The Beavers

Well, it's been almost two months since I shot my best friends' wedding. So I figured I should get around to updating the ol' blog (with a friendly reminder from Mrs. Beaver of course).

It was absolutely a fantastic experience, despite the fact that it was a very hot summer's day and I was already sweating by the time I arrived at Hessenland Country Inn in Zurich, Ont. The forecast was calling for thunderstorms pretty much all day all over Southern Ontario, but there just happened to be a nice Zurich-sized hole in the sky letting in some sunshine and blue sky with nice puffy white clouds along the horizon.

Hessenland's a beautiful inn located just off Highway 21 between Grand Bend and Goderich. The buildings have character with their bright red roofs contrasting with the greenery all around. The whole area is really nicely landscaped, and there's a nice little pond with a fountain right near the ceremony location as well. Lot of spots for great photos at my disposal here.

The coach house where the reception and bar are located.

I went up to bridal suite to snap a few pictures of the bride and her party before the ceremony and was absolutely floored when I saw Cynthia in her dress and all made up. The bridesmaids were stunning in their aqua blue dresses as well. I knew this was gonna be a great day for photos.

Cynthia in the bridal suite, moments before the start of the ceremony.

The bride and bridesmaids.

Once the girls were ready, we headed down the spiraling stairs to the ceremony location. At this point I was a little nervous as this was the first and only hand fasting ceremony I've ever attended, let alone shot. It's all set up in a circle, with family and friends seated around the outer perimeter; bridesmaids and groomsmen in north, south, east, and west locations; and the bride and groom and officials in the center. But I really enjoyed it as I never felt I was getting in any of the spectator's way of seeing the action. Plus, I enjoyed the fact that no matter which angle I shot the bride and groom from, I could get some of the crowd in the background — I feel like the bride and groom like to be reminded of the wonderful folks who attended their wedding. It was a setup I wasn't used to which really kept me on my toes and moving around lots. It was a workout and definitely a great experience. The whole ceremony went really well thanks to the ef70-300 f/4-5.6 lens I used for the bulk of it, allowing me to keep my distance, not be too intrusive and capturing some of the natural emotions being expressed.

The bride and her father.

These are some of the moments I just love to capture. Probably my most favorite shot of the day.

First kiss as the Beavers.

Now comes the part of the day I've been waiting for — the wedding party shots. This is where we get to have fun and be a bit creative. And like I said earlier, Hessanland has lots to offer when it comes to choosing places to shoot posed pictures. We took advantage of a pool, the tower, a rock formation with a  waterfall, and even some farm equipment — I really didn't start the day thinking farm equipment would be incorporated into the photographs. Heck, even one of the Hessenland workers let us use his ATV as a prop! The whole party was super fun to shoot; great personalities and lots of laughter. It was a very laid back experience and I couldn't have asked for much more! Definitely one of my favorite parts of the day.

Again, a very fun crowd to shoot.

The girls up on the tower.

One of my favorite shots of the guys.

And one of my favorite shots of the gals.

After the wedding party shots were done, there wasn't a whole lot of time left for bride and groom shots unfortunately as the dinner and speeches were gonna be starting soon. But we managed to get quite a few done within that little amount of time. And because it's my goal to keep the couple happy, I told 'em I wanted to get a few more shots of the two of them once the dinner and speeches were over with. It was a good thing too, because the sun was starting to set which made for some fantastic lighting.

These two have such a genuine and natural love for each other, which really made shooting them a pleasure!

I was pleasantly surprised with the indoor performance of the ef50 f1.4 lens. I had purchased a Speedlite 430ex II flash prior to the wedding day for the sole purpose of shooting the indoor reception (and future indoor receptions), but it certainly spent more time in the bag than it did on the camera! Probably 90% of the indoor shots were done with the 50mm wide open and the ISO boosted to no higher than 400. It really helped that the indoor lighting was great to shoot in too — not a single florescent light the be found. The overhead chandeliers made for some really dramatic lighting which I used to my advantage during the slow dances. I eventually mounted the flash and used it during the cake cutting. And the flash was very useful once the crowd gotta few drinks in them and hit the dance floor.

The reception hall with the wedding party's table in the background.

A shot of the wedding party's table with everyone accounted for. I was very impressed with the ef18-55 f3.5-5.6 lens that came kitted with my camera.

Another one of my favorite shots. First dance together as husband and wife.

The bride dancing with her father.

Cynthia and Jeff posing next to their tasty cake.

Once the cake was cut, the real dancing began.

Folks having a blast on the dancefloor.

At one point during the night, a small surprise firework display was done for the couple. Afterwards, sparklers were distributed to everyone which really made for some fun shots.

Everyone with sparklers in hand.

Jeff lights a sparkler for Cynthia.

Very pleased how this one turned out.

Cynthia and Jeff: I'd just like to thank you again for giving me the opportunity to capture one the most important days of your lives together. The day was just about as close to perfect as it could possibly be, helping to motivate me that much more to continue pursuing this path in my career. I really couldn't have asked for a better first wedding to shoot. Congratulations to you two and I wish you all the best in your lives as Beavers.