing, she's a social natural.
Jenny has few demands but getting pics of her with her grandmother topped the list. Luckily we got at least a dozen really good instances of them together. The warm room light was a big blessing for these pics too, for candid portraits I don't think the light gets better.
Once the party found its stride the dance floor came to life with all ages and style accounted for. It was fun to watch some older songs, ok, oldies, begin to play and another generation would bully onto the dance floor and dominate the middle with dance moves long ago learned. It's just fun to watch many generations of a family enjoying each other as much as this family and friends enjoyed: it was an honor to cover Jenny and David's special day. Even if it wasn't in Maui.
Please check out our photographic collection featuring weddings, landscapes, urban decay, and more! www.brettandbeverlyphotography.com
