Melissa and Ben

Whew, things have been busy. After settling in with our new daughter it was time to jump right back into things. This weekend I got to second-shoot for Kevin at a very cool wedding in Dunedin. Sometimes it's very fun to be the second shooter because there is no pressure and you get the chance to be creative and experiment a little more than normal.

We started things out in downtown Dunedin which has a small-town, artsy kind of vibe. We had the whole bridal party cruising Main St. setting up shots outside all the cool storefronts. This got plenty of honks from the passing motorists!

This is certainly a shot that would have been missed had there only been one shooter. While Kevin was fine-tuning this group pose I was able to pick out details to accent the final album. This is one of the main benefits of having Tampa Photo cover your event with two shooters.
Kevin was shooting Ben out on the street and the Melissa was chatting with her girls. I took the opportunity to bring her inside Kelly's Chic-a-boom and take advantage of the colorful decor. A snooted flash on a stand illuminates her and her flowers without spilling on to the wall. A second flash is placed on the table behind her to light the wall. This allowed me to adjust the background and foreground independently until I had the balance I was looking for.

Melissa and her flower girl share a moment before the ceremony begins. This is a pretty typical mirror shot but it has a couple things going for it that I like. Since they are interacting with each other you get to see a glimpse of the bride's face on the right instead of just the back of their heads. Also, their backs are lit by incandescent bulbs and their front is lit by window light resulting in the two different color temperatures.

Melissa peeks out from her hiding room right before the ceremony begins.

Ben and Melissa have a little two year old son. He started exploring during the ceremony. This little flower girl didn't hesitate to rat him out to the other groomsmen.

The groomsmen mill about as they arrive at Ruth Eckerd Hall for the reception.

The room was very lovely but posed a few lighting problems. The unique shape of the ceiling made it difficult to bounce flash. I aimed a snooted flash at the center of the dance floor and hoped they would stay in the beam of light. They were a little too far away from the stage but it worked out.

Congratulations Ben and Melissa. Thanks for being so outgoing during your photo shoot! You guys were great! It will pay off in the pictures.