Anne and Matt

This was a very special wedding to photograph, as the bride was my wife's sister. Anne and Matt were awesome! And, being a photographer himself, Matt (and Anne for that matter) was great at working with me to get the best images possible. You guys rock and I hope you have a wonderful life together!

The wedding was at the very beautiful "horseshoe" area of the University of South Carolina in Columbia. There was a great mix of trees/vegetation and cool architecture that provided a wonderful balance to the images. Here are a few select images from the wedding. I decided to post only black-and-white images (for no real reason). If you are interested in seeing more images from their day, you can check out their slideshow.

This is Anne getting ready in her hotel room. We took advantage of the hard light coming from a wall-mounted fixture next to the mirror to get this dynamic portrait. I like to balance soft/flattering light with edgy strong light throughout the day.

Matt relaxing before the ceremony. The shade was spotty, so I went with it and used the sun as a back/edge light and the church became one giant reflector which helps make him "pop" out of the background.

The lovely bride behind the church. We were walking to a spot to do group shots of the girls when I noticed the cool brick wall with great light. So we had a quick improptu photo shoot that resulted in some of my favorite images of the day. The images certainly benefited from the bridesmaids cheering her on from behind me!

I had to throw this one in. The two sisters. My wife Karen is on the right.

What a gorgeous family!

While standing up at the altar with the guys waiting for the ceremony to start, I figured I would go check on the girls and see what was holding them up. As I glanced out the window I saw this beautiful scene take shape and quickly changed my camera settings to capture the moment. I enjoy setting up beautiful shots of the bride and groom, but my true passion is capturing those fleeting moments that make the day truly special

A nice shot of the happy couple enjoying their first moments together as husband and wife!

On our way to some cool columns at the end of the "horseshoe" I noticed this large open area and visualized the couple together all alone surrounded by empty space. But the shot began to evolve in my mind resulting in my suggestion for them to practice their first dance. A slow shutter speed allowed me convey the motion (and emotion).

A quick shot of Anne by the columns using Matt as a nice accessory.

The reception was in a lovely restaurant, but unfortunately did not lend itself to photography very well. The black ceilings and mirrored walls made things difficult. But adjusting my approach to backlight them with natural light resulted in one of my favorite reception photos.

Congatulations Anne and Matt and thanks or being such wonderful subjects.