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Reflections : Family Wedding Portraits
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W ell, it's Monday. Wheeee. Or should I write, Wheeee!! Don't exclamation points change the tone of a post? A period could make it sound sarcastic or matter-of-fact-ish. An exclamation point? I'd say exclamation points show team spirit. They're like the mascot of a paragraph.
I thought it'd be nice to start this week with a Reflections post. As I've said before, Reflections posts are entries dedicated to addressing an issue I faced during a shoot and the decision I made to change the outcome. At my last wedding, I spent a wonderful morning with the bride, Tina, while JD hung out with the groom, Vince. They did their First Look at The Standard Hotel and wedding photos in Downtown Los Angeles. I suggested completing family formal portraits before the ceremony and the couple readily agreed. We decided to meet at the church for these pictures and take things from there.
Sounds straight-forward, right? Not so much. When we arrived at the church, the wedding scheduled before Vince and Tina's was running late. In a relatively short amount of time, hundreds of guests would pour from the church and disrupt family pictures outside of the church if I posed them outdoors. The areas surrounding the church weren't exactly picturesque (nothing against the church...I'm speaking from a strictly photographic perspective) and the space I needed for group shots wasn't available. |
| Still determined to make things work, I started taking small group photos as we waited for others to arrive. |
When I viewed these pictures on my LCD screen on the back of my camera and immediately went into panic mode. Not okay. TOTALLY. NOT. OKAY. I was just picturing an album spread filled with that yellow and red background and then I got a nervous twitch in my left eye. I smiled and politely said I'd wait for the others to arrive before completing the rest of the photos. Then I ran across the street to look for an alternative location.
When I found a spot that worked, I ran back across the street (no one saw me running...Internet, I'm totally CLASSY) and made a tough decision. I asked everyone to move. I can't tell you how uncomfortable this made me (partly because I didn't want them to think the church wasn't working and partly because I didn't want to bother 25 people), but my request was greeted with total support. I believe the support came from a few things, but mainly: 1. My clients trusted me; 2. They, too, saw the environment and potential obstacles and; 3. I acted in control and made a professional request as kindly as possible. I can't tell you how thankful I am for my amazing clients. |
| Because it was an overcast day, the afternoon light was pretty much perfect, so JD was able to shoot from an entirely different angle and diversify the family portrait portfolio... |
| Vince, Tina, and his ever fab sisters...love these girls! |
| Because of their trust and support, I believe they'll have stronger family photos that are simply prettier. I created a win-win for myself and my clients...and this makes me happy. |
| If you're ever in a situation when you feel like you need to make a tough decision, trust your gut. As professionals, we're in charge and we hold the key to narrate our clients' wedding day in the best possible light. Happy Monday. Wheeee!! |
    
2013
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