I’ve been having trouble deciding how to present Chandra & Tony’s wedding story for the first time. After posting this first-look teaser last week people have been hounding me for more and I don’t blame them!
The wedding was very exciting. And beautiful. And tender. And romantic. And . . . A LOT of other mushy words!
Here it is.
Chandra & Tony.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Enjoy.
In LA, there are constantly new things to discover and when it comes to taking pictures, the beautiful spots are endless!
I brought my camera on a recent visit to Lake Shrine and decided to do something new.
Manual focus (MF) is something very, very simple. Some people think it’s easier to use compared to Auto focus (AF) but I rarely, ever use it! I’m accustomed to using the Auto focus and move those red focus points pretty darn fast (if I do say so myself!), but I want to practice using MF more so that I can become just as quick with that method. 
So, for the day, I shot entirely using Manual focus.
MF is great because it allows you to get crisp clarity for closer shots. Wow, try saying that 5 times fast. Crisp clarity for closer shots!
When people are taking pictures with my camera I often give a look that says, “Do you got it or do you need help?.” Maybe I should learn to relax.
Caroline looks like she is posing high-fashion style but she was actually in the middle of talking. Darn those pretty talkers!
Taken by Felix. Over exposed but it was meant to be. I don’t think it would look right any other way. I heart flawed photos.
All the animals were coming to us! It was like a Disney movie except they didn’t offer to help with chores. They just wanted food. Bastards!
Nature’s perfection.
Hope everyone had a good weekend! Some photos from recent weddings coming right up!
Here’s a little video of Avril & Nick’s engagement session, filmed by my lovely sis!
Eeks. So cute.. sorry my filming skills weren’t better. At least you were able to edit it so that it looks decent.
beautifully done..your are even a video master
Christine, you are AMAZING.
[...] Some pictures from Avril & Nick’s engagement session in Davis, CA. You can see the behind-the-scenes video here! [...]
I love wedding albums. It makes everything more real. As in . . . It happened. Finished. Done. Accomplished. We got MARRIED! And that is why I include Leather Craftmen albums with all my wedding packages.
Here are some tips when putting an album together. This is mostly for photographers but could be helpful for brides & grooms too!
-When choosing photos, keep it to the very BEST OF THE BEST. In my experience, a good album usually has no more than 50 photos. Your goal is to tell the story of the wedding day in the most impactful (is that a word?) way possible. Which photo best sums up the bride getting ready? Which photo tells you everything about what the ceremony was like? Be selective in your choosing.
-In general, 1-3 photos per spread looks best. When photos are printed and enlarged, they look different (in a good way)! Less photos per spread gives a more dramatic effect. If you have too many, it looks cluttered and you don’t get the same “oooh . . . ahhhh” feeling.
-Design from scratch versus using Photoshop templates. Every wedding/story/photo is different. Sure, the photos have your special touch but using a template makes the story more . . . limited and generic. It lacks heart and soul. The differences are subtle but HUGE when you design from scratch. Remember that the album is your style. You don’t want to use someone else’s. Trust me, I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t look the same!
-Keep it classic. A wedding album is something that should be timeless. How are you going to feel looking at it in 10, 20, 30 years? I prefer to keep my design clean, simple, and offer clients two colors for the album cover – Black or Ivory.
-Triple check your work before sending it in for production! Wedding albums are not cheap. Look at what happened to me one time. Man, I’m proud of this one!
Look at what I did to the beautiful bride’s face! It was supposed to be a sample album for my studio and everything looked fantastic except for this ONE spread. Because of it the entire album had to be re-printed. Sad day but an excellent reminder to triple check your work!
-Lastly, aim for quality. When I tell my friends how much the albums are their reactions usually go something like, “Omg, why don’t you look for a company that makes them for cheaper??.”
That’s the thing – you get what you pay for. There are many album/book companies out there but I have seen few that have the same quality as Leather Craftsmen. They are hand-made, have super thick pages that won’t warp, and you can tell there’s a lot of love put into them!
In summary, I strive to provide the very best! As a photographer, YOU are part of the wedding day. Part of YOU is in the pictures, in the editing, in the layout, in the story, in the album. Don’t skimp on that.
Nice mani….aaaand great post .
Your wedding album design tips are right on. Do not skimp on quality is something I hope becomes important again as the economy improves and the consumers value the expertise, skill, and talent of professional photographers as well as value the ability of us who spend our passion designing the albums as a separate service because that too is an art and talent and needed.
I need to add posts like this to my own blog.
I’m following your tip and cut my album from almost 100 down to 50 for a sampler: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.457475630963653.112328.457468774297672&type=1
Thanks, Christine. You are so kind to share your wisdom.
Remember Jack & Tawny’s mushy proposal at Skull Rock? Well, sweetheart Jack arranged for all their friends to be at Hotel Erwin that same evening to surprise Tawny and celebrate!
Here are some photos from the engagement party. Nothing compares to sharing moments like this with loved ones!
Hiding before the big surprise . . . giggle giggle.
These two might look familiar. I did John & Krystal’s engagement photos not too long ago and the behind-the-scenes footage was used for my most recent promo video!
This makes me laugh for some reason.
SURPRIIIIIIIIISE!!!
Oh Venice Beach . . . how I love thee.
Look out on Jose Villa’s blog for more pictures of Jack & Tawny! He photographed them for his most recent workshop and I can’t wait to see the pics! I love that he uses real engaged couples to model for his workshops.
[...] Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Therancy Are you looking for a romantic trip away to the beach? Perhaps you want to experience the sand bene… any of these experiences, you might think about booking a room at a nearby Venice Beach hotel. [...]
Really, really, REALLY beautiful. Filled with so much emotion.. one of your best ones yet.
You have such a beautiful way of capturing stories as they unfold.
Team CC!
Wow… lots of raw emotions captured. Brought tears to my eyes :*) awesome job Christine Chang!
Can the people in this wedding be anymore perfect? Great job, Christine! I totally cried watching the video…it’s so beautiful!
Wow…Christine, that video just took my breath away. I was close to tears, and I don’t even know them! What an incredible job of capturing that special day.
Christine, what an amazing slideshow(I realize I’m biased)!! Your talents in capturing the way we were both feeling is truly a gift. I am so grateful that you were a part of our day, and I can’t thank you enough for putting so much effort into capturing these moments so that we can relive them again and again. You will forever be an important part of our lives! Really great work.
The slideshow has me sitting here with tears streaming down my face… I hated having to miss this truly extraordinary wedding (I’m 8 months pregnant and across the country), but I’m very grateful to be able to share in the experience via your beautiful photography. Everything about the day looks flawless and yet relaxed and just full of love & joy at the same time…
Christine…words can not express how beautiful these images are. Having been a witness to the amazing day in many different capacities, we did not know if images would be able to truly capture the beauty that is Tony and Chandra. And you did…with grace and love. Thank you many times over. We love you!
-Shannon and Vikki
wow. true talent.
Perfection. Beautiful work !
[...] shot Chandra & Tony‘s wedding a few months ago and it was the first time the bride & groom had requested that [...]