Behind the Camera

he past eight years have been an absolute BLAST having the opportunity to photograph around the world. I have been so blessed to have been a part of weddings, family shoots, portraits, pregnancy shoots and even baby photos. Stephen, my husband, has taken many photos of me shooting as he second shoots. 
 
I thought maybe I should do a post on what it's like behind the camera... how we choose our spots and why... how scary it can be in front of the camera and how we handle traveling and preparing for the wedding day.  
 
The photos below are from our Dallas Texas wedding this past ApriI. I simply ADORE Corley and Stephen and how their wedding photos turned out. I often am asked how we handle destination weddings. I should first start off by saying how much I LOVE traveling for weddings. It gives us a chance to paint on a new canvas and see things in new ways. I'll blog about traveling with equipment in another post, but for now I just want to talk about how we prepare for the wedding day.  
 
Prepping for the wedding day : We like to travel to the wedding destination a day or two before the wedding so that we are able to scout out the wedding location at the time of day we will be shooting. I am a very visual person when it comes to preparing. I like to feel confident in all my shots and where I will be taking my couple during the wedding day. I have a whole LOAD of shots I have taken of Stephen the day before the wedding in all the same spots I take my couple on the wedding day. (He wouldn't let me post any so instead I posted some of me shooting :) ha!  
 
I will literally walk the entire property the day before the wedding and bring my camera. Stephen is my model and I practice taking photos on him at different angles. I like the see the light the day before and I do this because weddings are often stressful and rushed. It doesn't leave a lot of time for us to slowly walk looking for photo spots so I come prepared. Below are some photos in a big field with trees. We traveled to this location the day before and knew what to expect. We walked the grounds and knew it may be hard for Corley to walk through the area so I texted Corley to let her know she may want to wear a different pair of shoes at this spot. Be sure to prepare your bride and grooms for what to expect on the shoot to help them be at ease. 
 
This is how we pick our spots.... I look for interesting areas where the light may hit the couple a certain way or places that highlight the property well. A location can really add SO much to the feeling of the session.. so use your property well! It sometimes takes us hours to find the most perfect spots, but it's worth it in the end!  
 
It's not scary to be in front of the camera : One of the biggest things I hear from prospective clients is, " I'm nervous to have my photo taken". I UNDERSTAND. We've been there too. We also had our engagement and wedding photos taken and I can attest first hand that it's really not that bad :) I posted some photos from "behind" the camera so that you can see it's really not that scary... right? I am a true believer it's the photographers job to make the couple feel at ease.  
 
 
This is a shot Stephen took...

and this is my angle.

Stephen's shot...

My angle... 
 
I checked these spots the day before and knew this spot would look perfect at exactly this time.

We knew this area would be hard to walk in so we prepared them before hand.

Stephen's shot...

and the beautiful windy outcome. I just love these!