Michael & Natalie

Here is a shot that I just pulled from my wedding shoot yesterday of Michael and Natalie.

This was shot at one of the most popular places in the Phoenix East Valley area called Freestone Park in Gilbert.

One of the downfalls of living in Phoenix is the harsh sun. In this image I placed them in the shade of a tree with the sun behind them then add a little fill flash to lighten up the face a little.

Many photographers would just use all natural light but I think you loose the glow of the brides face and much of the brightness of the eyes by doing it that way.

I think many new photographers feel intimidated by flash so it is one of the workshops I teach at Photography Workshops of Arizona. Flash is our friend I teach so don't be afraid of it.

Sedona

Yesterday I spent some time in Sedona checking out a couple of new spots. It was a great day about 75 degrees though I wish there was a few clouds in the sky but you can't ask for everything and expect to get it.

The first image on top was of a washed out bridge that I have seen off the main road year after year always thinking that I needed to get down there one day and check it out. As you can see, water was flowing very well that day from all the rain and snow this year and really added to this shot.

The image at the bottom was at a popular photography site called Crescent Moon which is south out of Sedona several miles on 89a. The sun was a little harsh this day and you really needed to try and tone it down but this shot was approaching sunset which made it a little easier to capture it well.

Desert Blooms

I look forward every year to spring time and the coming of the desert blooms. Today I spent some time at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens checking out the start of the bloom season.

It was looking pretty good so far and with all the rain we had this winter it should be a great year for them.

I try and go every week for the next several weeks catching it at all stages. What I find is that one type of cactus may be in bloom while others need a little more time and heat before they finally erupt.

Roanoke VA

I have mentioned before that I spend some time in S/W Virginia and this image was taken in Roanoke which is a great little city with some great old buildings in its downtown area.

I saw this shot as I peered down an ally way by where the farmers market is.

We don't have places like this in Phoenix and wish we did but then again Roanoke doesn't have most of what Phoenix has to offer.

No Flash Allowed!

The dreaded "NO FLASH ALLOWED" words that we as wedding photographers hear from time to time when shooting the ceremony at a church.

Personally having been a senior pastor of a church for several years I have never understood this. I can tell you I didn't force any photographers to shoot without flash. I am sure there is some tradition that has continued over these many decades, I am not sure what but I'm sure there must be.

So we do what we must and put on our 1.4 or 1.8 lenses and shoot wide open with shallow depth of field and make of it what we can.

This shot is one that I would call a more artistic shot that I can use for a backdrop to lay other images on, maybe a cover shot for an albun or in some cases it does appeal to some couples just for its artistic value.

Fine Art Slide Show

Check out my Fine Art slideshow that I created from a new feature from Zenfolio.