I never thought much of wedding photographers. Figured it was just a matter of shooting and shooting and shooting, that there couldn't be that much actual skill involved.
I apologize.
Yesterday I was just the portrait photographer for Tony's wedding. He had two other people doing the regular wedding photography. All I had to do was take one polaroid portrait of each person at the wedding.
It was work. Work I was into, don't get me wrong, how often do you get a chance to take 200 polaroids in a day? And there's some damn fine photos in that huge stack.
But I was worn out. Walking around, figuring out who I'd already shot, negotiating with people who really didn't want their picture taken, explaining to others that it was okay that I was getting so close, that I knew what I was doing. Reloading. And reloading. And reloading.
Fashioning something interesting, shot after shot, wanting shot #137 to be as good as shot #44 was.
Good times. And I don't want to do it again for a long long time. Maybe next time I should do some training first.
About the wedding, well, I've talked about weddings before. Read here if you want, maybe I'll write more tomorrow. If I feel like it!
Tags: 5.25.08 polaroid polaroid 680 tony & angie's wedding los angeles culver city mazel tov!!!! lou o' bedlam louobedlam.com Lou Noble Tony's wedding portrait
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Dane had spent the previous evening at the opening of Eye of the Storm, a photography exhibit he'd curated. Great stuff, google it immediately.
But, as a result, the poor bastard was operating at less than 100% the next day. Looked like he'd been 10 rounds with Las Vegas.
But he was still standing, I'll give him that.
Tags: 5.25.08 polaroid polaroid 680 tony & angie's wedding los angeles culver city mazel tov!!!! lou o' bedlam louobedlam.com Lou Noble Tony's wedding portrait
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This girl is in several of the wedding shots because she is adorable. Because she is mixed, and studies have shown that mixed race people are more attractive. apparently we're more symmetrical, and people prefer symmetry.
She had awesome half-fro hair, I see a lifetime of fascinating hairstyle choices in her future.
And here, as I spend a leisurely day at home, avoiding the just-a-wee-bit-too hot sun, I'd like to point out that my internet empire grows every day.
I am HERE
and
HERE
and of course
HERE
and there's even some "never posted on Flickr stuff" HERE
and there's even a place to buy a book of my photos & stories, stories you can't find anywhere else
HERE.
Tomorrow, wild ass music and more pretty people.
Tags: 5.25.08 polaroid polaroid 680 tony & angie's wedding los angeles culver city mazel tov!!!! It's a celebration, bitches!!!! lou o' bedlam louobedlam.com Lou Noble Tony's wedding portrait
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Here, early in the wedding, was Jen, just getting ready to have a good time. What this shot doesn't show you is Jen getting amusingly drunk over the course of the subsequent few hours. I know she was drunk because she got to the point where she was finishing her sentences by punching me in the arm, some weird Exclamation Point made flesh.
The wedding was another reminder of the fact that the old college crew (Jen, the groom, two of the groomsmen, assorted others) don't really hang out like we used to. There was a period, the high water mark if you will, maybe seven years back, when we would all get together every weekend for a barbeque. We'd each bring a side dish, cook up some meat, then after dinner we'd sit down to watch The Sopranos season 3 as it aired. And when that season was done, we went back and watched the previous seasons on dvd. Good times when you have that standing date to hang out with people you dig, a known quantity for months straight. People brought people they were dating for evaluation, new friends for inclusion.
These are the things we reminisced about at the wedding. Looking back as much as we were celebrating the future.
Tags: 5.25.08 polaroid polaroid 680 tony & angie's wedding los angeles culver city mazel tov!!!! It's a celebration, bitches!!!! lou o' bedlam louobedlam.com Lou Noble Tony's wedding portrait
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What can I say? The man knows how to pose.
Having spent yesterday scanning all 165 shots, I can definitely see trends. Folks I knew tended to, naturally, give me the best shots.
I should've had people turn more to face me directly.
I should've shot more before the sun fell below the buildings.
I should've taken one or two shots again.
I should've eaten more.
I should've stuck firm with the "no smiling" rule.
Let me reiterate, wedding photography is damn hard. mad props to anyone who does that on a regular basis.
All that said, I got some winners. This one is damn good, if I do say so myself.
I know, I know, it's a dude. So it won't get nearly as many hits as my other shots. But it's solid. Mike can fucking mug with the best of them.
Tags: 5.25.08 polaroid polaroid 680 tony & angie's wedding los angeles culver city mazel tov!!!! It's a celebration, bitches!!!! lou o' bedlam louobedlam.com Lou Noble Tony's wedding portrait
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