Judith and David ~ April 23, 2011

It may have been a drizzly, misty day outside at the Spencer Country Inn on Saturday, but it was summer and sun-shiny in the hearts of Judith and David!  We are thrilled to have been chosen as their photographers as we have a real soft spot for this couple, being somewhat more mature and life-experienced when getting married. (we don't say 'older', we say 'experienced'!)  Having things in common with the couple we're shooting makes the whole process even more intuitive and natural.


These two are obviously so in love and contented in where they're at.  Judith's sister was matron of honor, excuse me, "caddy of honor" and her two daughters served as caddies-in-training (flower girls).  David's daughter was a junior caddy (bridesmaid) and his son was best caddy (best man).  Both he and his sister presented a well-spoken and humorous tribute to the newly married couple.  Humor abounded all day as the wedding guests were greeted with a life-sized cardboard stand-up of the Three Stooges in golf attire, and even the Justice of Peace (Arthur Tatro), wedding attendants and the couple themselves donned golf caps after a cleverly crafted exchange of vows incorporating a life imbued with golfing.





DJ Dave Wiley did a great job spinning the tunes.  The Spencer Country Inn has refinished the large dance floor in front of the romantic fireplace, and you can literally see yourself in it!   From time to time we were able to scoot outside between drizzle episodes to get some great shots of Judith and David.

The cake by Carri Allen at Bugaboo Confections was absolutely amazing and tasted even better than amazing!  Judith had arranged for beautiful table centerpieces (golf ball incorporated into the arrangement, of course!) as well as all hers and all the girls' bouquets created by Cohasse Florist.  Even her earrings were golf related! 

Wishing you many, many years of happiness guys, and in the words of the famous Arnold Palmer, "Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect... "

Kinda like marriage at times???

Not Using Professional Photography?

Asking someone who is not a professional wedding photographer to shoot your wedding is like asking a fellow who likes to play in the water to fix your plumbing!  You never know what the results will be and you're taking a real gamble.

Here's an article we found online (apologies to the source - we don't recall where we've seen this)... take a moment to read through and pass along to that friend/cousin/acquaintance you know who says they'd be happy to shoot your wedding since they have a great camera.


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So you are an amateur photographer who has been shooting for a while, and everyone in the family has seen you running around with your digital SLR for some time now, and they’ve generally acknowledged that you are the family photographer. You took the pictures of Uncle Charlie’s 50th birthday, and he was pleased with the results, and your sister has asked you to take photos of her kids which turned out good.


Word gets around and your cousin decides that it would save her a lot of money if you would take the photos of her wedding. She says that she has seen your shots and thinks that you would be a great photographer for her big day. You would like to do it, because after all, you just love taking photos, and you feel that while you haven’t shot a wedding before, it can’t be that different or hard. You are very tempted to take her up on her offer and shoot the wedding.


Sound familiar? If it doesn’t yet it probably will one day. Most keen amateur photographers come across this circumstance at some stage in their lives, and many will choose to shoot the wedding. A lot of the time, this turns out OK and the bride and groom are happy with the results. Sometimes, however, the day doesn’t go so well, and the photographer is left with the knowledge that they have messed up one of the most important days of a couple’s life.


I am not saying that all amateur photographers shouldn’t accept the opportunity to photograph a wedding for friends. In fact, many amateurs are truly inspired and competent event photographers and will do an excellent job. What I am saying is that you, as the photographer, need to understand the implications of accepting the job, the skills required to do it competently and successfully, the equipment you will need, and the planning needed to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

This article is designed to assist amateur photographers successfully photograph their first wedding. I hope that you find it useful.

BEFORE YOU ACCEPT - CONSIDER THIS:

So as detailed above you have been asked to photograph your first wedding. Before you accept there are a few things you should consider.

• Consider if you are competent enough to confidently photograph the wedding

Lesson 2 will specifically talk about the techniques and basic photographic knowledge required to successfully shoot a wedding, but you also need to consider your experience in wedding photography, as well as general photography. For example you may be an excellent photographer in general, but with no wedding experience. If this is the case you are not likely to do a good job.

There are several ways to improve your skills in this respect. The best way, and the only real way to fully prepare yourself, is to assist a professional wedding photographer to shoot several weddings. Some professional photographers will be happy to accept the assistance of a keen amateur with an interest in wedding photography, and allow you to be an unpaid assistant. You may not even take a photo for your first several weddings, but you will undoubtedly learn a great deal. This is how I started my photographic career. I learned how to manage the day, what photos to take, what techniques are required, how to deal with brides and guests and many other skills all by assisting a seasoned wedding pro.


If this is impossible the second way to improve your skill is to read text books on wedding photography. Amazon has dozens of different titles that all provide great advice.  I purchased a couple and read them cover to cover before I ever picked up a camera at a wedding. I still regularly purchase books where I see new techniques that interest me, or new poses and styles that I want to experiment with. Simply do a search on Amazon under "wedding photography" to find dozens of titles, all of which are likely to help you in some way. Scour these books not just for hints, but for suitable poses, etc. You want to have practiced these poses well before the wedding to make sure you have them down pat.

• Suggest that the couple still select a professional photographer

You should explain to the couple that while you are a good photographer, wedding photography is a very specialized skill and that they would be well-served to seriously consider hiring a professional before appointing you. Non-photographers often do not understand the difficulties involved, and they may simply think that by hiring you they get the same results but for no cost. You need to disabuse them of this notion. If they want you to have an involvement for a reason, suggest using a professional who will let you assist him. This will enable you to be involved, but the photographer still has the responsibility of delivering the end result.


Another consideration is that by asking you to photograph the wedding they are effectively asking you to work all day for them - this is not like asking someone to make a reading at the wedding or to play the guitar as the bride enters the church. You will be working hard for 6 - 8 hours, and you will not be able to just relax and enjoy the day as other guests will. While this may be fine if it is a cousin or acquaintance getting married, the closer your relationship to the couple, the more important that you are free to interact with family and friends during the events. Remember that if you are photographing the wedding you can't afford to get too involved with the day as a spectator - you need to be looking every moment for that next photograph. In these circumstances the couple will likely get the best photos by you being free to enjoy the event, while another person does the photography. After all, you can always give your best photos to the couple later - without the pressure of being the sole recorder of their day.


While you may be able to do a great job, if you do not the consequences could be dire, and at best they would have the potential to damage your relationship with the couple and spoil their record of their big day. If the couple is not severely financially constrained, or alternatively just doesn't care about the photography you should press strongly for them to involve a professional.

Engagement Session Inspiration -- So Many Reasons Why

Spring is here and anyone who was engaged over the loooong winter months must be chomping at the bit for those budding trees and sprouting flowers to make their appearance -- we're ready and anxious too to make those great engagement shots happen.

Loving the feel of cool, green grass!

If you're not really certain of where or what you'd like to do, here are some great ideas, and some pointers on what to wear, what to bring, and what to expect. First off, please note that just about ANYWHERE you go there are always great free backdrops available thanks to good ol' 'Mother Nature.' The focus of these shots is YOU anyway - the key is to decide on a setting where you're comfortable and which reflects your unique personalities and interests.

At the Old Stone Church, W. Boylston, MA

You may wish to consider a location where you're shared happy moments together. An outdoor café works well. A park where you've enjoyed nature walks together. Or perhaps you like a more urban look -- brick buildings make for beautiful backdrops, and those can be found nearly everywhere here in New England. If it's a 'less-than-perfect' weather day, no problem! Using an umbrella as a prop makes for interesting photography, reminiscent of Hollywood's greatest musical, "Singing in the Rain."

Speaking of Hollywood, perhaps you'd like to dress up in glamor clothing and create a black-and-white Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers look? Recently we posted a link on our Facebook page about an engagement shoot inside an antique shop since that was an interest the couple shared.

Love your pooch? How about including him/her in your session? It could be at a beach, or the park, or a walk through downtown. How about creating a picnic session with a cozy blanket, your favorite foods, some books ... and don't forget the champagne! If you're the creative type, you may opt to bring some hand-crafted items speaking of love.

Another very popular idea is a hang-out at a seldom-used railroad track. The angle of the track receding into the background provides great visual interest.

OK, so we leave the rest of the ideas to you ... but do give it some thought.

WHAT TO WEAR???

Now we want to emphasize what to wear and/or bring to this (typically) 2-hour session. Most couples (especially the bride) opt to bring an outfit change in addition to the one they are wearing. Be aware that complimentary colors on the bride and groom work best -- not the same colors, but complimenting colors. Avoid too many patterns, or one person wearing stripes, the other wearing polka dots, etc. Wear a color that you've often been told you look great in. For the men, you may wish to bring a sport jacket and/or an extra shirt, one casual, one more dressy. Be yourself tho -- if you're strictly a jeans and sweatshirt person, changing your look entirely will not produce results that you'll ultimately be happy with.

That's it for today.  If you're looking for more pointers, do give us a call, shoot us an email, or post a comment here.  We'd love to help and to know your thoughts!

Central MA Wedding Locales-- Part II

Happy Daylight Savings Time! This means that wedding season here in New England cannot be far behind! For those of you who haven't been immersed in the wedding industry the way Wakeen Photography is, we thought we'd continue with Part 2 of our pictoral review of much-loved reception sites in our area.

There are way too many to mention (it would have been interesting if Chris had kept a count all these years of how many places he's shot weddings), but here are a few that we frequent most often ... it's going to be great getting back to these places after a cold, snowy winter!

Pictured above is a beautiful table setting at White Cliffs in Northborough; the "sweetheart" table is seen in the background. They do a wonderful, high-class presentation. Ann Marie, you're the best!



In the bridal suite at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, Chris grabs an impromptu shot of this beautiful bride primping before meeting her groom. The Beechwood recently received a Four-Diamond rating in the hotel industry. Congratulations!

This mirrored shot is actually the headboard behind the bed. Mirrors make great photographic props. This shot (below) is one of Chris' favorites.








When searching for a unique venue for your wedding reception, don't overlook places you may not have initially considered. The Worcester Art Museum offers truly exquisite surroundings with an artistic flair ... your guests may appreciate the opportunity to do something in addition to the expected dining and dancing -- a docent-led tour of selected galleries. We just love this photo (below) of the Renaissance Court with its incredible mosaic flooring, its impressive columns and its golden light.


For all you Red Sox fans out there, why not consider having your wedding photos taken at Fenway Park! If your ceremony is in Boston, there's no reason not to look into this option if the bride and groom share a passion for our Sox!


And if you're really not into the urban setting, why not consider a country or pastoral atmosphere? Zukas Hilltop Barn in Spencer, MA (below) offers a gorgeous setting for outdoor tent weddings (offered May thru October) and is a personal favorite of Vic's (considering Spencer her ol' hometown where her daughter was born). They also offer a beautiful indoor reception November thru April, accommodating up to 150 people.

For 2011 you'll find us in Sterling at the Chocksett Inn, in Boylston at Cyprian Keyes, in Spencer at the Spencer Country Inn, and in Sturbridge at the Publick House, among other places.

Well, this concludes our review of some of the gorgeous venues we are blessed to frequent as wedding photographers!

Central MA Wedding Locales-- Part I

There are so many wonderful locales in the central Massachusetts region for a wedding ceremony and/or reception. Chris has creatively recorded all of it in photo form as a full-time professional wedding shooter, long before I (Vic) came along ... and a few since I joined him as partner.

Spring is in the air - can you feel it?! We're so excited for the 2011 wedding season to ramp up! Here are some examples of the great places where wonderful photography happens. It's a joy to work with the management of these venues, and we look forward to many more years to come!



The Old Stone Church in West Boylston, MA (and the adjacent reservoir) is a favorite locale, particularly in the fall ... it's definitely worth a stop after the ceremony for those traditional poses that are part of most wedding albums.







To the right is the outdoor ceremony site at the Harding Allen Estate in Barre, MA ... whether spring, summer or fall, this locale has SUCH beautiful gardens and architectural elements, not to mention the gorgeous interior of the mansion itself ... it's pure joy to shoot a wedding here!





Here in the bridal room at the Harding-Allen, Sarah prepares to meet her groom downstairs ... it's a great spot for the bride and her bridesmaids to change into their dresses, gather up their bouquets, sip some champagne ... and for us to fire off a few shots!










NOT to be overlooked is the beautiful site of Harrington Farm in Princeton, MA, renowned for its unforgettable elegance and country charm. Amid the warm, golden post-and-beam construction is plenty of room for dining and dancing, as this fun wedding party can attest to.
















The Manor in West Boylston is also a great venue for outdoor photography, with its new gazebo and manicured grounds.

Of course this is just a very small sampling of what's available in central Massachusetts for wedding and reception venues. Stay tuned for next week's blog for more.

Anyone for Cake?

Lately we've been thinking about cake -- the wonders of wedding cakes, to be specific, and how they can be beautiful works of art in themselves. And so we started going through the archives and realized just how MANY Chris has photographed. You figure for every wedding there is surely some sort of dessert at the reception and Chris makes certain all aspects of the day are documented for the bride and groom. So much attention goes into the details of the wedding day, and so we try to capture every bit of it. Here are some real beauties ... after reviewing these, I think it's time to go see what we've got for sweets in the cupboard .... yum!