Thursdays Tip – The Kiss

September 24, 2009 – 6:00 am

For the most part on your wedding day you don’t have to worry too much about the pictures, if you’ve hired a professional wedding photographer they they’ll do their job and you’ll have wonderful images.   But for one important picture there’s one simple thing you as a couple can do to help your photographer along.

The crescendo of the wedding ceremony is often, The Kiss.   This is the moment where every aunt, uncle and cousin is firing their cameras.  Now to help those pictures come out here’s a simple tip, don’t rush it.   That’s right just savor the moment, that first kiss as husband and wife.

I’ve seen a couple or two over the years just peck each other, snap – it’s gone.  Granted I still get my shot but I don’t have the luxury of a few shots to choose from and of course if your mom has a point and shoot she’ll never get it to focus and fire that quick.

So it’s your moment, just enjoy it, and don’t rush it.

First Kiss at wedding

Until next time,

Mark
View my portfolio site | Contact Mark Hayes for your upcoming wedding

By Mark Hayes | Posted in Thursdays Tips to Couples | Tagged , , , , | 1 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment

A Few More – Joe and Audrey’s wedding at Phipps Mansion

September 22, 2009 – 7:30 am

Getting ready to pull these off to the archive drive and while I’ll do a bigger post next week I wanted to share a few more special photos from Joe and Audrey’s recent wedding at the Phipps Mansion Tennis Pavilion.

Of course one of the greatest things about my job is some of the wonderful people I get to work with that are also in the wedding photography business.  Dain Linder of Photography by Dain always being one of my favorites.   He’s a shot of my friend and more often than not shooting partner knocking out a few shots of the bride and her father.

Wedding photos in Denvers Phipps Mansion gardens

Now despite my love of black and white photography there are some images that just need to be in color.   This amazing wedding cake with rings of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries is among the later.

Wedding Cake with berries

During the ceremony when the focus is often on the bride and groom there’s often a wonderful shot just waiting on the sidelines.   Here the father and mother of the groom look on at the start of the ceremony.

Father and mother of groom at wedding in Denver Colorado

Earlier this year I had the amazing privilege to attend a talk in Denver hosted by one of my greatest photographic inspirations, Joe Buissink.   He gave a quote during that discussion that really had me thinking.   This probably isn’t exact but it was along the lines of “It’s not about the perfect image, it’s about the perfect moment”.  And it’s these moments that I love the most.

Here Audrey and her father during the father daughter dance.  Only the two of them know what was said to make her laugh so, but when she looks at this image ten years from now she’ll be brought back to that moment.

Father daughter dance at wedding - Phipps Tennis Pavilion Denver

Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “We photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth can make them come back again. We cannot develop and print a memory.”

This above all else is what I strive to give my clients on their wedding day, not just the beautifully posed portraits but more importantly capturing the fleeting moments and emotions of the day.




Until next time,

Mark
View my portfolio site | Contact Mark Hayes for your upcoming wedding

By Mark Hayes | Posted in Weddings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment

Mark’s Misc Monday – Catherine’s Commercial Test

September 21, 2009 – 7:30 am

So while my focus is on being the best wedding photographer I can be and capturing those amazing moments, I also do some commercial and model portfolio building work from time to time.   I was looking for a model in her late teens, early twenties for a young college aged look and most importantly I needed someone who could connect with the camera and be expressive.   I think Catherine did a great job and hope to see her around the studio again for some commercial work from time to time.

Catherine 1

Catherine 2

Catherine 3

Catherine 4

Catherine 8

Catherine 5

Catherine 6

Catherine 7

Until next time,

Mark - Contact Me!

Mark Hayes Photography | Mark Hayes Photography Blog

By Mark Hayes | Posted in Anytime Sessions, Life, The Universe, and Everything | no comments         No Comments | Add a Comment

Something Cute and Colorful

September 17, 2009 – 9:30 am

Just wanted to post something cute and colorful for heading into the weekend.  A little side capture during the formal photos from Joe and Audrey’s recent wedding at Phipps Mansion.   The flower gardens on the grounds are just breathtaking there and made for a magnificent backdrop to the days formals.

Here a young flower girl, in the Phipps mansion flower gardens, is caught looking at the world through the white gauze fabric of the bow on her dress, probably imagining the veil of her dress on her own wedding day.

Flower Girl - Phipps Mansion - Denver Colorado

Honestly shots like this that are happening either on the side or in between the big formal shots are usually my favorite.

Until next time,

Mark
View my portfolio site | Contact Mark Hayes for your upcoming wedding

By Mark Hayes | Posted in Weddings | Tagged , , , | 2 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment

Thursdays Tip – Formal Photos and seeing each other before the ceremony

September 17, 2009 – 7:00 am

When it comes to the formal photos this is an area that can suck time (and sometimes the life) out of your wedding day.

The timing on these photos typically depends on if the couple is seeing each other before the service or not.   If seeing each other before the service then many of the formal setups, along with a “first look” set of photos, can be taken before most the guests start arriving for the service.  This is a great opportunity to knock these out of the way early and thus free up time between the ceremony and reception.

A few benefits of seeing each other early and doing the formals before the ceremony:

  1. Everyone is at their freshest.   Makeup and hair has just been done and is perfect.
  2. Relieves some of the stress off the rest of the day.  Getting that first look done early gives you a chance to spend some time with the most important person in your world this day before all the emotion of the ceremony hits.   This often helps relieve the stress that can build up during the waiting time before hand.
  3. Limit time everyone has to spend between the ceremony and reception.   Once the ceremony is done most people are ready to go celebrate, this makes that happen faster.   Photos are also easier before hand since there isn’t a handful of family and friends doing the paparazzi part and slowing down the formals as they get their copies of every shot.

Typically for family and wedding party photos regardless of before or after the ceremony I’ll go for the basics such as:

  • Groom w/ groomsman
  • Groom w/ bridesmaids
  • Bride w/ groomsman
  • Bride w/bridesmaids
  • entire wedding party
  • B&G with brides extended family
  • B&G with brides immediate family
  • B&G with brides parents
  • B&G with grooms extended family
  • B&G with grooms immediate family
  • B&G with grooms parents

Those are the core I alway try and knock out right away.   When schedules are tight these can be handled in usually under 15-20 minutes.

If there are requests and time available we then work on other combos, Groom and his dad, groom and best man, bride and her mom, bride and maid of honor, etc.

The key to making photos before the ceremony work however is having everyone at the location early enough to do these photos.  If doing family photos early don’t tell you brother it’s ok to show up just before the ceremony.    All it takes is one person not showing up until just before the ceremony to relegate an entire block of photos to after the ceremony and loosing some of the benefit of seeing each other early and knocking out the formals ahead of the rest of the activities.

Until next time,

Mark
View my portfolio site | Contact Mark Hayes for your upcoming wedding

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