when you're a wedding photographer, saturday night 'guy' time may differ from the norm. on the rare occasion during a busy wedding season, the last thing on the mind of many wedding photographers is to shoot yet another wedding. thanks to spousal permission (thanks, hon :), i joined gino last night at shara & asher's wedding in loveland.

mark twain once said, "never let school interfere with your education.' true that. while second-shooting with other photographers does not seem like education in the formal sense, it is time well-spent building confidence with the tools of our craft. real-world experience simply can't be trumped by attending workshops & coffee-shop classes, glancing at photographer's blogs, reading studio lighting books, or watching DVDs about "how to book the high-end bride." it's about perfect practice developed over years. the NBA stars we watch today spent their childhood playing hoops on the school yard. and being a photographer is no different, granted it might be difficult to play a game of pick-up wedding photographer at the local elementary school :)

a rock shot tribute to july 19:


gino lent me his nikon 60 mm f/2.8 af-s micro nikkor, a nice little lens that allowed me to shoot the above shot, handheld, sans flash at 1/15 sec, iso 1600. that is something our old 105 mm f/2.8 lens could never do.

line plays an important role in the next three shots.


asher, cooling off as nerves build.


nerves on the mind, shara peers out the porch door of the mccreery house just before the ceremony.


shara & asher wrote their own vows, which left few dry faces. at the end of the ceremony, they released butterflies in memory of her grandfather.


along for the ride, this butterfly held on to shara's dress during their recession:


shara's fake cake shmearing (she pulled back at the last second :)


humor me on this one: while the OneLight workshop held last week in boulder was full, the evening mile high photographers social offered a few lightbulb moments, inspiring this shot.


asher chose to wear his tie creatively different, which prompted this creatively different portrait :)


inspired by zack arias's mention of "going commando" using one light and one shot during the tosses, here's round 1:


round 2:


brought to you by radiopoppers, sb-600 at full power, 1/10th second of lingering twilight, and three mystery hands:

denver's washington park doesn't get much better during the summertime. july 12, 2008 proved no different.

thank you, thank you for allowing us to be close to you on your special day!

click here to view their slideshow.



the talented kristen samz covered the details of the day with perfection & brian kane livened the party with his contagious energy & good spirits.


to sign their guestbook and view more images, click HERE.

"the rock," high in the sangre de cristo mountains in colorado, marked a special place for samantha & chris on june 28, 2008. sitting at 11,000 feet and millions of years old, "the rock" serves as a sturdy foundation and everlasting metaphor of love for samantha & chris.

this special place deserved two weekends of prep to build the special aisle path for their ceremony. they wanted guests to share in the same spectacular view they loved. and it was perfect. the whole shabang event rocked, complete with heart felt toasts, a double rainbow, super yummy italian food, and even yummier cake :)

siblings played an important part of their day, as chris has 2 bros and samantha with 3 sisters. nothing like siblings to serve in the bridal party. both nicole and i had our only siblings play a special role in our weddings, and it is refreshing to see others with a similar family friendships.

this was true-on a destination mountain wedding, with folks traveling from more countries than i could count on one hand, and more states than i could count on two hands. there was even at one point while driving off the beaten road that nicole and i had our doubts, thinking "uh...we're lost" in that nervous husband-wife tone. and we looked at the "no signal" on our cellphones.... gulp. buuuut, thanks to super signage, we found our way without calling AAA or 911. whew!

and lastly, but not leastly, a special thanks goes out to drew & melissa, and little breckin, who referred us for a record of three weddings this summer! yowza!

view their slideshow by clicking HERE and sign-up to view more images on pictage HERE.



i saw these little bugs while shooting formals (left) and they reminded me of the cool coloradoesque table decor (right).


guys are so low-maintenance.... we can get ready in less than 10 minutes :)


and under 5 minutes with some help :)


i lent chris my umbrella so he wouldn't see samantha walking towards their First Look site... they didn't expect traffic along the way.


a mountain meadow set the stage for their First Look. and here's the first hug:

samantha showing herself off, thanks to the First Look. chris loved admiring her!


pinning on boutonnieres, with a sense of humor:


this little guy was on the porch where folks where getting ready. he looks as if he's smiling.


just before the ceremony:


we love kids at ceremonies!


i'm super proud of nicole's contest-worthy portrait of the flowergirl.


emotions ran deep.


chris was mighty proud to call samantha his bride with "the rock" in the background.


samantha's expression during her father's toast about "now looking forward to grandkids."


the coolest place i've ever seen a marriage license signed :)


after 2 months of drought, God brought this rainbow which only last a minute or two after their ceremony.


so i had find samantha & chris so they could see it, too. and here's proof they were there :)


the first dance:

julie & jru (pronounced "drew") tied the knot on friday, june 27, 2008.  i was thankful to feel the power of spirit, love, and passion while being around julie & jru on their wedding day, which was filled with fine hand-crafted music, tears of happiness, and completed with the spirit of God. brian kane over at piano man music mixed up a Dynamic First Dance, which is one of the coolest things i’ve ever ‘heard’ during a first dance.  weeks before their wedding, julie & jru were “interviewed” separately about their engagement details (so the other know didn’t know), edited and mized in with their first dance song.  while they had their first dance they were able to hear their responses.  they captured 100% guest attention.  

you can listen entire to the entire slideshow mix by clicking HERE  (be patient while it downloads, it is a biggie, but it totally worth it :) and sign-up to view more images on pictage HERE.

here are a few favorites from their wedding day:



julie got 'stuck' while getting into her dress (next 2 photos by christina):


julie's first manicure/pedicure, done just right for her wedding day:


the first smooch after the FIrst Look:


and here they are:


julie is a talented violinist:


accepting the hot hot hot temp, we castaway our plans to head away mountainesque photos 30 minutes away and opted for some creative backdrops on walking distance from the ceremony location at timberline church in fort collins, colorado. one of the bridesmaids couldn't have agreed more by saying, "i love you!" (to the notion of not driving in construction traffic in hot weather on short time).


nicole couldn't make this one, so christina stepped right up and did some stellar work including this bridal portrait:


and this one, too:



jru just trying to relax before the ceremony, with his father and the officiant meeting in the background.


6:51 p.m. marks the minute where julie & jru relish in the newly-minted couple feeling while her girls hustle to bustle the dress in front of their reflection.


immediately after the ceremony, julie & jru entered into this room for some quite time. her dad peaking a glimpse made her excited :)


carried off in style with a 1932 chrysler (sorry, but if you look carefully you'll see the notorious PT Crusier with flames in the reflection (photo by christina)


the first dance, which was a custom song by brian kane with interviews revealing details about their engagement... sooo heartfelt :)


father-daughter dance:


a sweet finale for their dance:


jru's kiss to his mother at the end of their dance brought tears in the crowd:


the departing shot leaving their reception at the lory student center ballroom at colorado state university:

best friends for more than 8 years, lisa & jason celebrated their big day at the denver botanic gardens on saturday, june 21, 2008. while it was super hot, we relished the breeze and the beautiful surroundings of the gardens. while the botanic gardens remains a popular oasis from the hectic urban surroundings (and is very popular place to get married), it is still easy to get away from it all and find a place for reflection & solitude surrounded by lush vegetation, which is exactly what we did and loved it :) to view more images from their wedding, check out their slideshow by clicking HERE and sign their pictage guestbook to see more HERE.

timeless beauty... this picture could have been taken 60 years ago :)

the one-shoe shot for variety & spice:

shaking it up for the anti-bouquet shot:


moments before the ceremony:


jason's first look:




a single nikon sb-800 triggered wirelessly provided some impact for this shot:


all the girls:


lisa's tear captured at the right moment at maggiano's little italy in denver.


party on!

friday the 13th of june was lucky day for megan & jeff. warding off all superstition, they embraced their day carefree of black cats stepping on a crack under a ladder. i've never been superstitious, as my alma mater, colgate university, was founded by 13 men with 13 prayers, 13 dollars & 13 articles.

i consider the number 13 a good omen i wish to pass along to them. congrats x 13 !!

having dated through high school and danced at more than just a few proms together, megan & jeff now join the '2% club,' exclusive to those who dated through high school/college then tie the knot together :)

both are talented musicians at csu. but on friday, jeff put down his trumpet and megan put down her trombone and marching shoes at the stonebrook manor and let friends & family enjoy their wedding music.

view their slideshow HERE and sign their pictage guestbook to see more HERE.



dapper details:




three sisters, dolling each other up:


jeff grinned from ear to ear almost the entire day. he seemed to embrace every moment, including his groomal portrait :)


the stonebook manor wasn't enough for guys being just guys, so we headed across the street to grab this shot:

ah, but rewind to watch the process and make sure you see the full effect on the slideshow here:

the guys enjoyed the 'mini-bonding teamwork game.' thanks again, guys, for your trust :)

megan radiated with timeless beauty with some creative processing:


megan's father diffuses tension with his soft humor:


moments before the ceremony ( i love the juxtaposition between the organic foreground/background vs. the parallel lines created by the sidewalk and her blowing veil):


the wind made it a tad difficult to light the unity candle, but jeff was packing a bic lighter, which did the job right :)


jeff's mom was so sweet the entire day. at the end of the evening, she gave me a huge hug which made me all warm and fuzzy inside.

during the lighting of the unity candle, jeff's uncle sang & played an original song on his guitar:

so crisp and excited, introducing the newly minted mr. & mrs:


christina did a wonderful job second-shooting. she brought out the big guns for formals... a 7 foot octabank supplied with a 1.21 gigawatt plutonium-powered nuclear elinchrome setup which was a blast to shoot with. she created some stunning images including these next four shots:


flare in focus with a soft subjects in the background: a kern-photo treat :)


a new favorite-most action out of the brand-spakin' new totally rad actions 2 toolkit, ("grandma's tap shoes @ 50% with some "snap" and "yin/yang"):


a beautiful moment in a summer colorado sunset:


letting go of it all:


the whole bridal gang in our 'fresh. modern. fun' style:


and a quick shot of the girls:


tossin' fun:


a favorite shot with taken with an ultra-wide view of some yummy lingering rays:

a destination wedding in brookings, south dakota created a lifetime of memories for liz & ryan on 06.07.08. after two years of planning, seeing it all come together was super fab.

liz had an understated *moment* when ryan broke the news that all her wedding invitations incorrectly announced their day as, "saturday, the sixth of june two thousand and eight." we're all human :)

i gave liz the advice my mother gave me during our wedding planning process: "you are planning for a marriage, not just a wedding." so true.

family, bridal party, photographers, and guests still showed up and witnessed a beautiful exchange of vows, then partook in some crazy celebrations that lasted well past midnight.

the only downside to such a fun night: nicole broke her first bone, a broken middle toe resulting from a run-in with a chair :(

view slideshow HERE and sign their guestbook on pictage to view the rest by clicking HERE.



exquisite details:



nervous moments before the First Look:


the First Look:


glad to see i'm not the only one who gets a bubble up the nose :)


napa auto parts provided the wonderful backdrop... highlights direct from overhead sun.


some relaxed kern-photo portraits (spot nicole, the bridesmaid seated):

yes, it is always fun to shoot photograph your wife at a wedding :)

cute:


a heart-felt toast:


dancing queen:


penny-the-viszla turned three-years-old on the wedding day and had a cake with her name on it, so it was fitting to have a viszla inspired rock-shot:

alisha & bryce tied the knot on may 31, 2008 in beaver creek, colorado. we felt the joy of God with them during their memorable occasion that will still be remembered 50 years to come.

'the day flew by,' they both said at the end of the night. our thoughts were the same.

in our eyes, the wedding day was flawless. we appreciate being treated like close family. thank you, thank you.

view their slideshow HERE and sign their guestbook on pictage by clicking HERE to view more.





football skills do come in handy for wedding prep (guests got a few laughs at me straddling the aisle runner as i shot this):


alisha & bryce met through their bible study leader, kevin king, who also served as the officiant of their ceremony at the beaver creek chapel.


awesome lens switch-a-roo assistance thanks to ashleigh weber. my wedding present from nicole was the ultra-wide angle nikon 12-24 f/4 used to shoot this image:



interesting to see how the color temperature of light warmed up from the above picture, taken about 2 hours prior.


aspen trees exhibit a brilliant green during the first few weeks of growth... and here they are:


the grand entrance at the pines lodge after their horse drawn carriage ride from the ceremony:


we caught sunset at the perfect time: 8:24 p.m. and not a minute to spare.


nothing is quite like the wrap-around lighting effect of a warm backlit sunset.


because of the rich, warm skies, i decided to swithc my camera settings to expose for the sky (taken 55 seconds after the image above).


fuzzy kern-photos sometimes are better than tack sharp ones:


and the party went on and on, even at 8100 ft.

stephanie & jeff grew up miles apart in a small-town in nebraska and never knew it until they met years later on the golf course in colorado. since they both love the game of golf, arrowhead golf club seemed the perfect place for them to tie the big knot on may 25, 2008.

jeff wanted to admire stephanie in her dress so bad. part of the excitement lies in the anticipation of seeing exactly how beautiful the dress is :)

view their slideshow HERE and sign their guestbook on pictage to see more by clicking HERE.



stephanie loves the color red... and it shows!


all the girls signed her shoes:



stephanie looked radiant:


and here's jeff:


after their First Look in downtown littleton, we wandered the streets in search of some textured backgrounds, a kern-photo favorite:


a candid moment:


super fun, super chill was the order of the day:


nebraskan's love their bud light.


just before the ceremony, i caught this a candid moment of the boys scoping out the colorado geography.


we had a few moments to wander the course and savor the views.


proudly displaying the latest spring fashions in junior sizes:


stephanie chose both her parents to give her away, which brought out the emotion in jeff.


jeff's father did a wonderful job as the officiate.



beaming with joy in front of friends & family:


here's our rock shot:


the first dance:



kids are such fun at weddings when the adults are doing their own thing:


their party continued well-past midnight:

artistic wedding photojournalism is all pure shooting of moments which can not be predicted or planned... they just happen. and being in the right place at the right time is all that matters to capturing the right moment. those ideas are in the back of my head in all of the weddings we shoot. a bonus of serving as a second shooter is the expanded creative freedom, the opportunity to experiment and try out new ideas with a slightly less pressure to perform.

9 times of the 10 the experimentation pays off :)

such is what went through my head while shooting at crystal & tom's wedding with christina dooley last weekend.

but first, the rock shot on tom's car:


introducing tom (and two guest pigeons :)


a relaxed, environmental portrait of crystal before putting on her dress. she was soooo chill.


and now with a dash of candid nervousness seconds before the ceremony:


introducing, "Trouble" (yes, with a capital "T :)


the newlyweds:


shot at 70 mph, a few miles before running out of gas en route to the reception.


my favorite-most image of the day, shot while getting fuel:


crystal's bouquet on the hood of tom's classic car:



tom cut his hand on the car door earlier in the day. the band-aid from his wedding day survival kit (a surprise gift from crystal) came in handy.

april 12, 2008 marked a huge day for carolyn & adam. after planning for months and months and months, they were so excited their wedding day to finally be here. and all their planning paid off: they both never looked so happy or excited to be together with their closest family and friends.



the bridal prep:




count four adams getting ready :)


a final moment with the guys before the ceremony with a glimpse of boulder's stunning flatirons in the reflection.


adam couldn't wait to savor his 'first look' of carolyn...


there she is!


a priceless moment caught by second-shooter gino siller!



the boulder flatirons as seen from chautauqua:


every bride goes through the roller coaster of emotions on her wedding day. carolyn was a pure champ through it all.


adam in a final moment of humor before the ceremony.


a bird's eye glimpse of the packed ceremony at the first congregational church in boulder, a special place for their family for many years:


such excitement!


right on!


carolyn looked stunning in her dress (flowers by boulder blooms).


carolyn and 'grandmommie herron' share an emotional moment:


beautiful lighting brought to you by God himself :)



some signature kern-photo reception light on the excitement of the reception:


back when i first met carolyn & adam, i asked them to describe how they envisioned their reception. carolyn's response, "a big dance party."

and it was :)


the happenin' party was facilitated by slim event productions.


with each wedding we shoot, we love to try on new creative ideas. wedding rings, while symbolic, need to be shot with the same enthusiasm as brides, otherwise they can lead to the boring 'same old, same old' images. while keeping it fresh & fun, and adding a spice of character, here is a favorite rock shot featuring ralphie, the cu-boulder mascot:


sorry, colorado state university fans. loyalty goes out to my alma mater grad school :)