Last Wednesday, the royal palace announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton selected Hugo Burnand to be their royal wedding photographer. I’m a bit of an Anglophile after spending three months living in London in my early 20s so this is of special interest to me as a wedding photographer across the pond here in Pittsburgh. Right away, I checked out Hugo’s site and it’s very nice. But where are the wedding photos?!? It kills me that there aren’t any samples of his wedding photography on his site and he’ll be single-handedly responsible for photographing the royal wedding. Yikes!
Ok, he has photographed the royal family on many occasions, but wouldn’t the prince and the princess-to-be want the crème de la crème in wedding photography? It’s not something that just every photographer does well. It takes a special breed with a mixture of fearlessness for the unexpected, excellent people skills for putting subjects at ease on what can be a very stressful day, and a thorough knowledge of photography because you have to think fast as a wedding photographer and respond to all types of situations: changes in lighting, tight schedules, special requests, getting all your gear from one location to the next – the list goes on. I don’t doubt that Hugo Burnand can do all of that and do it well, but wouldn’t the royal couple want to choose someone who actually markets him or herself as a wedding photographer—someone crazy enough about it that they make wedding photography the focus of their photography career? There are lots of world-renowned wedding photographers that come to mind when I think of who I would hire if I were them.
I know I’m over-looking something very important in this decision: the royal family needs to hire someone they can trust and who knows how to handle all of the nuances of photographing a royal wedding. There is a need for insight in how to handle royal affairs. A photographer for a royal wedding can’t just blaze in and take over. There is a proper way to do everything in England. And with the pomp and circumstance of a wedding, the photographer needs to have a good intuition for what is acceptable in royal company. Hugo photographed Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005 and the other thing that I noticed after a quick search for those photos is that the royal family will want to be able to trust that their wedding photographer will manage the files well with respect to their agreement. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t have any of the 2005 wedding photos on his site. Perhaps he doesn’t have permission? Although, their are plenty of other royal portraits in his portfolio.
I think it’s sad that when you’re the prince and princess-to-be, you don’t have much say in your wedding photography. Maybe they can do a fun post-wedding session with another photographer when security and time lines are less of an issue? Prince William and Kate, if you’re reading this, I can make myself available for this if you so choose! Anyway, there is some scrumptious wedding photography out there in the world and I just think that as one of the quintessential weddings of our times, Prince William and Kate Middleton should have the wedding photography to match.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-04-27 15:35:362013-11-18 16:10:54How to Choose a Royal Wedding Photographer
Here’s another wedding from last season. Crissy and Jason were married in June in the town where they both grew up, Hermine, Pa. It’s a small, quiet town about 40 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. And it felt like we were far from the city in the beautiful countryside. We started at Crissy’s parent’s home and spent a few minutes photographing the bride in their sun room. Here’s a favorite shot by Alex.
I wish I had taken a general shot to show that she is standing by a screen door in that shot above. It’s hard to tell where she is, but Crissy sure looks stunning in that window light. Here she is again with her bridesmaids as they walk down the long drive to their limousine.
Crissy loves horses so her mom arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to whisk them away from the church to their location for portraits after the ceremony.
When they entered their reception, Crissy and Jason wowed the crowd as he spun her across the dance floor. It was very Fred and Ginger and I loved the change of pace for introductions from the usual pop or hip-hop tunes that are played when couples are announced.
And here’s another favorite from the dance floor. Their first dance had so many sweet moments. They seemed to forget they were dancing in front of all their friends and family and just really enjoyed each other’s company.
Well, my 2011 wedding season kicks off this week when I second shoot with Gene Yuger of Photorise Photography. I can’t wait! I hope to squeeze in a few more recaps from the last wedding season as things start to heat up this season.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-04-26 19:10:472013-11-18 16:11:12Wedding Photography at a Catholic Church in Pittsburgh and Gianilli’s II
Rebecca and Patrick were married this past September in Heinz Chapel. When I came across their wedding, I was struck by what a good day this was. There are days that just seem to come together effortlessly and this was one of them. There was plenty of time for photography, amazing locations and a great of people to work with! What a breeze! There was only one thing that slowed me down: a gigantic group portrait on the grand staircase at the Renaissance. It’s a nice idea to have a photo of all your guests, just tough to execute when there are 200+ people. It takes time to get everyone lined up on the staircase and it’s difficult to make sure everyone can be seen. We did it though! Many thanks to Alex Jones who has a lot more experience with photographing groups of this size. I’m only showing some of my favorites from 2011 weddings, so I won’t be posting that group photo, but it was a big part of the day as a specific request from Rebecca and Patrick.
So we started at the Renaissance with Rebecca and her family. I asked Rebecca to stand by the window while her sister laced her dress. That’s one of the ways I generally interact with a bride when she’s getting ready to make the most of the available light.
Here, we went for an old Hollywood feel with Rebecca lounging on the bed. Alex helped me with some off-camera lighting. It only took a few minutes and I’m happy we had time to go for something a little different.
This is one of Alex’s images of Patrick right before the ceremony outside of Heinz Chapel. I love Patrick’s expression here. He is ready to make it official and kiss his bride.
This is another one by Alex. I just love seeing the rings in the groom’s or best man’s palm.
After the ceremony we did some on-location portraiture in Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh. It’s fun to photograph the bridal party as they walk from one location to the next. It’s a slice of life from their wedding day, no parking signs and all.
Here’s a late-night favorite of Rebecca and Patrick. When couples are willing to leave their reception for a few shots at sunset or after the sun goes down, I get really excited. It’s something I encourage everyone to do if they can fit it in. It’s so much fun!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-04-17 15:07:042013-11-18 15:54:29Wedding Photography at Heinz Chapel and the Pittsburgh Renaissance Hotel
Here’s another wedding from last season that I had the privilege of photographing. Andrea and Jonathan were married in August at the Edgwood Country Club in the Fireside Room and their reception followed in the club’s ballroom. I started with Jonathan and the guys in their hotel room. Jonathan had everything in order and was just about ready to go when I arrived. I was glad to get a few shots of him putting on his bow tie.
Meanwhile Andrea was getting ready in her room just down the hall. It had a much different feel with half a dozen of her closest friends and family buzzing around and attending to all the details. This is my favorite moment when she pulled the bird cage veil over her eyes. Her bridesmaids were helping her and this is where they get it just right.
I’m showing favorite images from weddings I did over the last year, so this isn’t a complete set from the beginning to the end of the day. This is one of my very favorites, but I didn’t really notice it until recently after I had gone back through the wedding. It’s funny the way you look at things can really change over time. Andrea and Jonathan just look so content and peaceful here. To me, that’s just what you should be on your wedding day.
After the ceremony, we didn’t have to travel far for portraits on the lovely golf course. Here’s where they get a little playful. I love to see a bride and groom flirt.
The wind totally cooperated with us that day. It was blowing in just the right direction—nice!
Ok, this lovely on-location session didn’t last that long because we could see a big rain cloud moving in. So they’re off to celebrate at the reception!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-04-13 17:41:032013-11-18 16:13:17Wedding Photography at Pittsburgh’s Edgeworth Country Club
I’m getting ready for the Pittsburgh wedding season by reviewing some of the weddings I photographed last year. I first came across Alex and Jon’s wedding from October. They were married at Ingomar United Methodist Church and had a reception at Greystone Fields. I started with Jon and the guys while they were getting ready at the hotel where the bridal party stayed.
Then it was off to the bride’s home to photograph her before she left for the church. This is one of the bridesmaid’s bouquets—love the color-scheme!
The window light in the dining room was lovely, but paled in comparison to Alex in her wedding gown!
We stopped at the Pittsburgh North Golf Course on the way to their reception for some creative portraits. Alex and I worked together to find a good place for on-location photography that was within close proximity to their reception. I contacted the course manager in advance and he gave us permission to stop by for a few minutes to photograph the bridal party—sweet!
Alex and Jon are such a nice couple and their wedding was a real treat! They put a lot of thought into planning their day and incorporated a lot of nice details. Alex made the most of her fall wedding by playing off of the fall colors. She also had a cute love bird theme with customized favors and a cake with kissing birds. It had a whimsical feel and tasted great too! Here’s the full post so you can see more from their wedding.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-04-11 16:40:392013-11-18 15:54:39Wedding Photography at Pittsburgh North Golf Club
How to Choose a Royal Wedding Photographer
/by kmillerLast Wednesday, the royal palace announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton selected Hugo Burnand to be their royal wedding photographer. I’m a bit of an Anglophile after spending three months living in London in my early 20s so this is of special interest to me as a wedding photographer across the pond here in Pittsburgh. Right away, I checked out Hugo’s site and it’s very nice. But where are the wedding photos?!? It kills me that there aren’t any samples of his wedding photography on his site and he’ll be single-handedly responsible for photographing the royal wedding. Yikes!
Ok, he has photographed the royal family on many occasions, but wouldn’t the prince and the princess-to-be want the crème de la crème in wedding photography? It’s not something that just every photographer does well. It takes a special breed with a mixture of fearlessness for the unexpected, excellent people skills for putting subjects at ease on what can be a very stressful day, and a thorough knowledge of photography because you have to think fast as a wedding photographer and respond to all types of situations: changes in lighting, tight schedules, special requests, getting all your gear from one location to the next – the list goes on. I don’t doubt that Hugo Burnand can do all of that and do it well, but wouldn’t the royal couple want to choose someone who actually markets him or herself as a wedding photographer—someone crazy enough about it that they make wedding photography the focus of their photography career? There are lots of world-renowned wedding photographers that come to mind when I think of who I would hire if I were them.
I know I’m over-looking something very important in this decision: the royal family needs to hire someone they can trust and who knows how to handle all of the nuances of photographing a royal wedding. There is a need for insight in how to handle royal affairs. A photographer for a royal wedding can’t just blaze in and take over. There is a proper way to do everything in England. And with the pomp and circumstance of a wedding, the photographer needs to have a good intuition for what is acceptable in royal company. Hugo photographed Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005 and the other thing that I noticed after a quick search for those photos is that the royal family will want to be able to trust that their wedding photographer will manage the files well with respect to their agreement. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t have any of the 2005 wedding photos on his site. Perhaps he doesn’t have permission? Although, their are plenty of other royal portraits in his portfolio.
I think it’s sad that when you’re the prince and princess-to-be, you don’t have much say in your wedding photography. Maybe they can do a fun post-wedding session with another photographer when security and time lines are less of an issue? Prince William and Kate, if you’re reading this, I can make myself available for this if you so choose! Anyway, there is some scrumptious wedding photography out there in the world and I just think that as one of the quintessential weddings of our times, Prince William and Kate Middleton should have the wedding photography to match.
Wedding Photography at a Catholic Church in Pittsburgh and Gianilli’s II
/by kmillerHere’s another wedding from last season. Crissy and Jason were married in June in the town where they both grew up, Hermine, Pa. It’s a small, quiet town about 40 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. And it felt like we were far from the city in the beautiful countryside. We started at Crissy’s parent’s home and spent a few minutes photographing the bride in their sun room. Here’s a favorite shot by Alex.
I wish I had taken a general shot to show that she is standing by a screen door in that shot above. It’s hard to tell where she is, but Crissy sure looks stunning in that window light. Here she is again with her bridesmaids as they walk down the long drive to their limousine.
Crissy loves horses so her mom arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to whisk them away from the church to their location for portraits after the ceremony.
When they entered their reception, Crissy and Jason wowed the crowd as he spun her across the dance floor. It was very Fred and Ginger and I loved the change of pace for introductions from the usual pop or hip-hop tunes that are played when couples are announced.
And here’s another favorite from the dance floor. Their first dance had so many sweet moments. They seemed to forget they were dancing in front of all their friends and family and just really enjoyed each other’s company.
Well, my 2011 wedding season kicks off this week when I second shoot with Gene Yuger of Photorise Photography. I can’t wait! I hope to squeeze in a few more recaps from the last wedding season as things start to heat up this season.
Wedding Photography at Heinz Chapel and the Pittsburgh Renaissance Hotel
/by kmillerRebecca and Patrick were married this past September in Heinz Chapel. When I came across their wedding, I was struck by what a good day this was. There are days that just seem to come together effortlessly and this was one of them. There was plenty of time for photography, amazing locations and a great of people to work with! What a breeze! There was only one thing that slowed me down: a gigantic group portrait on the grand staircase at the Renaissance. It’s a nice idea to have a photo of all your guests, just tough to execute when there are 200+ people. It takes time to get everyone lined up on the staircase and it’s difficult to make sure everyone can be seen. We did it though! Many thanks to Alex Jones who has a lot more experience with photographing groups of this size. I’m only showing some of my favorites from 2011 weddings, so I won’t be posting that group photo, but it was a big part of the day as a specific request from Rebecca and Patrick.
So we started at the Renaissance with Rebecca and her family. I asked Rebecca to stand by the window while her sister laced her dress. That’s one of the ways I generally interact with a bride when she’s getting ready to make the most of the available light.
Here, we went for an old Hollywood feel with Rebecca lounging on the bed. Alex helped me with some off-camera lighting. It only took a few minutes and I’m happy we had time to go for something a little different.
This is one of Alex’s images of Patrick right before the ceremony outside of Heinz Chapel. I love Patrick’s expression here. He is ready to make it official and kiss his bride.
This is another one by Alex. I just love seeing the rings in the groom’s or best man’s palm.
After the ceremony we did some on-location portraiture in Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh. It’s fun to photograph the bridal party as they walk from one location to the next. It’s a slice of life from their wedding day, no parking signs and all.
Here’s a late-night favorite of Rebecca and Patrick. When couples are willing to leave their reception for a few shots at sunset or after the sun goes down, I get really excited. It’s something I encourage everyone to do if they can fit it in. It’s so much fun!
Wedding Photography at Pittsburgh’s Edgeworth Country Club
/by kmillerHere’s another wedding from last season that I had the privilege of photographing. Andrea and Jonathan were married in August at the Edgwood Country Club in the Fireside Room and their reception followed in the club’s ballroom. I started with Jonathan and the guys in their hotel room. Jonathan had everything in order and was just about ready to go when I arrived. I was glad to get a few shots of him putting on his bow tie.
Meanwhile Andrea was getting ready in her room just down the hall. It had a much different feel with half a dozen of her closest friends and family buzzing around and attending to all the details. This is my favorite moment when she pulled the bird cage veil over her eyes. Her bridesmaids were helping her and this is where they get it just right.
I’m showing favorite images from weddings I did over the last year, so this isn’t a complete set from the beginning to the end of the day. This is one of my very favorites, but I didn’t really notice it until recently after I had gone back through the wedding. It’s funny the way you look at things can really change over time. Andrea and Jonathan just look so content and peaceful here. To me, that’s just what you should be on your wedding day.
After the ceremony, we didn’t have to travel far for portraits on the lovely golf course. Here’s where they get a little playful. I love to see a bride and groom flirt.
The wind totally cooperated with us that day. It was blowing in just the right direction—nice!
Ok, this lovely on-location session didn’t last that long because we could see a big rain cloud moving in. So they’re off to celebrate at the reception!
Wedding Photography at Pittsburgh North Golf Club
/by kmillerI’m getting ready for the Pittsburgh wedding season by reviewing some of the weddings I photographed last year. I first came across Alex and Jon’s wedding from October. They were married at Ingomar United Methodist Church and had a reception at Greystone Fields. I started with Jon and the guys while they were getting ready at the hotel where the bridal party stayed.
Then it was off to the bride’s home to photograph her before she left for the church. This is one of the bridesmaid’s bouquets—love the color-scheme!
The window light in the dining room was lovely, but paled in comparison to Alex in her wedding gown!
We stopped at the Pittsburgh North Golf Course on the way to their reception for some creative portraits. Alex and I worked together to find a good place for on-location photography that was within close proximity to their reception. I contacted the course manager in advance and he gave us permission to stop by for a few minutes to photograph the bridal party—sweet!
Alex and Jon are such a nice couple and their wedding was a real treat! They put a lot of thought into planning their day and incorporated a lot of nice details. Alex made the most of her fall wedding by playing off of the fall colors. She also had a cute love bird theme with customized favors and a cake with kissing birds. It had a whimsical feel and tasted great too! Here’s the full post so you can see more from their wedding.