Wow, what a whirlwind trip! In the capital of Country Music, we gathered to help Cousin Ben welcome Emily to the clan. My lovely bride and I could only be there for the ceremony and reception. We got in Saturday early afternoon, and had an early flight back on Sunday morning. We need to plan a longer visit!

Of course, I take pictures. Not as many as I should, but I try. We couldn’t (shouldn’t) take pictures during the ceremony. Probably a restriction by the clergy at the venue or something; I didn’t research too much. But I figured if the Mother of the Groom wasn’t going to take pictures during the ceremony (she wanted to and had a camera!), well, I’M certainly not going to show disrespect! There’s always *after* the ceremony!

Ben and Emily had what appeared to be a very accomplished photographer. He was shooting on a medium format camera; I didn’t quite catch the brand–which really only matters for reasons of status! Anyhow, he was shooting film, but also had a DSLR. This fellow was very quietly going about his business, getting all the formals and what-not. He didn’t seem to have any issues with the other photographers hanging out (mostly just me). The photographer’s assistant (I think) got everybody arranged in the various groupings, and I managed to get some snaps. Trying not to interfere with the photographer, of course. Little lesson here: if you’re at a wedding or other event, where a photographer has been hired to make pictures, do realize that the couple has spent a TON of money on that photographer, and try not to ruin his shots. Even if it means not taking pictures. It’s only respectful.

Ben and Emily were kind enough to look at me for a couple of shots. Really nice of Emily, since she had absolutely NO idea who I was–just some strange guy with a camera.

The reception was pretty spectacular. Oddly, I remember events by the food. For my own wedding, we had simply the BEST barbecue in the WHOLE, WIDE, WORLD! Literally! Well, there was steak to be had at this wedding reception. And let me tell you, that was the single-most tastiest, absolutely tenderest steak I have ever eaten in my life! It just melted in my mouth! I understand the chicken and salmon dishes were delicious, too, but Oh My God that steak!  One bite and all thoughts of making a picture of it just disappeared. THAT’S how good it was!

My lovely bride and I were seated pretty close to the table of honor, so I got another “looking at me” shot. Ben is like, “yeah, I’m the luckiest guy in the world!” It was great seeing those two together; even though I had just met Emily, I could tell the couple was quite enamored of each other. I’m really hoping we can spend more time in that part of the country. We don’t get to hang with that part of the family enough at all.

Congratulations, Ben and Emily! Here’s to a joyous, long, and prosperous life together!

My good friend, photographer Roberto Valenzuela teaches that practice doesn’t help–only perfect practices yields results. OK, he’s not really my good friend–I met him once, payed attention in his class, and follow him on Twitter. But he’s a really nice person, and if I had opportunity is definitely somebody with whom I’d want to be good friends. And surely you’ve heard that saying before–perfect practice. It’s also pretty common in the golf world. Practice the right things.

By a strange twist of fate, I wanted to see if something would work as well as I wanted, and Michelle was thinking she wanted some portraits. Happy coincidence! So we set a date and made some pictures.

Since Michelle has really dark hair, I wanted to shoot her against a black background. Normally dark hair/clothing would fade into the background. I was wanted to see how effective a reflector would be in providing some separation from the background. I was just experimenting, really to see if the reflector would provide noticeable separation or not. I think I got some pretty good shots, though. Michelle makes a pretty model, and is patient with me.

I also tried using a backlight–just a small fluorescent light, daylight-balanced. This gave a little better results in some pictures, but was pretty well overcome with the flash I was using. So, I learned a few things through experience about my gear, which often is the best way to learn. I got some pretty nice photographs, too. All in all, it was a useful session for me, and I really appreciate Michelle’s time and participation. Next time, I’ll try a slight different setup, but still using only one light–which, really, was the goal: making great-looking portraits using just one flash.

So, I have this friend. Her name is Jessica Dawn. I personally have not met anybody; nor, honestly, heard of anybody; who has an unkind word to say about Jessica Dawn. She is a warm, kind-hearted, and caring person. My friend has very definite thoughts about what is right for her in life, and she takes much joy in others discovering and living what is right for them in their own lives. Jessica always assumes the best about someone. And her joy in and descriptions of colorful sunrises is the next best thing to actually experiencing the sunrise! It is truly an honor to know and photograph this woman.

So, I have this *other* friend. His name is Jim. Jim is, coincidentally, married to Jessica. Motorcycles, 4-wheeling on scary precipices, and the occasional video game. Shotgun golf (truly, using shotguns!). I’ve known her-man-Jim almost as long as I’ve known Jessica Dawn. The man is quiet (sometimes) and witty (most times). Jim is handy with his hands on most things mechanical. Possibly on other things, too, but I have no direct knowledge there… He did “help” me change the header on my wife’s Geo Metro once. I say “help”, because I think I mostly just watched. Jim is ever willing to help a friend out in a pinch.

Jessica Dawn and Jim are a wonderful couple, and they’re each awesome folks all on their own. This awesomeness was made possible, in part, by a mother. Nici is Jessica’s Mom. When I heard she was coming to town, I just knew I HAD to make some photographs of the 3 of them! Nici is a great person. I don’t know her nearly as well as I know her daughter, but I do know she’s got a great sense of humor, and I know daughter loves mother greatly. It’s a heartwarming and inspiring experience to watch those two together. I am SO GLAD Nici came to town and unwittingly gave me opportunity to capture a small part of this family!