some people mention “professional lighting” before my wedding but I never paid any attention to what it was. It didn’t seem like a necessity at the time. And then as I continued looking at magazines and reception images, the shots that caught my eye were so COLORFUL and evenly lit and VIBRANT. I slowly began to realize that the “look” I loved involved something more than just overhead lighting. I think so often this is a part of the wedding planning process that is overlooked because it doesn’t seem necessary. However, there aren’t many things that can make THIS much of an impact on the overall “look” of an event. If you’re planning a
ballroom wedding or a large tent reception… this is something to consider!! I’ve blogged about reception lighting a while back but this is the first time that I have been able to show some “before” and “after” images. I shot some of the reception details last weekend BEFORE the lighting was setup. My bad. I thought it was a waste of time but it ended up making for a pretty interesting blog post. So here are some shots that show the dramatic difference professional lighting can make on an event!! Enjoy! ps. Huge shout out to Big Top Entertainment who lit our reception AND Joe and Kathleen’s ballroom!
The first example is actually from OUR WEDDING! (I still love scrolling through our images… BEST. DAY. EVER.) So this is BEFORE the sun went down and the party started… Thank you Jasmine Star for that shot.. one of my FAVORITES from the whole day!
When I’m scrolling on Instagram or looking through images after a shoot, some images just stand out and capture my attention more than others!
I don’t know if I have ever photographed a more gracious bride in the most horrendous heat! Seriously, Kelsey is a literal angel on earth. She brought her entire family to Virginia from South Dakota for this portrait session and was so incredibly kind even in the midst of 100 degree heat and humidity!
Lenses are NOT cheap, so when you invest, you want to make sure you’re choosing the best option!
If you think about a wedding day and the part that makes you cringe is having to interact and direct the groomsmen, I get it.
This was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever seen, but the timeline didn’t quite pan out like we had planned.. The rings got lost, hair & makeup went long, storms were rolling in and there were some stressful moments!
You’re not going to believe this but this session was probably our easiest DC engagement session to date! We had glow, no crowed, a beautiful setting and the most wonderful couple!