By Mariah Ashley

Liz and Dan must have extra good karma stored up from some good deeds because the day they got for their Belle Mer Island House wedding was PERFECTION. Liz’s wedding has been much anticipated here at Snap Headquarters. The first time we met her she was so lovely and stylish (love me a statement necklace), so cute and full of energy that she left quite an impression on the snappers. She did not disappoint on the wedding day! From her amazing Carolina Herrera gown to her statement earrings, she was a vision of bridal sophistication.  Liz is bubbly and sassy and Daniel compliments her with a more reserved and quiet manner. Liz steals the show a little, she can’t help it she’s just fabulous… BUT what I discovered is that the unassuming Dan has a wealth of sweet and loving expressions that are always directed toward the lovely Liz. I didn’t notice it the day of the wedding, but when editing the photos I felt I discovered a whole new and very tender side of Daniel. Liz is a lucky girl!

The Team:

Venue: Belle Mer Island House, Florist: Stoneblossom, Hair and Makeup: Serai Beauty, Videographer: Buzz Media Company, Band: Flipside, Murray Hill Talent

These blank journals are such a great keepsake for written vows.

How gorgeous is Liz’s oval engagement ring?! Photographed on her clutch.Liz’s stunning dress and her “man-maid” best friend from school, Brett helping her into it.Exquisite bouquet by Stoneblossom and beautiful ladies.

It’s always nice to have a few extra minutes before rushing off to the ceremony to take some portraits of the brides and her maids when their hair and makeup is the freshest. A hotel room is fine. These photos were taken in the window with nothing but neutral wallpaper as a background. It’s not about the background, it’s about the light and of course the beautiful subjects.  This is classic groom getting ready material. There’s a bow tie, there’s an instructional video… jury is still out on whether it will all come together!Contemplative.The moments before the bride walks down the aisle are always so emotionally charged. It’s important to have a photographer there for shots like this one of Liz and her flowergirl. At Liz and Dan’s wedding I hung at the back of the church while Trish photographed the processional. Tag team!Daniel looks pretty excited to see Liz. If only the priest would get out of his way… ha-ha. Just kidding Father.The chapel at Salve Regina is stunning. Great light and lots of side aisles for the snappers to sneak around.The I do’s.Sealed with a kiss and a sneak peek of admiration from Daniel.Sometimes it works great to do the family photos right outside of the church. Everybody is there, happiness is running high and there are no cocktails and snacks to distract anyone.Liz and Dan and their adorable mini bridal party members.While photographing the family portraits we noticed an amazing patch of light across the street and literally ran over to it to snap the last bits of pretty golden sunlight. We are always on the lookout for perfect light, so stay flexible with the time line and limber up- sprinting may be required!

I love this classic portrait of Liz and Dan. They’re so darn good looking!After we nail the classic photos, or as we like to say “the photo that goes in the silver frame” … it’s time for some romance. No shortage of that here.We chose to do the bridal party photos across the street from the chapel on Salve’s beautiful lawn. Here we are squeaking out the last bit of golden light.I can’t get enough of these flowers by Stoneblossom or of Liz’s neutral color palette.Handsome(s).So elegant.But there’s room for funny stuff too.We’re always looking for an interesting angle or a new way of seeing things. Sometimes that requires laying on the ground and peeping through fences.Liz’s Lawn Games.Stoneblossom again. Stunning again. We use the cocktail hour to photograph the details before the room is attacked by guests brandishing coats and purses. It’s an on going battle- but I think we are winning.Hello Newport. You take our breath away.There’s more than one way to snap a sunset. Sparkly details- love those table numbers! And a sweet little cake.Looking for new ways to see things again… table numbers.The irrepressible Corin Ashley of Flipside Band (no relation, unless of course we are in the Dominican Republic and then he’s my and Trish’s husband). The right band will make or break the event. Flipside always makes it!Let the rumpus begin!Sibling Toasts = Sibling Love.Sweets table… MMM.The End.

If we are able to pull you away from the ruckus, we like to do a last photo. Usually something moody and romantic. Something that would make a great last page in your album. It’s important to finish on a high note don’t you think?Leave Dan and Liz some love below in the comment section! Maybe tell us something else that we didn’t know about Dan… or maybe that’s not a good idea, it could get out of hand… but if you love Liz and you love Dan let them know!

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Now it’s time for everyone’s favorite section:

BEHIND THE SNAPS WITH THE SNAP GIRLS

In this installment we talk about sunsets!

A lot of photographers consider themselves “natural light” photographers, and that’s cool but it can important to hire a photographer who knows how to rock their Off Camera Flash. What does “off camera flash” mean you ask?

Allow me to explain…  The flash is mounted on a light stand or mono-pod instead of on top of the camera. (See right photo below- our assistant Liz is holding the off camera flash in the left of the frame) The flash is triggered by (in this case) a radio controlled unit mounted to the camera where the flash would normally be mounted.

What’s so great about that you ask?

Well, with a directional light instead of the straight on flash, you get flattering highlights and shadows instead of a flat washed out look. Notice Liz is standing way far left of the camera and the couple. This creates contour to the face and body with shadow and is flattering and slimming!  The background is also enhanced and vibrant and the colors pop! Basically, off camera flash makes a photograph more dynamic.

The photo below on the left is the exact shot that I was taking in the demonstration photo on the right. Dynamic! With the photo on the right the sky is washed out, the sunset is almost nonexistent and the subjects are dark. Yuck. It looks like that because the photographer is only using the available or natural light! Add in some off camera flash and now you’ve got the photo on the left and you understand why off camera flash is so awesome!

Of course, as I mentioned earlier there is more than one way to photograph a sunset. Trish took the amazing photo below using natural light and underexposed her image to get a silhouette.

I can’t really choose one shot over the other! I love them both. It’s just two approaches to the same scenario! Why shouldn’t you have both?!

Hope you enjoyed this installment of the very educational… BEHIND THE SNAPS.