When we set out to do Megan and Monte's couple session yesterday, I had plans to do some cool shots with Smoky Mountains in the background. However, you can't really predict what the weather will be like on top of a mountain, and we ended up caught in the middle of a cloud. Although it wasn't what we planned for, I think that the fog was cool... in more ways than one. The temperature was almost 30 degrees colder on the mountain than in Knoxville, but Megan didn't complain. She was a trooper, and we got some beautiful photos including a few sunset shots with the mountains in the background.

I've resisted posting larger blog photos because they take longer to load for everyone and won't show up on all monitors without scrolling. However, I know that it's hard to really appreciate a photo when it's too small so I'm considering switching to a larger size. Let me know what you think.

On Saturday I photographed the wedding of Rachel and Josh at Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend. Now that the wedding is over, I can finally share some of Rachel's bridal photos that we did at the lodge back in July. I'll be back in a few days to post a preview of the wedding.

Dena and Nate were married Saturday at Park West Church of God in Knoxville, but this wasn't your typical church wedding. Although some guests may have missed the fact that the flower girl threw lucky pennies instead of rose petals as she was carried down the aisle, I don't think that anyone will forget the bride's entrance. Dena started down the aisle with traditional music, but the song suddenly changed to an unexpected rock song by one of the couple's favorite bands.

The quirkiness continued with their choice of music for the first dance, and it was obvious that these two were making the day their own by injecting their own personalities into the wedding.





With an afternoon ceremony and reception inside the church, we had plans to do couple photos outdoors after the reception. Some ominous clouds threatened to disrupt our plans, but it quickly dried up after only a brief shower. We shot a bit around a park near the church and then headed out to a field that I had driven by on the way to the church. As some of you may know, I've been wanting to shoot a bride with some hay all year long, and I finally had the bride and the hay to make it work.

I always try to schedule outdoor portrait sessions or wedding photos within a few hours of sunrise or sunset because afternoon sun is just not fun. If you luck out and have clouds then it can be great, but on sunny days it is better to just wait until the evening when the sun is lower in the sky. The light gets warmer (more golden), and you don't get the horrible shadows and squinting that you have in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, wedding schedules aren't always as flexible as we'd like so you have to learn to work with the sun.

On one recent sunny (and ridiculously hot) day, I shot some photos at the park with sisters S&L. We got some keepers, but I also took the opportunity to snap a few shots that show exactly why afternoon sun is not ideal for outdoor photos.


This shot of the ducklings is a good example of one of the problems we face on sunny days. Even when you can find shade, it is often broken up with patches of bright sunlight. While our eyes are able to accurately view a scene like this, the camera can't expose for both the dark shadows and bright highlights. I actually combined two different exposures to get this one that isn't completely over or under exposed.


You can do some cool shots with full sun, but it is really the worst lighting in my opinion for formal portraits. The three shots below are straight from the camera. The first shot is in full sun. If you don't have any shade and have to shoot in these conditions then you would need to use flash to fill in the shadows on the face. Unfortunately, she was wearing white which, as you can see, is way overexposed in the sunlight. Trying to get an even exposure is tricky enough without having to worry about bright white clothing.

The second shot is of her standing in the uneven shade of a tree (notice one patch of sunlight hit her shoulder). I exposed for her which resulted in a blown-out background. She obviously looks the best in this photo, but you lose the beautiful scenery.

I took the third shot exposing for the background, but this obviously leaves our subject in the dark shade. To fix this, I would need to light her with flash or reflector. That scenario would give the most even lighting, and the white shirt wouldn't be as much of a problem.




Flash can help a lot with photos in the sun, but it will have to work very hard and can overheat on a day that's already super hot. To avoid some of those problems on this day, I just tried to shoot with both the girls and the background in the shade. I also used a reflector to help light some of the shadows. We ended up with some nice shots, but if you want to really take advantage of your surroundings and get some great wide shots then it's best to just schedule your outdoor photos for the morning or evening.






L wore a little brown dress that belonged to her grandmother when she was a little girl. I photographed S wearing it when she was 7 as well.

I often shoot weddings in other cities or for couples that are coming here from other places, and we don't always have an opportunity to meet before the wedding day. Candice and Ryan are one of those couples that booked me without meeting so it was fun to finally put faces with the names and spend a few hours getting to know them during their engagement session last week. They're a great couple, and now I'm really looking forward to their October wedding at Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville.










Earlier in the session, I took a photograph of a brick wall with some peeling paint, and I used it as an overlay this last photo to add even more texture.