Karen and Alex’s Country Wedding at Reece Farms in Farmington CA

One of the greatest compliments a wedding photographer can receive is to have a guest or member of the wedding party call up and ask for your services. The reason is because, especially in the case of the wedding party, they’ve been given a peek behind Oz’s curtain and have seen the truth behind his magic. Even knowing that all you’re doing is handing out heart shaped clocks, diplomas, and medals, they still value what you do and how you come about doing it.

Karen was just such a Dorothy when, just over a year ago, she was a bridesmaid in Camila’s wedding (see more of that wedding here). Since then she’s met her own Tin Man of sorts back in Virginia. When you first meet him he doesn’t seem to have the sensitive side you expect from a Tin Man. He only lets you see that tough exterior of creaking metal born of hunts in the Virginia wilderness. But watch him with his mother for a few minutes and you will see something special, something you can catch with a camera if you’re paying close enough attention.

It’s often hard for a parent to watch a child grow up and build their own life; it’s even harder for single moms with their sons. One thing you could be certain of while watching the way Karen and Alex interact is that Alex’s mom has found the perfect Dorothy to take over the job of keeping her son’s sometimes creaky joints moving.

“And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”  ~The Wizard of Oz

How the ladies figure out the backs of these dresses is beyond me. 

Sometimes there is not enough time in the day to get started with the bride before she's gotten her dress on and started accessorizing.
When that happens I find that there is no better model for the details than the bride herself. 

Bridesmaids like Camila are indispensable on a wedding day. 

Such gorgeous details in these wedding shoes. Brides, make note of the heel. That little contraption made it so she could walk
across the grass that is everywhere at Reece Farms.

As I said before, there's no better prop to place details on than the bride herself. 

Karen's dad and brother get a first look of the beautiful bride before she heads out for her first look with the groom.

A quiet moment under a willow tree before the wedding began. 

Now if that wedding ring doesn't say country, I don't know what does.

Mom shares a moment with her son just before the ceremony gets under way. 

Usually it's just the dad that presents his daughter. At this wedding there was a very touching display of family unity when parents
from both sides approached to present their children.

I typically shoot around bridesmaids' tattoos. This was one time where I made sure not to. 

Dancing with the man made lake at Reece Farms in the background. 

Took the bride and groom out right before I left to snap a couple more pictures by the bridge at Reece Farms. 

If you want to check out the fun and more lighthearted side of the wedding, there are more pictures up on our facebook page. Be sure to like our page and add us as friends. 

Black and White Wedding Photography at the Del Rio Country Club

Mom helping her daughter into a stunning corset styled
wedding dress.

Another beautiful wedding shot at the Del Rio Country Club in Modesto. If you’re wondering why everything is in black and white, it’s because I was the second shooter for this wedding. About a year ago I started doing all of my second shooting work in black and white. The inspiration came from our own wedding when our photographer’s second shooter delivered all of her shots in black and white. Melody and I LOVED them.

When I’m second shooting I often don’t get to manage situations the way I’d like. I also tend to stay in the background and experiment more with natural light. Because I’m not the main shooter people usually ignore me and this lends itself well to getting the candid shots. All of this lends itself well to black and white photography.

Knowing that I’ll be delivering everything in black and white when all is said and done, I set my camera to shoot in monochrome and switch over in my mind to shoot that way as well. I sometimes do this with my own weddings in situations that I know will call for it because there should be some intent behind black and white photography.

I often get asked by other photographers about my black and whites. “Man, how do you get them like that?” They fiddle with presets, or do batch renderings, and while I could do quite a write up on black and white photography that’s not what this post is about, but the gist of it is you don’t simply flip a switch. You shoot it with black and white in mind, and you convert it in post with the specifics of black and white in mind. I usually look at every lighting situation differently when I tackle the photo in post and make my conversions.

In short, my black and white is unique because I approach each frame as though it were unique.

A word of warning to brides: If you’re looking for your wedding to be shot in black and white, and find a photographer that will give you everything in color and everything in black and white, run for the hills. This photographer isn’t making real black and white images. They’re selecting everything, clicking a button, and exporting a bunch of really muddy, gray toned images. They might have some fantastic examples of black and whites, situations where they got lucky with their preset, but I guarantee you that to do it right, to export and ENTIRE wedding in both color and black and white, you’d have to do double the work and no one does double the work without asking to be paid for it. 

Here our bride is taking directions from the main photographer who is shooting with color in mind, freeing me up to photograph
the angles better suited for black and white photography. 

A candid moment as the bride laughs at her main photographer's antics. 

Loved the window light streaming in and lighting up our bride while she got into her gown. The hard light really lent itself well
to black and white photos. 

This strapless, corset styled wedding dress was definitely not for the faint of heart, but our bride was simply stunning in it. 

The first look with dad.

More gorgeous window light lending itself well for some black and white wedding photos.

The Del Rio Country Club in Modesto has an wonderful old oak that they stage their weddings under. 

Check out this gorgeous venue here: http://www.delriocountryclub.com/corp_events/

A country wedding at the Double-T in Stevinson California

Kismet

So what can I say about Hannah and Keith other than I suppose it was kismet that we ended up finding each other.

In late October of last year both Hannah and I were stuck in a state of limbo with regards to May 10^th of 2014. While she was wondering if she’d find a photographer that was available that day I was wondering if either of the two inquiries I had for that day were going to pan out.

Inquiries for wedding dates are a tricky thing for photographers. We can’t save dates without a contract. We just can’t. I’ve turned away inquiries before because someone was “definitely going with us,” just to wind up sitting home that weekend and out much needed income.

Usually, what happens is you book the day and then get others asking about it, but choosing a photographer can be a big decision for many. That’s why you often have a ‘let me think about it,’ period with some clients. Inevitably, you get more than one person asking about the same day at the same time, and when you do, you find yourself between a rock and a hard place.

That’s the kind of pressure I was feeling when Hannah called. Another photographer that I shoot with had recommended her to me because she was booked. “Yes, the day is available, but someone else wants it… but I can’t hold it for them. If you sign before they do, it’s yours.” That might sound like a salesmen’s pressure tactic, but for wedding photographers it happens a lot.

In the past, I would call the other inquiries and let them know that the date could be slipping away, warn them, give them a fighting chance, but there was this hopefulness in Hannah’s voice. She’d be in the very next day if she could, but she was hours away and had work. She insisted that she and Keith would be up to see me on their very next day off just a couple days away.

In the interim I had to wrestle with the possible consequences of going with Hannah and Keith over the others, or what I’d have to say to Hannah if one of the other inquiries signed in the meantime. Clearly, none of that happened.  Hannah and Keith made the trip up, we sat and talked about their day, well, Hannah and I talked while Keith relaxed.

When we were done we had a signed contract. More importantly than that, I didn't have a single regret. Was there blowback on the other side? Of course. Did I feel terrible about having to let someone else down? Yes. But I also knew I’d made the right decision. Hannah and Keith were amazing people with kind hearts and gentle spirits and somehow I just knew that’s where I wanted to be on May 10^th.

Later that day, when talking with Melody about the meeting, I said, “They’re my kind of people, down to earth. I’m glad I let fate take its course.”

The Double-T has a nice outdoor location, complete with screened canopy for the ceremony.

Venue

Hannah and Keith work for a business that does guided horseback tours, as such, the Double-T in Stevinson was the perfect venue for them. If you've never been there you’re really missing out. I’m sure many guests have made their way out to the dusty little town in the middle of nowhere thinking, “Oh boy, what are we in for?”

Out amidst the pastures in the California dairy land sits this little replica of a small old western town built up over the years by the Azevedo family. On the exteriors of large metal buildings they have the façade of something out of Hell on Wheels. The level of detail in the recreation is really quite impressive.

I've shot there before with another photographer. It’s a photographer’s playground, and each time I went I’d imagine the things I’d shoot if I ever had the chance to shoot a wedding of my own there. From the old jail cell, to the dance floor in the barn, it’s all amazing. Oh, and the train. Like an actual train. Not one engine, or a caboose, a full on steam engine with several cars and a caboose! I could shoot there for years and not run out of ideas.

As it turned out, on this particular day, it was a touch windy. Gusts of wind up to 34 mph. Wind that was filled with dust. As you’ll see further on, we worked that to our favor.

But enough talk, let’s look at PICTURES! 

Hannah's dress was gorgeous but there wasn't much room to shoot it and with the wind blowing like it was, I wasn't about to take it outside. Hanging it in the entryway to the train car and lighting it did the trick.

I loved all the details and textures they had at the wedding. In the ring shot I used Hannah's boots laid over on the side as the surface for the rings to sit on. The cake topper was perfect considering their love of horseback riding.

Hannah's dress was simple with just the right amount of elegance.

No, this train doesn't actually run, and it doesn't really look like this in real life either. Watch the video at the end of the blog to see how I transformed this scene from a dusty shot on the back of a museum train into what you see here.

The wind worked in our favor when it came to whipping the bride's dress around.

A sturdy, old barn doubles as saloon and dance floor at the Double-T. Here I'm using it to get a few shots of the groomsmen in a controlled lighting situation.

The Double-T even has a jail cell for when guests get out of hand.

At the Double-T you have the option of being escorted to the ceremony location via horse drawn carriage. Here, Hannah's dad helps her step out.

After you're married the driver of the carriage takes the bride and groom away so that guests can make their way to the dining area. Upon returning you have an opportunity to catch a few shots in the carriage itself.

Everyone was supposed to do silly faces. Keith didn't get the memo.

We did a boring posed shot too, but I wanted a group hug. 

Eventually all of our shenanigans broke Keith down and he couldn't help laughing.

It was too good to resist.

Anytime I don't have Melody or an assistant with me, I nab someone from the wedding to assist during portraits with the bride and groom. For this wedding I stole the charismatic Arielle who did her best to try and wrangle us up some cows.

Green grasses out in the pasture with the golden light of sunset all directed by the leading lines of the barbed wire fence.

I think she was trying to get him to dance. Proof that boys running from dancing starts at a very early age.

Just a few of the happy faces at the reception.

That hat was a pain in the butt to shoot around, but there were times when it caught the light just right, like in this backlit shot of the first dance.

Hannah's dad had some of the best expressions during the father/daughter dance. There was no hiding his joy.

Minor wardrobe malfunction. No worries, sister to the rescue.

Not sure if this guy was looking for a dance partner, or just watching. Either way he looked adorable doing it.

This little one was on the dancefloor all night long.

Loved the expressions in this frame.

When I was leaving I looked back at the replica town and saw this shot. I grabbed Hannah, Keith, and my assistant Arielle and snapped a few frames. I think you can tell where I'll be playing the next time I shoot at the Double-T in Stevinson.

And now it's time for the video:

If you're interested in this venue, you can find them here: http://www.thedoublet.com/
If you'd like to know more about our photography you can find us at: http://www.daveandmel.com
For our most recent work check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/melodyanddavid
For more videos and to subscribe to our channel go to: https://www.youtube.com/user/DefiningDave
And if you want to see cute pictures of our kids along with sneak peeks of what we're working on, follow us on instagram at: http://instagram.com/dnoceti