By Jeff Allen
I recently attended a destination wedding. OK, it was for one of my daughters.
As a photographer I always observe rules for shooting weddings.
So first rule…Hire another professional to shoot a relative's event. Don't even think of doing it yourself.
Second rule…Resist the urge to offer said photographer advice and critiques as he or she works. Relax and enjoy the day.
Third rule… Do take a camera along and invite other guests to bring cameras for candid shots during the reception but again, let the pro do their work and invite the guests to stay out of the pro’s way as they work. That is what they are paid for, and interference from well meaning guests just slows them down.
The day of the event brought rain off and on all day. Fortunately since the ceremony was outdoors, Mother Nature gave in to my daughter’s wishes and the rain stopped long enough to have the outdoor ceremony. Our pro got the group portraits in after the ceremony, and before the next shower hit. It passed quickly and the sun came out before setting for the day. As the guests made our way to the reception, the pro was capturing additional portraits of the bride and groom. A rainbow appeared in the sky. It was brought to my attention, so my camera, equipped with my trusty go-to lens, the Tamron 18-270 VC PZD came out, and I grabbed a few shots. The rainbow wasn’t particularly intense, but I thought it would make some nice flavor for the back of the album.


As I walked further, one of my other daughters asked me if I had seen the rainbow. I said that I had, and showed her my shots. She was carrying her bouquet and mentioned that we should use that in a shot. Brilliant! Additionally, as we turned to look at the rainbow, the sun had changed angle slightly and the clouds behind the rainbow had taken on a golden hue. Since we were in the shade, I popped on the camera’s built-in flash to illuminate and add contrast to the bouquet.

After the fact, I noticed some hotel employees in the background, so for the final image, I cropped them out.

Tamron AF 18-270 VC PZD at 1/60, f5.6,
The camera’s built in flash was activated
(set at -1/3stop) for fill on bouquet.
So while we didn’t quite find the “pot ’o gold” at the end of the rainbow, we did find a way to turn a nice snapshot into a memorable photograph.
Be patient, keep shooting, always look for something unique, and you can make more memorable photographs too.
Good shooting!
Recent Comments