To change gears just a bit. It is normally a moderately well kept secret on my part that I do weddings. Generally it is something I save for good friends or good friends of good friends. I have never quite figured out if I like photographing weddings or don't. I mean, I like photographing nearly everything, and I certainly like the challenge of photographing something as important yet fleeting as a wedding day. I like things that push me as a photographer. But I am choosy over which weddings I'll do, because I don't like showing up to a wedding and then instead of being yourself, the pressure is suddenly on to get a laundry list of the "must have" photos. Know what I mean? In fact, my favorite weddings are either those that are really low key and have no expectations for the photography, such as Erik's wedding (we have been friends since our first year of college) or when I am not the main photographer. Being second photographer is the best. It is even better when the husband-and-wife-to-be tell you, "just show up and do your thing". That's when I produce my best work (and have the most fun). But I figured I'd share a couple of my favorite wedding photos over the next day or three. We'll see how it goes, and I'll just do my thing. ;-)

Tags:   Hasselblad Hasselblad 500C Oregon square wedding Erik Lauren film bridge groom Hood River Pacific Northwest portrait Blue Moon Camera

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I photograph weddings now and again. Under the right circumstances, I quite enjoy photographing them too. This was one of those circumstances. Eric and I go way back, our freshman year of college together, so it was an honor and a joy to photograph their wedding, which was small, short, but very natural and lovely.

Congratulations you two, you are quite beautiful together.

Tags:   wedding sunflower color film square Hasselblad Hood River Blue Moon Camera

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A photo I made of my wife on our wedding day with my Holga. We were married at Arcadia Beach on the Oregon coast. Between the two of us we probably photographed more of our own wedding than the photographer we asked to shoot it for us. He told us later he wants to do more photographers' weddings because we did most of the work ourselves. ;-) This is probably my favorite image from the wedding, all from a $20 plastic toy camera. It's not which equipment you have, it is all in how you use it.

Tags:   Holga Oregon Arcadia Beach Pacific Northwest film B&W sepia beach wedding pacific Ocean square bride 1-5-fav Zeb Andrews Zeb Andrews photography Blue Moon Camera

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What seems like ages ago, I had the pleasure to attend and photograph a good friend's wedding. That friend has since moved to California and I don't think I am alone in saying us Portland photographers miss you Matt! Anyway, the busy-ness of the year has kept me from doing much with the photos... at least in terms of posting any of them. And then the other night I was trolling through the queue editing images and came across this one, which reminded me that this all happened back in March. Sheesh, time does fly when you are having fun. Perhaps I should start having less fun and make things slow down a little. But I digress.

The wedding was held up on the 30th floor of Big Pink. I had all but insisted to Matt some months before that he had to let me attend his wedding so I could photograph it. It is a rare priviledge to so be able to help record such a big day for someone you know and respect and like, you know, a friend (or in some cases, family). I don't necessarily enjoy photographing weddings for strangers, but I love photographing them for those I know. Ha, and then Matt called me a week before the wedding and sheepishly informed me that his sister had taken care of a formal photographer, so they didn't need me to worry about doing any of the set up portraits or that business. I think he was afraid that he may have been stepping on my toes, but instead it freed me up to do what I do best, which is not have to worry about checking off a list of the "must have photos to appease the bride" images and instead allowed me to photograph as myself. Which meant crawling around in the aisle on my stomach with Holga, no flash and a dark room. But this turned out to be one of my favorites from the day.

I do have a few others to share at some point, for it was a nice occasion and good photos came of it. Whether that point is in the next week or five months away is still to be determined. ;-)

And Matt, let me know when you make a visit back up here.

Tags:   wedding holga marriage ceremony film square portland pdx Matt Melody Big Pink people Blue Moon Camera

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This photo makes me smile. It may be inching up as my favorite from this wedding. And such a beautiful wedding it was. I have known Eric since college but I had met Lauren for the first time just that day. Heh, the first time I even saw her in fact was peering through the magnifier of a Hasselblad as her parents escorted her down the aisle. They had a wonderful wedding too, short but very genuine, they were more happy than nervous, and you could just tell that they were each other's world. It was one of the best weddings I have ever had the privilege to photograph... almost enough so to convince me to do more weddings.

Almost. ;-)

Tags:   wedding Hasselblad film square happiness bridge groom portrait Blue Moon Camera

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