Second Shooting a wedding Part Duex

Remember  how I second shot a wedding last year?   I was super lucky enough back in the fall of 2012 to get hired on as a Second Shooter for Karen at  Karen Hendrix Photography.  My sister happened to know someone that used her and she posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for a second shooter for 4 fall weddings that she would be shooting.  I met with her, found out  I could get paid ( woo hoo), and get experience from a pro. How great is that?  She interviewed a few other people but I got the position.

I really learned alot from Karen about how shooting  a wedding works:  how to balance your time, the clients needs, and  still be creative at the same time.   Of the 4 weddings,  the first was down at the Four Seasons on the Landing in Downtown Saint Louis.  It was quite a first wedding to do with her.... huge wedding party and almost all indoors. Indoor shots are still more of  a challenge than the outside shots for me.

Here's a little peak and if you want to see more head over to my photoblog.

My adventures of second shooting at a wedding

 Last October, I was lucky enough to be asked to second shoot at a wedding. I was excited and nervous as hell that I would have nothing but crappy photos. Mark, the friend who asked me, had shot some weddings before and  really knew what he was doing.  He is very knowledgeable about all aspects of photography and how to use it to his advantage.

I feel like  I have some vision but some of the technical stuff is still  lost on me. I learned a ton doing this. I did shoot manual the entire time with RAW and JPEGS so I could  manipulate images later. I don't really have any formula or anything , just watching my ISO, shutter speed and aperture depending on the situation. I also primarily shot with my 28-70mm zoom.  I love that lens.  I use almost all of the time whenever I'm just even taking pictures around my house.

I met him at the wedding site at Jefferson Barracks Park ( yes, the national cemetery is in the same park )  There was this great outdoor space called , that I had never heard of or been to, that the families of the bride and groom  had set  up with chairs and an arbor.

Mark  was the primary photographer so he was front and center with the procession, the ceremony, and all of the important shots.  It was my job to take the side shots and anything else that caught my eye. it was nice to not have all of the pressure:)

We took some pictures of the site and then waited for the bridal party to start showing up.  They were such a cute couple and so easy going. They let us tell them what to do 99% of the time. The didn't have a list of shots and they were happy to try anything we suggested.

Then after the ceremony, we took the group shots that they requested. It was again my job to make sure no had silly faces, or messy hair or  in one case a cell phone in a pocket that I could see in the photos. Whoops!

Aren't the boots awesome?

The flower girl was the niece of the bride  and she was so cute and photogenic.

One of my favorite pictures of the day

After the more formal pictures,  we walked around and took some more pictures of the wedding party. All of these were taken less than 100 feet from the ceremony site.  It was a great location.

We did go down the road to another great location that had more trees with even more color.

The reception was very intimate, had a great dance floor, and just enough room.   I learned lot  about indoor photography with my flash. But there's always room to learn more. Indoor, night time photography is definitely not something I'm 100% with yet.

Like I said before, this wedding seemed easy because they were both so cute and the nicest most easy going people I have ever had to photograph yet. They have spoiled me I'm sure. I can't wait to do this again!

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY How Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Debbie Does Creations - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday
 Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely  -SNAP

Thursday
My rePurposed Life - Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life - Fireflies and Jellybeans - The Shabby Cottage
The Taylor House- House of Hepworths

Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Here Comes the Sun

Saturday

Six Sister's Stuff
Be Different Act Normal
Cheerios and Lattes
Natasha in Oz -Say G'Day

What I Wore Wednesday: Wedding Edition

In my blog travels yesterday,  I found this great site, Absolute Mommy ,and she had a  link up called WIW: Wedding.

In blogging,What I Wore is a cool blog post that just shows off what you were wearing on any particular day.  Normally for me...it's not that exciting or at all stylish....jeans,short sleeve shirt of some kind, and flip flops.   Megan, because it was her anniversary, decided to do her wedding day and invited any and all  to do the same.

I can't remember the name of the maker of my dress only that I finally found it after looking at  6 different dress shops. I drove my family and friends crazy with all of the looking. It was around $800. I had to have lace and I wanted something flow-ey but classic and  I had to have a train.

I had to have my pictures taken with my Charlie before the ceremony. And not be left out, Louie was there too.

Isn't he cute too?

There we are... all married and stuff. Will you look at all of the cameras to the left? Craziness. We were married at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in the Japanese Garden. Very Pretty and someplace we can visit anytime we want. Bonus.

You can see the lace better on this shot. There were also tiny beads for a hint of sparkle. I loved these flowers. So awesome.

The veil was made by my mom. It was full length and awesome-ly simple,attached by just a simple clip.

I wish I still looked this good everyday after taking care of two kids.

A co-worker of mine at the time, Bridget, made the jewelry for me from Swarovski crystals and pearls. She had gotten married a few months before me and I loved what she was wearing. I just wanted something simple but sparkly.( do you see a theme here?)

I even dressed up the clay people that I made for the top of the cake.

Writing this post really makes me want to get my dress out and wear it around the house. I've never felt more pretty than I did that day. It is a shame that we don't get to wear it again. And I still really like my dress. I don't think it looks dated ....yet and maybe I never will. Maybe one of my girls will want to wear it or tweak it a little and then wear it. Even if they don't.... it will always be special to me.