Weddings
Engagements
Portraits
Posted on March 9, 2010
Who remembers what wedding cakes looked like 15 or 20 years ago? Back then, the measure of a good cake was its height. If it wasn’t taller than the tallest groomsman, it wasn’t tall enough. And height wasn’t enough. A good cake would be sort of like a national park, featuring waterfalls, bridges and some other miscellaneous architecture.
Take, for example, this cake that graced the wedding of a dear friend of mine in the mid-1990s… (for reference purposes, the groom is 6′4″)
This cake features beads dangling from each tier, a fountain and, yep, a horse and carriage. No bridges, though, as the bride knew that would be too much.
And today’s wedding cakes are definitely a feast for the eyes. Today’s cakes are works of art, with delicate decorative icing, complementary flowers and a variety of shapes. So your cake isn’t just dessert – it’s something to ooh and ahh over. And it’s one of my favorite details to photograph. While I find the cookie table quite irresistible, I have to admit that cakes don’t tempt me. I don’t know why, since most people are just crazy about cake, but I’ve always enjoyed looking at them more than eating them.
Below, some of my favorite cakes from 2009.
The brown icing coordinated with the groom and groomsmen’s brown tuxedoes. And, of course, the sunflowers! This one was carrot cake.
This one combined both square and round layers. I could hardly stop staring at the icing detail! So intricate and perfect. I have no idea how the bakers manage it.
You can have a lot of fun with cake toppers, too. On this cake, created by Cakes by Tammy, the bride and groom are joined by a miniature version of their beloved Doberman.
I loved the roses accenting this chocolate cake, from Cakes by Debbie Sutara.
As calla lilies had been prominent in the stunning bouquets and centerpieces in this wedding at The Pennsylvanian, there were several of them on this square cake from Rania’s. (Flowers by Blooms Florist, LLC.)
This statuesque cake, topped with orchids from Blooms Florist, LLC. was a perfect match for the towering ceiling in the Carnegie Music Hall foyer.
Also popular: cupcakes! These are from the Velvet Sky Bakery. These included tempting flavors like Raspberry Lemonade, Chocolate Twist, Boston Cream and Vanilla Almond.
Want to see more cakes? Check out:
Posted on February 17, 2010
I like having a waist pack while shooting weddings, and was dissatisfied with the Lowepro waistpack I’d been using while shooting weddings. It was fairly functional, but small. And let’s just say that I was not going to win any fashion awards while wearing it.
So, Boda’s announcement of the V3 bag caught my attention. I ordered in October, knowing that the estimated shipping date was early November. Apparently Boda had a series of unfortunate events that caused repeated delays, so I didn’t receive it until about a week ago.
I can’t give a complete review yet, as I don’t think I’ll be able to get a strong sense on how the bag will work for me until I use it during my first wedding of the year (mid-April). I do have some thoughts about what I like about it and some aspects of it that I’m not sure about.
My first reaction is that the bag is super strong and rugged and feels like it will last forever. It is firm and sturdy and doesn’t bend. The zippers feel unbreakable. A few times I had a little bit of trouble getting the zippers to budge, though. Maybe they need to be broken in? I hope this isn’t an issue.
The shoulder strap has a thick pad on it. I have the strap adjusted as short as it can go and think if I could shorten it a little bit more, I probably would. Not many folks are as vertically impaired as I am though. (5′1″.) I was dismayed when I realized that the “comfort waist accessory” is not included. Considering the bag costs $195, I would expect it to come standard. I haven’t ordered the waist accessory yet. I am sure I will need it, but I’m still getting over my annoyance at having to pay extra for it.
It’s a very tall bag. Here it is next to a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS so you can see just how tall it is.
So not only does it fit a 70-200… it actually fits a 70-200 with the lens hood attached. That is a TALL bag! Also, you can see that I of course opted for the plum interior. I love the color!
Again to show the height of the bag, here I have a 24-70 f2.8L on one side and a 16-35mm f2.8L on the other side. The partitions are all movable.
The Boda is so tall, I was able to stack the 24-70mm and 16-35mm lenses on top of each other.
I’m not sure I see the wisdom in being able to stack lenses. It reminds me of a friend’s apartment in college with what I believe is called a “captured” bedroom – where you have to walk through one bedroom to get to another bedroom. I’m concerned that if I have two lenses stacked, it’ll be a hassle to get to the lens on the bottom. But we’ll see.
I love the media pocket.
My favorite feature – the beer bottle pocket! (Disclaimer: of course I am joking. As much as I love beer, I never drink and shoot.)
In reality I will be much more likely to store one of my beloved flashes in there. It’s a little tight, but it works.
There is actually a water bottle pocket with drawstring. It is a good fit for a flash as well.
Above the water bottle pocket are two more pockets. One did just barely fit my bloated wallet, and the other just barely fit my cell phone. In the photo below, the flap is open. I was able to get the flap to velcro shut, but it wasn’t easy and I’m not sure if it would stay put.
So I might store my wallet in the front pocket instead, where there is also lots of room for batteries. (Thanks to Leo for holding the flap open for this photo.)
There’s one more small pocket at the bottom of the front of the bag.
How much can you fit in the Boda v3? Here’s what I squeezed in:
- 70-200mm f2.8L IS with hood reversed
- 24-70mm f2.8L with hood reversed
- 16-35mm f2.8L with hood turned sideways
- 85mm f1.8
- Canon 580 EX II (2)
- Honl grid spot
- Honl snoot
- Cybersync transmitter
- Cybersync receiver
I didn’t include any batteries or CF cards, but I’m sure I could fit as many as I’d need. Here’s what it looked like packed full – and it sure was heavy!
Another view of the bag fully packed. The 85mm is on top of the 70-200mm, and the two wide angle zooms are stacked.
Look for another report in a couple months after I’ve put the Boda through its paces.
Until them, here are a few links to reviews by other folks.
- Scott Bourne’s review (I heartily recommend his straightforward and entertaining Photofocus podcast as well)
- Jay’s review
- Armin Defiesta’s review
Posted on February 14, 2010
I’m sure we all wish we lived in a perfect world where everything always runs perfectly and nothing ever goes wrong or strays the slightest bit from perfection. Actually, that sounds kind of boring. Where’s the fun in predictability? On the other hand, your wedding day is one time when you really do just want everything to go smoothly. But it doesn’t always happen.
My own wedding day had only a few small hiccups. Due to a complex set of circumstances, two of my early 20s cousins from New Jersey were borrowing my mom’s car while my mom, my sister, a few friends and I had our hair and makeup done. These Jersey boys discovered that Pittsburgh wasn’t quite as easy to navigate as they thought, and we found ourselves waiting and waiting for them at the salon, when we should have been driving to the wedding site. Eventually a friend and I set off in someone else’s car. Only one problem… my shoes and undergarments and my sister’s shoes and undergarments were all in the missing car.
No matter. Otherwise we wouldn’t have this photo of my sister and me with our boots. (Pardon atrocious quality – it’s a picture of a picture)
My cousins did show up in plenty of time before the ceremony, and of course were both forgiven and mercilessly teased.
As a wedding photographer, it’s my job to be sure I am as prepared as possible for anything that can go wrong. This means backup of everything, and an ability to stay calm, troubleshoot, and quickly come up with an alternate solution if something stops working.
Here are a few real life examples of times when Something Went Wrong.
- Just a few minutes into shooting a wedding, my camera displayed “ERR01″ and would not shoot. I quickly switched to my second camera, and handed my camera to my assistant, who removed and replaced the battery, CF card and lens. ERR01 appears when something is amiss with the lens contacts, so all you should have to do is remove the lens and reseat it, and also possibly clean the lens contacts. Fortunately it only happened once and then didn’t act up again.
- Only about half an hour into shooting, my camera’s battery meter indicated that the battery was low. And this was a camera with a battery grip, meaning it has two batteries in it, and should easily last an entire wedding and more. I swapped out the batteries with new ones (even though I almost never run through batteries, I always bring several spares) and it still indicated low battery. At this point I realized that the battery grip had come loose. I tightened the connection and voila, full battery.
- After arriving at a reception and starting to set up an off camera light, I couldn’t find the transmitter that attaches to my camera and sends the signal that fires that off camera flash. At the time, I didn’t have a backup transmitter (but I do now!) so I used on camera flash and available light. I suspected that it had fallen off my camera at the hotel where the men were getting ready, so I called to ask if it had turned up. I was thrilled to receive a phone call a few days later from someone in housekeeping – they had found it in the lobby! I am so grateful to the hotel staff for taking the time to look and call me and even mail it back to me. I had already ordered another one so that I would have a backup. I also devised a better system to be sure that the transmitter doesn’t fall off.
I have a number of other “just-in-case” backups and items on hand…
- A full spare set of clothes, just in case… you never know when you might trip and fall in mud (or snow!) or someone might spill a drink on you.
- A grooming set with scissors, mirror, etc., available for anyone in the bridal party who might need it.
- A few single dollar bills and quarters, for parking, tips or bribery. I recall a single dollar saving the day when a full bridal party was assembled on the church altar, ready for their formal photo. The full bridal party, minus one rambunctious ring bearer who had decided he’d been in enough pictures. I offered him a buck if he would kindly return, and presto, back he went.
- Snacks and water. It’s a long day and I have to keep my energy going – and stop me from eating all the cookies!
Posted on February 3, 2010
If you haven’t hired a planner to help coordinate your wedding details, I encourage you to consider doing so.
Why?
Planning an event as complicated – and important – as a wedding is a huge task. Countless hours will be spent looking for vendors, evaluating your options, reading contracts, calculating your budget and making sure all the pieces fit together. And that’s just the beginning! Then there all the phone calls, e-mails, and meetings that you have to keep track of, making sure everyone is on schedule to do what you’ve asked them to do. The wedding planning becomes a full-time job, and unfortunately, most employers don’t have a provision for wedding planning leave.
A wedding planner will help you manage all of your details and ensure that everything is taken care of. A skilled planner will not make your decisions for you, but will discuss your style and ideas with you and then see that your vision is carried out. She (or he) will be your point of contact with all of your vendors so that you are not burdened with having to communicate and coordinate with everyone involved in your wedding.
Sometimes not everything goes as expected on a wedding day. The guests’ shuttle doesn’t show up, and instead of guests being driven to the reception as you promised, they’re left standing in their hotel lobby. The florist gets lost on the way to the ceremony. If you’ve hired a wedding planner, these wayward vendors will have a point of contact other than you – so that you can relax and enjoy your day, and not have to be bothered with these details.
Brides and grooms getting married in Pittsburgh are lucky to have the opportunity to hire Sumer Schmitt of Simply Perfect Weddings. Sumer is the owner and principal wedding planner, and offers several different options for wedding planning services. You can opt for full-service planning, with management and support throughout the entire planning process. Day-of coordination is also available, and Sumer is also now offering hourly consulting services.
Why hire Sumer? When she talks about the brides she works with, her eyes light up. She has so much energy, motivation and love for her work, and such warmth for the relationships she builds with her brides. I first met Sumer at a wedding. She was focused on making sure everything went according to plan (and it certainly did!). She was calm and confident, but also fun and upbeat and happy. I am sure that her reassuring presence was a large part of why the whole wedding party was able to relax and enjoy their celebration, knowing that she was taking care of all of the details.