Who:

Lauren + MacKay

What:

Wedding [100:1 series]

When:

September 8, 2007

Where:

Tampa, FL | Tampa Marriott Waterside

The following set of images from Lauren + MacKay’s wedding were all shot using 100% natural light. Whenever possible, we enjoy working outside utilizing natural light and the beauty of your location(s) to create casual portraits of you with loved ones. Working against an ever changing backdrop often inspires us while shooting to keep seeing things in a new way and our ‘no huge studio lights’ mantra enables us to stay flexible and create stunning portraits in a variety of backdrops, while moving things along quickly and effeciently. We’ve yet to meet with a bride and groom who asked us to take our time and spend hours on formals - it’s quite the opposite, really, so we try to always keep events moving by shooting rather quickly and keeping the mood light and casual.

~ Charles

Like Meg, I often look for opporunities for that quick ‘head and shoulders’ shot of the groom during the preparation process. Here I used window light to capture the following two shots in MacKay’s hotel room:

It was overcast when it was time for Meg to photograph Lauren’s pre-ceremony formals - which we actually prefer because the clouds act like a giant softbox for the sun and offer us nice, even light for formals. (bonus!) Meg was under some time constraints, however, and had to move quickly to capture portraits of Lauren, Lauren with her family (both as a group and individually), and Lauren with her bridesmaids (as a group and seperately, as well) - all while racing against Mother Nature - as dark clouds began to move in!

Lauren with her sister. This is a good example of how we like to photograph the bride and groom with their attendants - we keep it casual and light and always welcome your relationship to show:

Multitasking is key in this line of work, so often while Meg is shooting ‘formals’ we both steal little moments, expressions, or details - like these flowers - from the set-ups.

Meg especially loves color and texture - so you’ll find her work often incorporates bold backgrounds. A nice shot of Dad with his little girl:

Meg typically takes the ‘must-haves’:

Which leaves me open to see things in a different way:

We chose this series to illustrate how we can work one minute (in this case - much less!), one basic ‘pose’, one location and offer more than just one ‘look’ - Meg knew she wanted to capture a nice full-length shot of Lauren that showcased her dress and hinted at location, so she set-up this first shot before Lauren had to be whisked into hiding before the guests arrived:

I was able to simultaneously shoot a more dynamic image with tilted frame:

And Meg shot this image within seconds of the first, offering a closer look at Lauren’s great smile:

When the guys arrived at the church, it was raining outside (bummer!) and there was little cover where the groom wouldn’t be seen by all of the guests arriving for the ceremony. Since the inside of the church wasn’t an option (not usually my first choice, but sometimes a rain backup) we found an overhang that got great natural light and offered us a completely clean backdrop for some quick family & groomsmen shots pre-ceremony.

So there you have it! Quick, casual formals without too much hassle that show the beauty of your surroundings and focus your relationships with loved ones.