Weddings
Most of my wedding previews don't look like this one, but I will say the Saber Arch at Marisa and Andy Gebert's wedding was pretty darn cool. I got an email from Marisa today saying that they moved out to Oklahoma where Andy is stationed just a week after the honeymoon. These men below in uniform represent all the branches of the military and I know we can't thank them enough for serving.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to shoot my friend Ryan's wedding. It was the largest wedding I've shot so far with over 300 people in attendance. We had a great time and I'm really excited for them and their new life together. I'm also excited to see the final product of video Atlanta Cinematic was filming of the ceremony and reception. With some of the footage I saw at the reception, I can only imagine it'll end up being a full-length motion picture. Without further ado, I'll get into the pictures beginning with the bridal bouquet assembled with family brooches from both sides.
Keri and I have received an awesome response to our Save the Date. People have been asking me how we did it, so I figured I'd post about it. It was incredibly simple for those that have not seen a stop-motion video before. First off- there was no video footage whatsoever. The entire thing was completed using still photos. All one really needs is a camera.
For the footage of Keri and I, we had our good friend Curt come over with some props to snap the shots and help with art direction. I set up a black backdrop in the living room for our "studio." Then we set my camera on a tripod so we knew it would be in the same spot the entire time. I also had a wireless flash set up to light the entire scene (detailed info for the photo nerds below). That's all it was. Just lots of pictures in a row like a flip-book. If I were to do it again, I would have done it outside because we could only snap photos as fast as the flash could recycle. Otherwise, we could have had it look a little smoother. In the end, we walked away with 1,500 photos. I cut it down to about 1,000 for the final version (took out extra takes).
You'll see below here a shot without any editing but with the nerdy info. You can see the black cloth in the background.
For most of the shots, they're more zoomed in so I didn't have to do much in post-production. For the full length shots (the park scene), I had to take them into photoshop and black out the sides as seen here. I also added the hearts for fun.
For the chalkboard scenes I set up a chalkboard from my kitchen (Ikea) on an easel outside in the shade. I made sure to tape everything down so it didn't move from frame to frame. I also taped down my tripod for the camera. I made sure to position the camera close enough to where I didn't see the edges of the chalkboard (less work to do in post). Those scenes were really simple too. All I did was take a picture, have Keri draw one letter, take a picture, another letter, and so on. The lighting stayed mostly constant but with the outdoor light, the white balance changed a bit because of clouds and sun.
All in all it took about four hours for the live action scenes, 2 hours for the chalk scenes, and about 6 hours of post production in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Not a bad weekend project and the outcome was perfect. Feel free to leave comments below if you have additional questions! I'm off today at 3 to take pictures of International Pillowfight Day at Freedom Park.Expect pictures on the blog!
Here is something fun that Keri and I just couldn't wait to show you. It's the Save the Date video for our wedding! Unfortunately, we cannot invite everyone who reads the blog. However, we did want to share the video. We hope you like it!
For all of the brides-to-be out there worried about rain on your wedding day, I present the following photo taken on a rainy Saturday this past weekend at the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church. I'll have more of these photos in a few weeks but when I took this shot of Melissa, I knew it would be my teaser photo for the blog. Let me know what you think!
I've owned the domain since college. Three years ago I re-upped it's registration and I contracted my good friend Greg Vilines at Webnormous to begin work on the site. Then a combination of producing an album, playing in a band, get married, and having his house burn down slowed Greg's progress on the site a bit. A combination of helping with the album, buying a house, running a photo business, general laziness, and getting engaged slowed me down too. I know my excuses aren't as valid as a house fire, but regardless of the timing, it is finally LIVE! Greg built the whole thing from scratch and he did a damn good job on it. I know I was a difficult client at times but in the end we got it all worked out. There will be a few tweaks made in the coming months, but since it's 99% done, we figured why not launch it? This will be a soft opening for my six blog readers and facebook friends until I get it 100% finished.
Keep in mind the new site isn't going to be a replacement for the blog- just think of it as a "best of Alex the Photo Guy." I'll still keep you up to date with my crazy photo antics here on the blog, so don't stop reading!
Let me know what you think! Many thanks again to Greg who did all the hard work. All I did was take a few photos. If you need a website, let me know and I'll get you in contact with Webnormous.
Rob Devlin is an old friend of mine. We go back to freshman high school Spanish class. From there we connected through music when we found we both played complimenting rhythm instruments- he on drums, me on bass. Another friend of his played guitar (Greg), so naturally we started a band. And we didn't start just a band, we started a terrible band. We were a 90's rock cover band without a singer - and it's exactly what we wanted. We could rock out as loud as we wanted, get lost in the music, and not feel guilty if we weren't getting better because we [almost] never played anywhere. When we did play for an audience, it was all sans vocals unless someone in the crowd wanted to jump on stage with us and risk their ears and the respect of their friends. Rob always worked multiple jobs and provided everything we needed for the band- even things we didn't need: laser lights, fog machines, too many speakers, business cards, a website, the list goes on. Even when Greg and I went away to college, Rob was still committed to the band, no matter what the cost. For Christmas that same year, he found us 4-track recorders as presents so that we could still record music long-distance. We'd each pick a track and mail tapes to each other to fill in our parts. It was as brilliant as it was generous. Rob has always been a great friend.
When I met Lacey, I knew she was the best thing to happen to Rob since the band (half joking). In fact, I now know that Rob breaking his ankle in college was a dark cloud with the brightest silver lining he could have ever hoped for. Thanksgiving break 2004, I was living in Nashville 30 minutes from Rob at MTSU in Murfreesboro. He told me he'd broken his ankle at the TV studio on campus where he worked. He asked if I could give him a ride home and back for the holiday break. I was happy to do it and enjoy some company for the ride home to Atlanta. The ride home and back went well, but what I distinctly remember was Rob telling me as I dropped him off that Sunday back in Nashville that a girl from the station was coming over that night. She was bringing him Thanksgiving leftovers from her family's Thanksgiving dinner. Not only did I know this girl had an interest in Rob, but I knew she was the girl Rob would marry (if he knew what was good for him!).
Rob and Lacey were married in Nashville on Vanderbilt's campus at the the Scarritt-Bennett Chapel on October 10th. The ceremony was as beautiful as the life they have ahead of them. Cheesy, I know- but I truly am happy for them both. :)
When you own the lighting set-up, the possibilities are endless...
Ross and Courtney were married on September 25th at the Swilley Chapel in the Second Ponce De Leon Baptist Church in Buckhead. As Keri and I start our own plans for our wedding, I love picking up on tips from brides. For example, chapel prices can be almost half of sanctuary prices... I had no idea. As you can see below, chapel weddings are just beautiful! Ross works with me at my "day job," so I was honored when he asked me to shoot his wedding. Keri and I were going to be there anyway, so I was excited at the opportunity to be the photog for the day. They couldn't have asked for better weather! It was such a great fall day, albeit a little warm. Deep blue skies with a few cotton-fluffy clouds scattered about. The reception was at Kimball Hall in Roswell on "wedding row" as I've come to call Mimosa Blvd. The Kimball Hall staff did a great job with the indoor and outdoor decorations as well as the food.
I'll let the pictures below do the rest of the talking.
This was the sweetest part of the wedding: the silent time for the couple to pray.
...then Ross gave Courtney a little kiss, and she said "wait! not yet!" as they walked back to the altar. Hence the light-hearted laughter.
Apparently going out of the country means you forget about all the work you wanted to do before you left. My sister, who attended Auburn for undergrad, sent me a text last night that read "hey- you still haven't blogged about that Auburn wedding! I want to see the pix!" Sorry for the delay! I had a great time in Auburn for Regan and Jeff's wedding weekend. Everything was beautiful and was at a cute little chapel right across from Samford Hall on campus. There were hints of rain, but never caused anyone any problems. Regan looked beautiful in her dress and Jeff looked distinguished with his silver vest and tie. The reception was definitely a party! I have so many pictures of people dancing you'd think they were at a downtown NYC club and not an antebellum home in Auburn. Afterward I went out with all the bridesmaids (and their husbands) and ended up eating pizza with a few friends from the wedding in a hotel room until 4am. Most photographers don't get such a royal treatment... :)
War Eagle!
Saturday, Keri and I attended Ross and Courtney's wedding- Keri as guest and encourager, and me as photographer. It's so easy to shoot weddings when there's good weather, a pretty church, and good lookin' people. I'll have more pictures soon, but for now here's a shot from Kimball Hall's courtyard. This so far is my favorite pic from the night. Thanks to Ross and Courtney for being so good at holding still for a slow shutter speed.
This post is long overdue. I've been so busy preparing for my Italy trip (leaving today!) that I've let my blog fans world down... I'm sorry to disappoint all three of you. The Schnorf wedding was so much fun. As you can see from a previous post, Keri and I got to try out the new photo booth idea with a fun group of drunks people. Though photo booth aside, we still managed to get some great photos! I've always wanted to shoot a bride with that modern 1920's look (short hair, fish net veil). You'll see how awesome she looks in her dress and veil a few pix down. The wedding was at Saint Mark's United Methodist Church- a beautiful venue.
See what I mean??? Doesn't she look great? So classy.
Very colorful wedding. She said the Beatles were her inspiration.
They had childhood games on all the tables. Hungry Hungry Hippos was my fav.
Though not Lewish.... they insisted on the chair lift. Mazeltov!
And my favorite still from the photo booth. Keri and I are (hopefully) off to Italy right now! Hope to come back with plenty of pix!
The Schnorf | Hunt wedding was this weekend in Midtown Atlanta and it was so much fun! I plan on working on all the other fancy schmancy wedding pictures later (beautiful church btw)- but first, I was way too excited to get these up on the blog! Keri, my lovely assistant/fiance, was kind enough to help shoot this wedding with me and man (woman?) the photo booth. Keri works for beer and pizza, so she's the best assistant I could imagine for the job. She was awesome, but so were her subjects!
And now without further ado- the Photo Booth! Available from Alex the Photo Guy wherever alcohol and sombreros are served... (p.s.- I recommend full screen)
Schnorf Wedding Photo Booth! from Alex Arnett on Vimeo.
Bethany and Chris were married last month in Boone, NC. Their wedding was at a cute little church in the mountains. However, as mentioned in a prior post, they have a ton of friends and family! Because of this, the church got pretty hot during the ceremony... so hot that not only one, but TWO people in the wedding party passed out during it. The first one surprised the audience, but after the second people understood why. Aside from that, the ceremony, receptions, and weather were great in Boone. We had a fun time and my mom got to catch up with old friends (Bethany's mom and mine went to college together at Appalachian State). As a side note, my new(er) camera broke about 8 shots into the wedding... however, with a little bit of googling after I got home, I found out that the repair was a known issue to Canon and they repaired it for free! In fact, they turned it around so fast that I got the "we have received your repair and will begin work on it promptly..." letter three days AFTER the camera was already back in my hands as good as new! Props to Canon!
The bride's mom:
Bethany Reynolds had her wedding in Boone, NC a few weeks ago. It's tough to beat a small church wedding in a small town in the mountains. The only problem with a small church wedding is when you have as many friends and family as Bethany and Chris had, you have standing room only! More on that in a few days. Here are her bridal portraits from a few months ago. I wasn't supposed to post them until after the wedding in fear that her hubby-to-be would come across them. We shot these at Barrington Hall in Roswell. Though I didn't get any pictures of it, there was a play going on at the other side of the house. So as we were taking photos of Bethany in her bridal gown, there were princes, gypises, and wizards running backstage around us. It was funny because someone would walk by in costume and tell Bethany she looked great, and Bethany's response would be the same.
And now for some ridiculous HDR....
Katie and Robby had a beautiful wedding 4 weeks ago at Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta, which happened to be the church my family went to for a number of years of my childhood. The wedding went off without a hitch and was followed by the prettiest church reception I've seen. I never knew Transfiguration had such a classic reception space- big windows, wooden ceiling, good lighting. I had a fun time getting to know Katie and Robby when we snapped photos at the hotel pre-wedding. However, I really got a sense of what a great man Robby is from a toast given at the reception. One of his best friends from high school, whom he played football with, was in a bad car wreck a few years back. He was left partially paralyzed, requiring the use of a walker to get around. Apparently, when he got back to his apartment after his time in the hospital, he got a call from Robby. Robby said that he was packing his things to move in so that he can help his friend get around and become acclimated to his new way of living. If that isn't a great friend, then I don't know what is.
With that said, here are the photos from the wedding.
Yeah, I know I'm a little behind on posts. Been busy! Got engaged! More on that later... I just wanted to throw a preview on the blog of a wedding I shot two weeks ago at Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta. Here are Katie and Robby. More to come soon!
Howdy all! More wedding photos for those who love tying the knot! Here are shots from Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Arrowood's wedding at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, GA.
Very cool groom's cake.
Lighting the unity candle:
Five minutes after being officially married, and Jeremy is already getting slapped... he probably deserved it though. :)
And finally, one of my favorite shots. If you were this guy, you'd be worn out holding her shoes too. I don't think his wife stepped off the dance floor once she stepped on.
Sometimes I wonder if I pack my schedule too much. Three weeks ago I was in Denver for a business trip on a Monday. I flew from there to Seattle on Tuesday. I had meetings and building tours and flew back to Atlanta on Thursday afternoon. I landed in Atlanta with just enough time to get home and shower before I drove to Annes Furtah's rehearsal dinner for photos in Marietta. I woke up the next day, went to my day job, then left to go shoot the wedding. I had a ton of fun with Anne and Mike, took a bunch of photos, and as usual was tired as hell afterward! Then woke up the next morning to drive to Birmingham with my band to play a show where we didn't go on stage until 11:30pm. I really can't complain because I love all of it, but let's just say I slept very well that Sunday night.
Now, enough about my life- let's talk about the photos! Alexis at the Whitlock Inn does a great job with the venue and arrangements and helped make Anne and Mike's wedding a great success. Not only did I get to have fun at the wedding with everyone, but I was also lucky enough to be part of Anne and Mike's rehearsal dinner, which gave me a chance to meet the families and friends in a much more relaxed setting than the craziness of a wedding. I'll let the photos tell the story for you. Be sure to click the "continue reading" link below the first photo for more!
The flower girls referred to me as "the Paparazzi."
The reveal. Always a fun moment for those not afraid to break tradition.
The ring bearer (a.k.a. James Bond)
Over Thanksgiving, my family and I had the opportunity to stay a condo on the beach in Florida for the whole week..... Needless to say we had a lot of fun with countless parties (and countless rum drinks). In addition to Thankgiving with the family, we were excited to be there and take part in my cousin Ceci's wedding. Though I wasn't the official photog, I was able to snap a few shots of "getting ready." I also snapped a few from my seat at the wedding. Here's what I got that day:
Adita & Luis:
Mariana & Tina:
The ring and dress detail:
