Scott and Katie were married at the Bayanihan Cultural Center. I've shot there many times and it's always a pleasure because there's no travel involved. We photographers love it when everything takes place in one spot because we only have to unpack our equipment once.
Katie had mentioned that she wanted a picture of her shoes and jewelry but I didn't realize how important it was to her until I arrived and she handed me the shoes the minute I walked in the door. Ten seconds later I was on the floor with a long lens getting this shot:
I think that most people don't really realize all the "atmosphere" shots that a wedding photographer has to take. What's even less widely known is how difficult these shots can be to do well. It's easy to take a picture of a cake but not so easy to take a great picture of a cake. For the shot below I had to use a second flash on a tripod with a radio remote because the cake was in a dark area with no walls nearby (except the one behind the cake) for me to bounce my on-camera flash. It may look like a simple picture but it's actually quite involved.
Another good example of a shot that can involve more work than is apparent is the ring shot. You can't just toss the rings on a table and snap a picture. First you have to find a good location and figure out a creative way to show the rings. Then you have to get the rings to sit correctly (this can be a fine balancing act). Then, you have to light it or, in some cases, use a tripod so you can shoot a long exposure using available light.
On the surface these pictures may not seem that important but they are, especially if you are designing large, custom wedding albums. You can't devote a great deal of time to taking fine-art style wedding pictures only to surround them with poor quality "atmosphere" pictures. My goal is always to make each shot magazine quality. That way, the entire album is raised to the level of art.
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