And the light continues to die. Finally! The dock is clear, but there are more people headed our way. The bride knows she wants a pretty picture, but isn't specific. We often find that clients have big general ideas of what they want as an end result, but aren't always able to convey that. "I don't know where to look." "I don't know where to put my hands." "I don't like to smile."

This is where training, experience and confidence come in. We consider our surroundings, consider our subject, and then make the best decision for posing and gear. And all the decisions are made on the fly. When the couple, moved by  love or whimsy, decide to run down the stairs and kiss on the beach, we run with them. We are framing in camera, seizing the opportunity, envisioning what we'll have to work with when we sit down to edit.

Professional photography is so much more than just showing up with some nice cameras, taking a thousand pictures, and praying that a hundred or so nice ones shake out. We don't get up on Saturday morning, laze around sipping coffee while the house elves replace batteries, test equipment, discuss the shoot and load gear. When we show up for a wedding shoot, we've researched the venue, carefully prepared our equipment, chosen the components to bring with us, and discussed at length the various set ups and poses we feel will work. A wedding party of sixteen is not the same as a small group of four. All of these things need to be considered. When a bride says, "Make me look beautiful," she's not just asking for a snapshot that will be run through some cellphone editing app. She's expecting a great return on her investment. A quality image that she'll be proud to hang on her wall and share with family, friends, and visitors. That quality image starts in the viewfinder and ends after careful, thoughtful editing that we do ourselves. We were there. We know what pictures matter to you.

They matter to us as well. We produce images that we are proud to deliver, proud to put in our portfolio, proud to put our name on.

Now that our youngest is embarking on his final year of high school, we anticipate a whole slew of picture taking heretofore unseen in our household. No regrets. And you shouldn't regret it either. These days, they go so fast. Don't let them pass you by.

Are you a blushing bride?  Did you know that subtle pinks, nudes and beiges are in?  Are you a high fashion wedding couple?  Pretty bride, are you going to show off your lovely shoulders?  Maybe you are going to knock trends and go for something uniquely your own.  School colors.  Favorite colors.  A wedding in a garden.  In the back yard.  At the courts.

We'll go where you go and we'll capture your fab style forever in images that you can revisit again and again. 

Check this out: http://www.weddingpartyapp.com/blog/

You can turn something old into something new.

http://thesimpleyear.com/what-do-i-do-with-my-wedding-dress/

Or consider donating yours, giving it even more special meaning.

http://www.thebridesproject.org

We've seen bouquets made by dear friends, cakes made by a beloved aunt, table number signs made with photographs lovingly donated by friends and family that reflect the different stages in the couple's life.

Are you handy and creative? 

We know of a great website with beautiful ideas.

http://www.stylemepretty.com/wedding-diy/

Check it out, and get in touch with your inner creativity. Personal touches on such a special day of your life just means so much!

<3

Here is some solid advice:

http://www.getwed.com/articles/the-groom-s-guide-to-wedding-day-grooming-us-en

They want to look just as good as the brides in their pictures. Share it with the groomsmen, too.

*if clicking the link doesn't redirect you, just copy and paste it into your browser

Bridal beauty is a big deal, we get it.  And even though we like to find the beauty in everyone and everything, we know that sometimes you want to enhance your assets with some gorgeous bridal makeup.  Your wedding day is one of the biggest, most photographed days of your life, so why not get some advice on how to look your best?

We looked at some beauty blogs and websites, and we like what this one has to say.

Check it out here:  http://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/cosmetics/101-wedding-makeup-looks/

See you at the altar, Beautiful!

Your big day is a busy one, and hopefully you are focused on every sweet moment. But there will be distractions, and while you are living through one of the best days of your life, we will be right there with you, watching for all the awesome things happening around you that you simply won't have time to notice.

A stolen kiss. A quiet moment. Flower petals strewn along the aisle. Shenanigans. Because shenanigans will happen.

We want to be able to relive all the things that were happening that day.  That's why with two of us working as a team, we're able to cover more areas, capture more images, double your fun!

That picture up there? Yeah, that happened.  Maybe the bride didn't see it.  But we did, and now she can go back to it again and again.

And think of what you'll have for #throwbackthursday years from now!

(This deliciousness brought to you by the folks at the Hilton Cocoa Beach)

Some brides plan their wedding for years. Others are spur of the moment, "Hey, we're all here on vacation, let's get married," type of ladies. This weekend we had the pleasure of catching both kinds. One we planned for, one we didn't.

We were sitting around on Saturday afternoon talking about dinner(!) when we got the call. A bride's wedding had happened in Cocoa Beach, and the photographer didn't show. The whys and hows aren't as important as the fact that there was a missed moment, an upset bride, and we were being given an opportunity to go in and catch as much as possible of what was left. The bride was, understandably, upset. We would be going into considerably unhappy territory.

We felt up to the challenge. At worst, the bride would be feeling so devastated that she would turn away from the idea of maybe recreating the ceremony and salvaging what was left. At best, they would be game for a do-over with photographers they'd never met. We kept these thoughts in mind as we changed into our super suits and threw gear in the car. On the ride to the venue we discussed how to handle the shots. We were losing daylight, but the evening was beautiful. The wedding party would be dining outdoors on the deck.

We messaged our contact from the parking area as we pulled cameras and lights out. They were aware we were on the property, but we were walking into an unknown.

Things turned out great. It's that simple. The lovely blue-eyed bride and her stoic groom were so much fun! The whole troop had come in from colder regions and had been enjoying the fantastic weather and everyone was sun kissed (if not a little burnt). There were children. Good friends. Family. Down on the beach the chairs were still in neat rows...so why not? Before we knew it we were shooting a Mulligan, and even though they were not the emotions of the original moment, they were the true emotions of the right now. So much laughter! Such good sports! Someone even wrangled a bystander into being the stand-in officiant. (We are gathered to celebrate this thing called life.) :)

Yes, a change of plans can be a bummer. You might think there's no remedy.

Lemonade people. It can be so, so sweet.

We hear this all the time.   Although this is true — our Canon gear does not fail to astound — it doesn't quite tell the whole story.

Every shoot yields hundreds of images, and it's our job to comb through each and every photo to find the ones that best tell the story of the day.  A sweet bride giving an over-the-shoulder smile.  A groomsman sliding across the dance floor on his knees.  But the cold truth is that often times, aside from the emotion or action captured, these photos look, well... unremarkable.  Part of the skill set that we possess is the ability to look past this and "see" the potential true beauty that's waiting to be released from the image.   Not unlike a sculptor walking around their untouched marble block, we mentally walk around these images, imagining what ways we can make it more special.  Sometimes it's as simple as a tweak of color, contrast, or brightness.  Other times it means multiple trips into various pieces of advanced imaging software for just the right effect, or even some true digital surgery to remove distracting elements.  

Look at the photo below.

It's a lovely shot of the first dance.  His expression is gentle, pleasant, and completely focused on her.  The rim of light on them both looks great, and they're nicely bookended between two wall sconces.  Wwwaitaminnit... is that an exit sign above their heads?  Yep.  And not even off to the side — it's center stage!  That'll have to go.  The rest of the photo looks alright, but what can we do to enhance the focus of him on her?  Maybe dim the lights in the rest of the room some so the viewer is just as focused as he is... and a touch of contrast.  Let's see...

Perfect!  The sign is gone, the lights are dimmed, the contrast is bumped.  Now the focus is completely on the couple, not the exit sign or the random onlookers behind them.  Feels like we found what the image was hiding, doesn't it?

For better comparison:

Now we repeat this process on the next photo.  Then the next.  All the way through to the end.  This perhaps explains why we take a few weeks to return your fully edited photos, and why our job is SO much more than just showing up and snapping these pictures for a few hours.

So, yes, the camera DOES take great pictures.  But hundreds of hours of education on techniques, gear and software certainly doesn't hurt either!

We were pretty excited to see the beautiful sunrise over the water this morning.  It was so breathtaking that people were pulling off the road to take pictures of it.  With their cellphones! (What'd we tell you about putting those to good use?)

Did you know there are all kinds of editing apps available for iPhone?  There are! 

You can check out some here:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-apps/10-great-iphone-camera-apps.htm

We have Androids, and we have editing apps for those too, but today we'll just focus on iPhone and iPads.  Every wedding we've shot in the last six months has had at least one person there either using their iPad camera or recording video on the iPad.  Which is awesome; we get it. Just remember when you are doing that to make sure to abide by some basic rules of photography etiquette.  Don't put the attention on yourself, don't get in anyone's way, stay unobtrusive.  Unless you are part of the team hired for the event, do your best to work around them, and try not to confuse the bride and groom by calling to them to look your way.  We'll get our photos and move out of the way for you to get yours. We understand that you want to get lots of candid photos for your records as well. We don't mind if you want to get your own shot of our setup, we just want to make sure that we have our subject's attention so that we can return to the them the best possible images of their day.

We can all work happily together! Go teamwork!

(And happy, sleepy Monday. Get out there and make it a great week!)

So much is going on during your wedding day.

We, as photographers, catch the obvious; the portraits, the reception, the exit for your honeymoon. But we also catch the details.  We make sure to catalog the little things that happen.  Someone bustles your gown. The kids are playing around off to the side.  Your grandma is tearing it up on the dance floor.  Go Granny Go!  You may not see everything going on as your day zips by, but that's what we're for.  And with two of us working as a team, you get more coverage for your investment.

Years from now, when you look over your treasured photographs, you'll be glad that you chose professionals to see what you didn't, and put it all together for you.

(The picture at left is from our Valentine's Day Wedding. Leah's beautiful dress is being bustled before her reception.)

Do you remember how old you were when you got your first real camera? Deb here- it was for my eleventh birthday, and I got a Kodak 110 Instamatic. Best. Present. Ever. I took that thing everywhere. I took pictures of the neighborhood kids, flowers, my feet.  I had the vision, but the camera wasn't capable of what I was trying to elicit.  When I got my first 35MM (a Yashica) I was in heaven.  Lenses! A real flash! Settings! I was pretty excited.

I could spend entire weekends taking pictures. The seashore. Piers. Old houses. Friends. I shot for the yearbook.  The school paper. All the while I was learning and growing.  I acquired more sophisticated cameras and in the nineties I got my first digital! Mike got it for me and it was like gold. (You can see it there, on the left.  Shout out to the shiny Olympus.)  That opened a whole new world for us.  No longer did we have to deal with messy darkrooms and the chemical smell (although I do still have a strange affection for it) or send film off for processing.  Even with the advent of dropping off your film in the local Target or Wal-Mart, it still took too long and the color match was never quite right.  Our first digital SLR was a Canon Rebel.  I have so much love in my heart for that camera. We used it to document so many things in our lives. With digital images we were able to share photographs with friends and family near and far. Funny thing is, our current cellphones are actually better than that old Rebel, but I'm still nostalgic for it.

When we decided to make photography our business, we graduated to the wonderful Canon 5D. Mike did extensive research and we decided that the brand was worth the investment. That's what we're using today, and we stand behind the quality and dependability of the product.  Hiring a photographer isn't just about having them show up-it matters if they are using quality equipment too.

In our business you meet many people behind the scenes, and before you know it you are friends and at times co-conspirators. We really enjoy the work, but there is a lot going on in the background which generally involves carrying gear back and forth, testing lighting, going over equipment and shot lists. Often, other vendors are doing the same thing-like this DJ, Brian Hawkins.  

Brian is often at the same events we are (what luck!) and occasionally we find a way to be a little silly while doing the  work.  At this particular wedding there was a photobooth, so we tested out some of the props with Brian, our willing subject. He's such a fun person, and he really knows how to run a dancefloor, emcee an event, and he can even officiate! Talk about your one stop shop-he's da man!

In the days following a shoot we kick it up into high gear.  There are images to be sorted through-only the best are kept. We may take several hundred shots during your day, more than a thousand even, and though they are carefully framed, lit, and captured, they don't all make the cut.  People are human...and unpredictable. The children are easily distracted, and get tired of all the adult shenanigans. "I have to sit still again?" "I don't want to smile!" "This is boring!" We get it.  But we try our best to get their great expressions.  Sometimes the bride and groom are confused about which way to look.  Maybe there are friends and family taking advantage of the professional photographers' posing, and they step up to snap some shots too.  To help your pros minimize retakes, always listen to their direction.  Of course you want to oblige everyone, but you've paid the pros to provide you with top-of-the-line images, and we want to deliver that for you. 

We sit in the editing chair for days and days after your event, but we're not complaining!  We relive the moments through your pictures, commenting on the beautiful dress, the adorable kids, the fantastic place settings, the sweet first dance. All the while we are eliminating images where someone blinked, the lighting is not quite right, or maybe there's an unintentional photobomb.  (Actually, there are some pretty humorous intentional photobombs, and we keep those in!) We try to put ourselves in your shoes, imagining if you would definitely want a particular image, or if you definitely wouldn't.  Were your beloved grandparents caught holding hands at the table?  It's a keeper.  Are the groomsmen clinking glasses off to the side?  Yep, that's staying in too.  What about your sorority sisters?  Are they meeting just outside the door to the ballroom laughing?  Got it, and it's staying in.  The pictures that don't tell the story fall by the wayside, so that you can have the best of your day available for you to review over and over again whenever you like.

We love the process, and love seeing our clients' faces when they see the finished product.  We want you to know that we understand that thrill, and we are working hard behind the scenes every day to get it to you. 

Here at home we've been 'sunned in' with all this beautiful weather. We even managed to spend time in the hammock, which was a really nice break. Lots of friends and family this weekend, and lots of cooking. Not much in the way of sleeping in though. There'll be time for that when we're retired. 

We saw a lot of activity on our Terrier Sound galleries last week. Did you know that not only can you purchase prints for a very low price, you can download those images for free? We love having music in our schools, and it's a mission of love for us to help support it. Donate your time, effort, voice, yes, even a couple of dollars whenever you can. We can't imagine a world without music.

So now it's officially going to be spring (here in Central Florida it's been spring for weeks) and we've got the fever. Lot's of editing lined up, (those things just don't take care of themselves) weddings on the horizons, training, (we're always learning) and a new veggie garden to plant.  Photographers-we're just like you!  This year we're going to try garlic, because the whole family is a big fan. We go through a lot of garlic. Why by frozen garlic bread when you can make your own delicious loaf? (We warned you we might talk about food!)

Here's a delicious recipe:

4 garlic cloves

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 baguette (24 inches long), halved crosswise, then lengthwise

Coarse salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Okay, so maybe she won't get drunk, but your friend should be enjoying your day with you, while the professionals are there to do a job.  While you are dancing, singing, eating, (and we don't take pictures of you eating, because nobody looks good in mid-chew) laughing and crying, we are on the move, watching, aiming, shooting.  Your friend is going to be laughing, eating, and drinking right along with you, and that's the way it should be.  When you hire a professional, you leave the worrying about capturing the details to us, so you can get on with your celebration without worrying that something will be missed.  When you hire us you get two photographers, so we can have even more eyes on the situation. When you make your grand entrace, one of us will be tracking your happy steps, while the other will be capturing the reaction of the guests. While the bouquet is being tossed, one of us will be focusing on the bride, the other on all the single ladies. 

There is so much fun to be had on your big day, and you want all of your friends and family to enjoy it right along with you. And while we get a buzz off of all the positive energy at your wedding, we never forget that we are there to provide a service, to do a job (that we love) and to capture your radiance!

Did you have a good weekend?  Here in central Florida we had summer temperatures and tornado warnings.  It can make planning our wardrobes and planning how to handle our gear interesting, to put it mildly.  We went with short sleeves (always black, we want to hide in the shadows and not put any attention on what we're doing) and comfy shoes, ready to walk through sand and puddles, if necessary.  We were split down the middle on the morning coffee temps-he went for steaming hot, I went for ice cold!

Our wedding this weekend was filled with tradtition and sentiment.  Something old was everywhere.  The bride's grandfather helped build the pretty little church the ceremony took place in, and in her bouquet she carried her grandparents' wedding rings. Our bride also wore her mother's veil; however, she had the "big seventies headpiece" taken off.  Her mother and she were just adorable in their interactions.  And when we arrived to shoot, it did not go unnoticed the many Starbuck's cups strewn about.  We all need our caffeine, including wedding parties!  Often their day starts out early, even if their ceremony isn't until the afternoon or evening.  There's hair, makeup, dresses, limo rides. All these things take time, and we have yet to meet a bride that isn't under some sort of time crunch, trusty caffeine-infuser at the ready. 

Mornings are tough enough. Wedding mornings are even more so, wouldn't you agree?

How do you get yourself going? What's your poison?

Have a cup, pop the top, and drink it down. Here's to a great week, everyone!

P.S.  Here's a bit about that sweet little church.  We'll have some pitcures up soon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_Catholic_Church_(Palm_Bay,_Florida)

Okay, we're not that happy today, but we're trying. Our oldest is back on his journey to Germany, and it'll be awhile before we see him again. We had so much fun his last night here, setting up the camera and taking lots of pictures of all of us together. We'll be looking back at those for awhile!

That aside, it is Friday, and generally that's a pretty awesome thing, so let's celebrate! Drink non-diet soda! Eat candy! (We often pack candies and sodas in our gear. One never knows if we'll get a break to eat or drink, so we plan for that).

This weekend we have a wedding in a sweet little church, and then we're moving on to the venue for the reception, the Radisson in Melbourne Beach: http://radissonmelb.com/  It's a fun way to spend a Saturday, and the weather has been fantastic for days.  This is the stuff that the Chamber of Commerce brags about.

What are you all up to this weekend? Sleeping in? Are any of you recovering from a snow coma? Do you have spring fever yet?  Sunday we plan on spending some quality time in the hammock before getting back to editing. We all need a little downtime every now and again.

Get out there and enjoy it, and take lots of pictures!

Is it work? Sure, and sometimes real life gets in the way. With both boys home and both of us with obligations in different directions, it can make for hectic days and busy nights, but we try to always spend a little time connecting with everyone both during the day, (hello texting and Facebook!) and at the dinner table.

It's cliche, but we are kind of old fashioned when it comes to trying to all be at the same place at the same time several times a week, and that place is almost always at our big old table in the kitchen. We love cooking almost as much as photography, and luckily, they both can bring people together.

This week we are planning a big dinner on Thursday for friends and family, and then the rest of the week will be chaos. The weekend will be starting, we'll be prepping for a wedding shoot on Saturday, and our oldest is back on the road.

But we love it. We love all of it. Do you love what you do? Do you cook? Do you take pictures? Maybe you have a hidden author inside of you, or an uninhibited dancer! If you can find even one small thing in your day or week to practice what matters to you, just do it.  Sometimes you have to make a date with yourself to get it done, but it's worth it. 

We began the weekend by gearing up and shooting a sweet wedding at a local church. The bride was lovely, the groom was quiet and charming, and the dress was gorgeous. The church had some great stonework that made an interesting backdrop to shoot some portraits against.  The wedding party was game to try different poses, and we even got the groom to show us his great socks! (You can check that out over on our Facebook page, where we regularly sneak peek shots.)

The next day we had some personal fun to attend to, and since we have our sons together we wanted to make sure to get lots of fun family shots in to share with our friends and family.  Believe it or not, we don't always carry our Canons. Sometimes it's just our cellphones, or my little point and shoot. But that doesn't mean you can't get a great photo.  The same rules apply:  Compose in the viewfinder. Use an interesting angle. Don't make your subjects stand in direct sunlight. Take more than one shot. You can even use apps for editing your photos. Share.

Cellphone cameras are better now and way less expensive than our  first little digital Olympus. Even better than our first digital Rebel. When capturing the moments that are rushing by you, you have to use what's available. So use it, practice it, get really good at it.

Always share.  Text it, email it, post it to your various social media accounts.  Chances are good you are going to make someone smile. And isn't that worth it?

Ain't love grand?

It's the night before Valentine's and all through the house every creature is stirring, getting ready for a lovely Friday wedding.

Our bride is having a romantic church wedding in the late afternoon with her friends and family around her. What a perfect day to celebrate love.

Here at SunShot we think love is kind of a big deal, and we try to make our love known regularly. We love each other, we love our beautiful sons, and we love the opportunities we get to celebrate love through the lens while witnessing your weddings.  When we hear the timeless words of commitment, when the couple locks eyes and clasps hands, we remember what it felt like on our day. We'll often catch each other's eyes across the aisle and smile, reliving that moment of perfect love, where no one else exists.  Later, at the reception, amogst all the laughter, happy tears, dancing, and cake, we're living it right along with you, experiencing the joy. We're guilty of looking knowingly at each othe during the couples dances, where the DJ will say, "Everyone that has been married less than fifteen years leave the floor,"  knowing we'd still be out there dancing too.

Does there have to be a special day to celebrate love? Of course not. But there's really no harm in picking a day to make it a special point to tell that special someone how treasured they are. 

I leave you with this:

You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  ~Dr. Seuss

 

Somehow, though, we all seem to suffer the Monday blues. 

This Monday, however, we're excited at SunShot, as our oldest son, a young man in the Army, is returning from overseas for a visit. Of course we're thrilled, but we are extra excited as he is also a trained media journalist, and we love to pick his creative brain while we have him onsite.

How will your Monday be good this week?  New day? Fresh start? Old friend? Sometimes we have to look hard to find the good things, but they are often right there under the surface, waiting to be discovered.

Have an awesome week, everyone!  Let's make it a great one!

Our own little wedding took us over a year to plan and ended up with around fifty guests. Is that small? We thought so. We also ended up having a BBQ and a slumber party that same night, so things have a way of growing!

Doe size matter? Nah. Wedding magic has a way of making each one fit just right.

Happy Friday everyone!