A Blaze of Color and "I Do!"

It's a crisp chilly day as I head out to take photos for James and Chelsea's wedding. As I drive over the bridge I can see the blaze of fall color in the trees at Santee Lakes below where the wedding will take place. The gazebo is being "dressed" to welcome the couple who will say their marriage vows in front of their guests. The tables are being decorated with Chelsea's colors, red and black. Excitement fills the air!

The cloud cover provides beautiful translucent light for taking photos, and I wonder if it will last or if perhaps the sun will pop out to say hello. I busy myself checking the locations I have envisioned for the formal portraits. Ah, the perfect spot! A huge gnarled tree bursting with color. I can see the happy couple on the little pier with the colorful canopy framing them in all their wedded glory. Yes, it is the perfect location.

It's time to get busy. My assistant, Jerome, arrives and is ready to help with anything I need. How wonderful to have help. Weddings are so much fun, but I need extra hands to accomplish all I need to do for James and Chelsea.

And then Chelsea appears on mom and dad's arms a vision of loveliness. The camera loves Chelsea. Her blue eyes sparkle. She has her hair done up and wears a pearl necklace. She is perfect, and I know James will think so, too, when he sees her.

Snap, snap, snap! Weaving in and out of the guests. Skirting around the back of the gazebo. Oh, don't miss that shot. Got it! Oh, I wish the sky wasn't so bright behind Chelsea. Nothing I can do about it now. Snap, snap, snap! Get the kiss. Chelsea loves the "he's just about to kiss her" look. Ah, yes! That's it. Going in five different directions at once. The vows have been said and now it's on to the reception. Keep moving!

It's a small, simple, but very sweet wedding reception. . . so intimate with just close friends and family. Group shots. Get them in front of that big tree with the colorful leaves. No! Look THIS way please. You can take photos when I'm finished. Thank you! Quick, quick, quick. I'm sweating. Peeling off the layers even though it's chilly out. Working hard and loving the shots I'm getting. Stealing the couple for some intimate shots at the fabulous location I've chosen. Oh, no, people along the pier. Thank you for moving. We really appreciate it!

Yes, yes, yes! They are gorgeous and so intimate. Chelsea and James will love them. I know I do. Chelsea and James are fading fast. Oh, dear. They're both sick and feeling awful, but what troopers. We got the photos and I know they will be so happy with them.

Don't relax yet. One more photo. Jerome suggests a photo of the bouquet on the gazebo railing. I like it, so I shoot it. He thinks it will make a nice cover shot and I agree. Almost finished and then I can relax. I've been sick for two days myself and I will be happy to be at home soon. I just know I'll be at my computer processing the photos as soon as I get home. I'm so excited and I can't wait to show them to James and Chelsea.

Monday they are posted. Chelsea contacts me and tells me that she and James absolutely LOVE the photos. YES! I'm thrilled because I do too.

Got a minute? Check out James and Chelsea's wedding photos on my website Elizabeth Heath Photography. They're worth a look.

Now go forth and do something that makes you sweat, but is very rewarding and share it with someone who will appreciate your work!

How Much are They Worth?

I'm back after a very busy week and I have a question for you. How much are your memories worth? Last week I had dinner with a friend and while we looked through some photos I had done for her, she said, "I wish you had done our wedding." She looked really sad when she said it, so I asked her what had happened at her wedding.

Her husband and then fiance had hired a "photographer" to take photos of their wedding up North in the wine country. My friend had done all the wedding planning, but left her husband to arrange for the photographer. Apparently he knew someone at work who said, "Sure, I'll take photos for you."

Well, you might already have guessed how this is going to go. Every detail of the wedding day was perfect and the wedding was just beautiful. When the newly weds went to the home of the "photographer" to look at the photos, the new bride was devastated. Each photo was worse than the last and the comment from the "photographer" with each photo was, "Well, a professional photographer would have had the equipment to take care of that problem." After the fourth or fifth excuse, steam was billowing from my friend's ears. Her new husband knew better than to say anything to her as they left.

It turns out that the "photographer" wasn't a photographer at all. He was a colleague of her husband who fancied himself as a landscape photographer. What my friend saw of his work did not impress her at all. I guess the first clue that this guy was not a photographer was when he showed up at the wedding, all expenses paid I might add, and he pulled out a little pocket digital camera. Are we all thinking Oh, my gosh!!! at this point?

So back to my original question. What are your memories worth? Are they worth as much as you pay for the liquor or the flowers or the huge limo? So many people choose to splurge on everything but the photography and like my sweet friend, they spend every year after the wedding regretting that decision. It's been five years since the fateful pocket digital camera incident and my friend has not looked at the photos once. It's just too painful.

I've offered to take the couple out to the beach in their wedding attire and have a do over, but even that will not erase the sadness of losing all the memories from that special day. So the next time you have a decision to make about hiring a professional photographer or asking Uncle Harry to take the photos for you instead, consider this - how much are your memories worth?

Go forth and make it a day for great decisions you won't regret!

Elizabeth

Courtney Ties the Knot!

August 23, 2009

Courtney, my friend Diane's daughter, recently got married at the gorgeous Founder's Chapel at the University of San Diego. Diane asked if I would take photos of Courtney and her bridesmaids getting ready for the big day. Of course, I said yes!

The house, which was set high on a hill above the ocean in La Jolla, practically made me drool. It was just stunning. Big huge windows all around the house brought in perfect San Diego sunshine. From the back yard, the view of the ocean far below was just breathtaking. Sandy and Norm, the homeowners, had done a wonderful job of making the house perfect for the wedding preparations.

Sandy had fruit and muffins, along with quiche, coffee, and orange juice. I was encouraged to eat as much as I wanted, which usually doesn't happen on my photo shoots. But then Sandy is a fabulous hostess who wouldn't think of not inviting the photographer to put down her camera and join in. I restrained myself, but not entirely!

I had arrived at 7:30 a.m. sharp ready to snap candids of hair being curled, makeup being applied, and the general excitement and giddiness that goes along with such an event. I roamed from room to room scouting out moments that would remind Courtney of her special day. Everyone was so cooperative and allowed me to take photo after photo right down to the bride brushing her teeth with full makeup and veil.

Time seems to fly on mornings like this and before I knew it Courtney and her girls were in the limo headed to the wedding. I had a blast capturing the memories of that morning for Courtney and her mom. It was an absolute pleasure working with all the girls, even the flower girl, Amalie.

Check out her cute photo sitting at the piano in the photo gallery 'CH Event,' on my website http://www.elizabethheathphotography.com/.

Make it a joyful day!

Friday, August 21st

I typed the date in and couldn't believe that it's almost the end of August. This year has flown. The sky is filled with clouds on this cool day in San Diego. Rain and thunder storms are predicted, which makes this seasonably unusual. I love it, though, because I think change is good. So often we fight change in our lives only to look back and find that it opened up doors that we never expected or perhaps gave us opportunities that took us in a whole new direction.

This week I met with the Smuggers group of San Diego. Smugmug is the host for my website and they do a fantastic job. I started out displaying my photos from the DSLR Photography Club of San Diego, but eventually upgraded to a pro account. David Wolf of Wolfsnap Design, who was also at the meeting, did a great job designing my site and I enjoy the compliments I receive.

Sorry, I digressed there a bit. Anyway, I had the chance to hear a gifted photographer by the name of Dane Sanders who presented an amazing show of his work. His style is totally different than mine and he works in the big leagues of wedding and commercial photography. His clients are people like Lens Crafters and Ozzie Osborne! He's a local guy, which makes me realize what a gifted group of photographers actually call the San Diego area home.

Dane really inspired me to work hard and be open to the opportunities that present themselves. I think sometimes we as photographers can become very short sighted and we end up shooting ourselves in the foot. As I work on building my business, which is hard work for very little pay at this point, I am going to remember Dane and his story. His crazy photography style as a 21 year old kid crashing high end parties in New York to take photos of people he didn't know has developed over the years to the much in demand destination wedding photographer he is now.

You can check out Dane Sanders website and his new book, Fast Track Photographer at http://danesanders.com.

Make it a great day for change!