and now, what you've all been waiting for...

This was probably my hardest post yet because of the sheer volume of pictures--from 4:00pm to 10:00pm I took about 600 pictures. It's so hard to narrow 600 pictures down to a blog-sized assortment. The wedding was held at Lytle Bend Ranch (?) and the lighting varried throughout the night. The beginning few hours were good, but later on in the night they moved into a barn area for dancing and the lighting was horrible (okay, not horrible, but definately challenging). The people were great though, all very helpful and willing to have their pictures taken.

This is Shelly getting ready before the ceremony. Her bridesmaids were CONSTANTLY messing with her dress, arranging, pinning and snapping. I really like the composition of this shot and how you can see all the faces.

I felt SO sorry for the flower-girl, Kylan (sp?). She was the groom's daughter and was in almost every group picture taken. Even by the ceremony she was barely managing a grimace for a smile. I chose this shot because of its clean background and because it was the best action shot I had of her dropping the rose petals.

This is the Shelly and her father walking down the aisle during the ceremony. I messed this shot up terribly. Before I edited the levels in Photoshop, the father was so dark you couldn't see his face. But the expressions in the shot were exactly what I was looking for...and since I was so focused on the expressions, I didn't notice how grainy Dad's suit was getting. I think it needs a little more work--back to the drawing board!

This is one of my favorit shots, I love the expression on Chuck's face and how intent he is on saying his vows to Shelly...how much he loves her, it's all there in his expression. The background is soft and compliments the couple, and I like the composition even though you can't see Shelly's face.

I also chose this shot for composition--I liked Chuck's cuffs and the buttons on his tux...also I really think I had the perfect angle for this shot, a little of the pastor's bible and a lot of their hands. I like the gentle way he's holding her hand and juxtipositon between his hands and hers--both skin tone and size. The lighting up to this point has really been gorgeous.

Chuck and Shelly's first dance. Here is where the lighting got pretty bad...up to this point in the barn the lights were on, but when they started dancing the lights got lower, and when they opened it up to everyone to dance the light go lower still. This shot was taken at 500 ISO on auto settings with a bounced flash (the ceiling was aluminum, so that got some interesting effects). I love the soft white lights in the background and the light illuminating Chuck's head. Also, their body language is priceless...I really like that the way they move says love and not lust. They really seem like a beautiful couple and I felt honored to help take thier wedding pictures.

I had a lot of other interesting shots, but these were my favorites and also the ones that seemed most important for the blog. Please let me know what you think about the shots!