Sylvia and John

Sylvia and John recently tied the knot at a lovely home ceremony full of love, friends, family and dogs dressed in tuxedos. You may remember Sylvia from the portrait session with her daughter, Lauren. This is a really great story because these two used to be married but then got a divorce. Life's path brought them back together and I was lucky enough to photograph the occasion.

Here is the aforementioned Tuxedo-Dog, Reno. He sure cleans up nice!

Sylvia talks with the officiant outside before the ceremony.

The happy couple after the ceremony.

Sylvia and Lauren (mother and daughter) pose together.

The whole family gets together.

Sylvia and her son Reese share a dance. (Sorry if I'm spelling your name wrong Reese!)

Daddy and daughter take to the dance floor.

If you only saw this photo, you would think this was a very weird wedding. But Lauren just picked up Reno for a goofy portrait under the arch.

It was still a little too bright out to get the full effect from the decorative lights, but we went ahead and shot some groups out under the arch.

Reese and David are two "wild and crazy guys!"

The wedding was held at Lauren and David's home. We stole a few minutes to make some portraits of them around the yard.

The screened-in patio was decorated so nicely and glowing with candles. I wanted to shoot Sylvia and John in this setting and keep the warm candlelight feeling. I exposed for the candlelight and then used a flash with a warming gel to add some subtle light to the couple.

One of these rings is from the original wedding. The other ended up in Tampa Bay. I'm not going to say which one!

Congratulations Sylvia and John! It's great that you are back together and I wish you all the happiness in the world. I had a great time covering the event.

Lt. Col. Coddington Portrait

Back in February, I covered Major Coddington's promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Recently, she needed an updated portrait in her "blues." This was pretty straightforward since Air Force portraits follow specific guidelines, but it's always fun to try something new.

Mary and Charles, Saddlebrook Wedding

Mary and Charles were married recently at the Saddlebrook Resort. It was a lovely ceremony right there at the resort. They knew they wanted to limit the amount of posed shots and were hoping to get lots of photos of their friends and family interacting naturally. I really enjoy this style of shooting, so I knew it would be no problem. Of course, there are always a few posed shots that you have to endure. Just grin and bear it! These two were real troopers and fun to work with.

We'll lead off with a posed shot. Although it may not be the most artistic image in the world, a lot of you folks out there probably just want to see a nice photo that shows the lovely couple.

Here is Mary posing in front of the altar area that was decorated so nicely. The natural light was perfect for portraits here, but I added a flash with a diffuser behind the bride to illuminate the white fabric, flowers and greenery.

I managed to squeeze off a few portraits of Charles while he waited to make his entrance to the ceremony.

The ring-bearer's assistant catches up and checks in on the rings.

Both sides of the family. Here you can see that the altar is back behind the trees and was a lot darker than the area where the people are standing. Without the additional flash, the background would just be dark.

Mary reluctantly agrees to pose for just a few more photos after the ceremony. The background flash also serves to add a nice edge light on Mary's hair.

The happy couple takes a quiet moment after the ceremony and toasts to the occasion.

Posed? Not posed? Maybe you'll never know!

Mary's dress got covered in dirt while walking around outside. She handled it very well, and we ran inside to get as much off as we could before they entered the reception. Since she was stuck in one place while her dress was being cleaned I was able to play with the lighting and composition to try and create some unique portraits. (Note to future brides: your dress will get dirty. It's inevitable. Please handle it as well as Mary.)

Now we'll jump to some of the natural shots of friends and family enjoying themselves at the reception. I love this photo. What a sincere moment!

A kiss for the new mother-in-law.

The reception was full of fun and laughs.

Another sweet moment. At first, I went to crop this photo down to just the couple. But after looking at it, I think I like the server in the background and the random head in the foreground. It gives you the feeling that there is a lot going on around these two, but they are only aware of each other.

Mary and Charles doing what they do best.

It's obvious these two are having fun. On a side note..."Hey guys, professional photographer standing right over here....oh well." I'm just kidding.

Mary and Charles share their first dance as husband and wife.

Congratulations Mary and Charles! I had a great time trying to capture your wedding naturally and unobtrusively. Thanks for having Tampa Photo be a part of your special day!

Vanessa's Blog

I guess Vanessa got tired of being second fiddle on my blog, so she has decided to run off and start her own online journal. She can't crawl, let alone speak, but apparently she has learned how to type. She's already got a few posts under her belt, so I highly recommend checking it out. Head on over to http://littlevanessa.blogspot.com.

I may still post some images of her on this blog from time to time, but her site will be the main source for the latest Vanessa updates.

Melissa and Ryan, Lange Farm Wedding

Melissa and Ryan were married back at the beginning of April. I was the second shooter backing up MJ. This was another Lange Farm wedding, but the ceremony was held at a church nearby.

Here is a nice shot of the couple connecting soon after becoming husband and wife.

The church had these wonderful stainged glass windows at the entry. They provided the perfect opportunity for a dramatically lit image.

The couple exits the ceremony to a shower of flower petals.

I was having some fun with super wide angle lens at the reception. Usually, I would switch to a more normal lens for something as important as the cake cutting, but as the second shooter I was able to experiment a little bit. I am real happy with the end result. The cake was nice enough to stand as the subject of the photo while letting the couple act as a nice background element.

The guys in the band looked to cool for just a normal brightly and evenly exposed photo. A snooted flash high on a stand adds contrast and only lights the part of the photo I want to emphasize.

All the guys headed outside for some nice cigars. A snooted flash creates a nice vignette effect drawing your eye to Ryan.

And then I played around for a minute with some more creative lighting as I shot just Ryan.

Congratulations Melissa and Ryan. I was a pleasure to shoot your wedding. I really enjoy being the second shooter sometimes so I can let the main shooter worry about the priority shots. I can have the flexibility to take more risks and spend time exploring other themes within the wedding day.