The Samantha Beany and Stephen Hart Wedding

October 8, 2016

Ceremony: Seasongood Pavilion
Reception: Freedom Center

There are times in a photographers life where it gets personal. Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly said it best in You've Got Mail, "Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal."   Well making images is personal to us.  We see this as an experience,  a journey from the day we start talking about your wedding to the moment the shutter on the camera is pressed.

And also, there are times in a photographers life where we are privileged. And I felt very privileged to be a part of Samantha and Stephen's wedding day. These two have something special between them.  Call it love or mutual respect or appreciation for each others quirkiness but I sensed it the whole time we were with them.

Then there are times when we get emotional. With many of the people who let us photograph their wedding, it gets emotional. We feel it.  I believe to produce great images that spark sentiment you have to feel it behind the camera. Samantha was beautiful and witnessing a mom place the vail in her hair from her wheelchair pulled every heartstring.

And lastly, there are times we get playful.  Stephen and the groomsmen broke out nerf guns. It was a guy thing.  We suggest grooms get creative with the time they spend together. The girls take a longer time to prepare but the guys seem to have time to fill.  Fill it with Fun!

Everything Important I learned from a bridesmaid

So who gets your attention on the big day? Do you listen to that still small voice in your head, your spider-sense or (heaven forbid) a guest who wasn't even on the guest list? I've been in the wedding photo business a long time. 15 years have gone by in the toss of a garter. There are lots of voices to listen to that inspire creativity and confidence. But what about when it's crunch time? As a lead image creater I find myself in some very sticky situations at times on the day of the event. I think it's smart to listen to a very genuine voice - the voice of the bridesmaids!

I would even venture to say that every good thing I've learned about photographing on the big day has been inspired by the advice of a bridesmaid. She wants the best from you so her friend will look beautiful, and the images will be gorgeous. Here are some things this group has taught me:

1. Pay attention to small detail.  

At an early Spring ceremony, I was shooting a wedding ring shot in a rush, which is a cardinal sin. Image makers should slow down to get the best shot. The picture became a beautiful ring shot, well done with bokah blur and tack sharp. As the proud papa, I showed it to one of the bridesmaids who said, "Did you notice the inscription on the inside of his wedding band?"  No I missed that.....  She said, "The words were very important to the bride." I reshot the image and was thankful for the heads-up.

2.  Don't mess with the dress.

These ladies have been around the dress in several settings. They are infatuated with it, in a good way. They see the gown way more than the photographer. At one wedding we were trying to decide where to shoot the dress in a tough location, the maid of honor had a window setting cleaned and ready in advance. It worked for us! Once, there was a blue tag sown inside the dress and I wasn't aware. Yep you guessed it, maid of honor drew our attention to the tag which was so important. Bridesmaids are there when the bride slips into the dress for the first time. The dress is the most important item next to the groom. I think it deserves special attention.

3.  Laughter breaks down barriers.

People images are authentic only if the tension is relieved in the face.  The bride at one hot summer wedding was really nervous and uptight. We had a hard time getting a relaxed expression from her. What to do? I asked the bridesmaids if any of them knew of any funny stories about the bride. Tell them! They began to talk about stories from their childhood experiences with the bride. Which brought belly laughs and genuine expressions. Saved the day!

My motto - listen to the girls.  Some egos are too big. Some professionals feel like they have to know it all to be a professional. I disagree. I think you have to befriend the people who are closest to the bride and that know her best.  That's the key to success.  Bridesmaids are the voices of reason in chaos. They know the bride better than anyone and they will spot details that could be missed.  At many weddings they are crucial. And if I befriend the girl in the purple satin dress, I may get to photograph her becoming a bride in the very near future. 

What do Wedding Photographers Do in Winter?

Glad you asked! The off season isn't really down time anymore for us, because the wedding season has changed and extended so much. But here are the 6 things I like and need to do:

1. We examine our mission. "for the bride and groom on a budget" We do what we do because of the Creator God we follow. We are inexpensive. We think this is a ministry to young couples and their families who need spiritual support as well as a photographer.  We pray for our clients. We ask ourselves how we can be the helping hand of God for couples getting married.

2. We enter training. We don't know everything there is to know about our profession. Products are constantly changing (like albums) and we want to know if these will fit our clients needs. I know I can do better work and I have voiced that for the last 10 years. We improve.Wedding Photograhers in the off season.......

3. We exhale. We relax from the creative process extended to each client. Creating can be exhausting!  We love what we do, but forming and creating the right images takes its toll on us. We put up the white flag and surrender to just recharging our batteries.

4. We evaluate our work.  We look back over all the weddings we shot and ask ourselves what worked and what didn't work.  We highlight our best work and use those images for our website, contests, and any wedding shows we may participate.

5. We extend our pricing.  It is something we hate to do but need to do.  Every year things get more expensive for us from the SD cards to flash drives to dvds to printing. We still think we are the best value around for our market. Sometimes we raise prices or leave them alone.

6. We scrutinize equipment. Even high quality Nikon tools need checked out and upgraded. Just like any other business, we evaluate our cameras, computers and software. Send for repairs and cleaning. We just upgraded our website at photodelux.org.  Let us know what you think!

Seniors that Rock!

Spencer Pierce

Mariah Cadwallader

     I have the greatest opportunity to take photographs and make people happy(sometimes). I think one of the delights for me is meeting complete strangers and feeling like I have known them all my life. It is an incredible feeling and it happens all the time!
     The "other" great moment is photographing high school seniors I have know as babies or small children, and seeing how they have grown and matured. it is always an honor to tease them and see them smile in a whole new dimension some 10 years later.
     The "next other" great moment is getting reacquainted with old friends who need senior portraits made for their student and they don't have time and they heard that "Tod does photography" and we get out and make some absolutely gorgeous images for them.
     I think the best images come about when you are familiar with each other a little bit. I always like to shoot engagement photos for the engaged couples in advance of their weddings because it lets me see them in advance. I get to think about facial structure and the best lighting situations. I get to see them laugh and learn what makes them smile. I get to see where the flaws are in their features and how to hide them. And yes we all have some areas we see as flaws!
     I still love doing this simply to get the opportunity to make something out of nothing. Where people start as a bundle of nerves and you keep working until you release the shutter on a relaxed smile and feel like you have done something for them that will last a couple lifetimes.

4 December weddings! A new record for Photodelux

We didn't anticipate being so stretched in December but we were grateful for the business and the relationships built though these weddings(like Emily and Josh Overton pictured here). We are looking forward to building more relationships through Bridalrama. Please come out and see us there in booth 104!
We advertise in a number of places and try to help every couple that comes to us.  We are still in business for the bride and groom on a budget. We did a family portrait/wedding package for the Overtons because of their young boys and they wanted family portraits bundled with the wedding.
We can do things like that!  We are not set in stone. At the end of the day we want great imagery and the opportunity to create lasting photographs that will endure with time.  I envision a day when people pass on our work and someone 50 years from now admires what we have accomplished together.
This was a New Years Eve wedding that was as much fun for us as the guests that were there. How can we help you this summer, fall or next December?

Sincerely,
Tod & Vicky Eltzroth

Baby Audree

     Standing in front of the washing machine crying tonight. Big baby.  Not because the infant I photographed today was so cute (which she was!) but because she, well she had an accident on one of the background fabrics!  ha.  Which often happens if you work with babies any length of time. No big deal at all.  It goes with the territory.  

     But seriously, my tears flow at the washing machine tonight because special people are attached to my memory. Memories come flooding back and you just realize the unexpected wonder of life.

     Special baby, special people. Yeah I know it's just a client and it's just a photo shoot but every now and then, once in a while, on occasion - people get to me, old acquaintances grab my heart.  Babies look at me funny. Of course it's probably gas, but they look at me funny and then I unravel, sometimes. No one to me is just a client!    

     History: One of the first things that happened to me way back when, at a new church,  a new community,  was the grandmother of Audree (Jeanie a grandmother, wow!) accepted my children when they were little and running around the church basement.  She said, "We don't mind, we love our children around here." And they really meant that.  Special place, special time, special people.

     Then today,  to see the mother Erin, touch and hold and interact with her brand new 10 day old baby girl.  Well, I remember the rough, tough soccer and basketball playing teenage girl and to see this, well I wasn't prepared.  My heart couldn't hold all the promise and hope and sentiment of this new life - in front of the washing machine tonight.  No big deal Audree, we accept your pretty smile and nervous moments all the same. Your mom's mom taught us that.

     Just a photographer feeling lucky and blessed to be able to do what I do. Just a person who really treasures what relationships mean. Special.    Drying my eyes in front of the washing machine tonight. Thanks Jeanie and Erin and Audree!

The Krohn and the Beck boys

     Photographing a family like the Beck family is one of those events that we absolutely love but it has it's challenges. 3 boys full of energy and a venue (at the Krohn) full of interesting challenges, from people to backgrounds can offer lots of pitfalls. To some photographers it can be a nightmare but to us it is simply fun.
     It takes some imagination and we never really capture exactly what we set out to capture.  But I learned a long time ago if you don't appreciate the serendipity of a situation like this then hang up your camera. 
     The parents (Deena & Joe) were wonderful and patient and I only wish we had more time to capture the fascination on the boy's faces.  It doesn't last for long because they grow up so fast.  People ask me, "What's this world coming to?"  I can't help but answer, "If it's boys like this and parents like these, we are in great shape!" I am posting one of my favorites! Enjoy.        -  Tod and Vic