One of my goals for this year was to gain more experience shooting the weddings of other cultures. I was particularly interested in photographing Desi weddings, as they involve so many amazing colors and details. Desi is a word that comes from Sanskrit, and means “of the country,” and is typically used to refer to the people and culture of South Asia, including India and Pakistan.

My good friend Saad Syed is a Raleigh Wedding Photographer who has built a reputation as being one of the preeminent photographers of Desi weddings on the east coast, so I contacted him to see if I could tag along for one of his bookings. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to shoot the Shadi Ceremony of Faiza and Nadeem in Durham, NC with Saad and his wife Mahroo.

Desi weddings are commonly held over three days:
-The Mehndi Ceremony is the bride’s henna ceremony
-The Shadi Ceremony is the main wedding ceremony hosted by the bride’s family
-The Valima Ceremony is a reception held by the groom’s family

Each of these ceremonies may differ significantly based on the religion of the participants (Muslim or Hindu), and the particular cultural and family traditions of the couple. Faiza and Nadeem are Indian-American Muslims. Thank you to Faiza, Nadeem, and both of your families for welcoming me into your ceremony, and thanks to Saad and Mahroo for being such generous hosts.

Nadeem’s Mother

my friend Saad, “in action”

the ring ceremony

It is a Desi tradition that the female relatives of the bride steal the shoe or shoes of the groom, and he must pay them to get his footwear back. The bargaining process can be exciting, and very entertaining.

This is a set of images from a wedding this past weekend, where I was helping out the incomparable Tony Hoffer up in Chicago. Tony is a good friend of mine and a brilliant photographer, so when circumstances permitted us to work together, I was thrilled to collaborate. The weather was uncooperative with the outdoor wedding plans, but in retrospect it added many interesting facets to the photography. As I was not the primary photographer here, you may notice some differences and/or omissions from my standard coverage.

the bride made this tie for her dog…

the groom looked JUST like Wes Bentley

Elizabeth and Bill were married this past weekend at a beautiful ceremony in Our Savior Lutheran Church here in Nashville, TN. I couldn’t have asked for a couple with more sincerity and chemistry. The reception was held at fabulous Belmont Mansion, which also made my photographic job easier.

If you are interested in being notified when the entirety of this wedding is edited and released for viewing and ordering (a few more weeks!), please follow this link and sign up for Elizabeth & Bill’s online gallery:

http://www.pictage.com/700719

Thanks for looking!

Elizabeth is a beautiful lady who was married this past weekend. I hope you enjoy her bridal portraits, taken in my downtown Nashville studio! The first shot is my favorite: I really feel that it is both an illustration of how lovely she looked AND a hint of her personality.

Randi & Wes linked up with me the other day for an engagement session that started in the studio, moved through Radnor Lake, and then wound up at a Starbucks. They had their first date at a ‘Bucks, so it was a fun way to create some relaxed lifestyle portraits. The second studio portrait was directly inspired by Avedon’s Portrait of Alfred Leslie & Lisa Bigelow (small photo on right).

I hope you enjoy them!

This past weekend I journeyed to Washington DC to chronicle the wedding of John & Laura at St. John’s Church. St. John’s is known as the church of Presidents, because of its location directly across Lafayette Square from the White House. Laura prepared for the ceremony at the luxurious Hay Adams Hotel, also across from the President’s house, and the ceremony was around the corner at the historic Decatur House.

I was ably assisted throughout the day by local photographer Sarah Salyer, and can’t thank her enough for all of her hard work!

I had planned a romantic road-crossing shot with the couple in front of the White House, but this Lincoln created an opportunity for photojournalism instead

So I’ve gotta say I was a bit offended when the best man accused me of pandering, because I was wearing my Boston Red Sox cufflinks to the wedding. I’ll have you know that I’ve been a Sox fan since my college days up at Bentley in Waltham, MA! I figured that Raina & Jeff would think it was cool, but I certainly didn’t buy them just to impress a set of clients!

(kidding)

Anyway… You may notice a decidedly Fenway-centric theme running through this set. That is entirely intentional.

I think that two of the most meaningful images for me are the two shots up in the stairwell, taken just after the ceremony. Raina & Jeff had just run up there to stay out of side while the crowds subsided, and those photographs are unscripted and genuine. Another poignant moment occured during Raina’s sister’s toast: Raina’s expression listening to her sister speak is priceless.

As usual, thanks to Kristin Carolan for doing such an amazing job organizing and coordinating!

Wedding Planner: Kristin Carolan of Simply Stunning Events
Wedding Venue: Belmont Heights Baptist Church
Reception Venue: The Country Music Hall of Fame
Catering: SoBro Catering
Florals: Fresh by Carry Ann
Cake: Cakes by Shara
DJ: Brent Cantrell with Cosmo Creations
Videographer: Realize Studios

image by Daniel Shaw

image by Daniel Shaw

image by Daniel Shaw

I was thrilled to photograph Jenny & Tim’s beautiful wedding this past Saturday. You couldn’t ask for a more friendly or sincere group of people. The feel of the wedding was simple, classic, and vintage. The intimate ceremony was held in Owen’s Chapel Church of Christ in Brentwood, erected back in the 1800′s, and the reception was at Traveler’s Rest Plantation. Tim is a photographer himself, and both he and Jenny had a specific vision for their wedding photography: classic & elegant photojournalism and editorial portraiture.

Kristin Carolan did a superb job coordinating all of the details, and all the other vendors did a great job as well!

Thanks for making me a part of your day guys! It was brutal trying to whittle this set down to this few images!

Wedding Planner: Kristin Carolan of Simply Stunning Events
Ceremony Venue: Owen’s Chapel Church of Christ
Reception Venue: Traveler’s Rest Plantation
Catering: Menu Maker Catering (Mary Weary)
Florals: Rachel Short Designs
Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting
Cake: Maples Wedding Cakes
Videographer: Realize Studios
Makeup: Lisa Johnson
Keyboardist: Kevin Reeves
Ceremony Musician: Andrea Carroll (Violinist)

Accolade of Excellence, 2009 WPPI First-Half 8×10″ Print Competition

image by Daniel Shaw

image by Daniel Shaw

image by Daniel Shaw

this little fellow was very impressed by my camera’s 10 frames-per-second

We’ve had a dicey run with weather here in the Nashville area lately, and last Saturday was no exception. We were fortunate, however, that other than a few sprinkles the rain held off for Tanya & Aaron’s beautiful outdoor wedding on the family farm in Franklin. I think one of the most touching moments for me was when Tanya walked from the house to the ceremony with her daughter, and Aaron went out to meet the two ladies at the end of the aisle. The trio walked down the aisle together, as a new family. It was a wonderful symbolic gesture, and really tells the story of this great group of people. Note that my associate Daniel went skeet shooting with the guys in the morning, thus the weapons in the shot of Aaron and his father.

Thanks to all the vendors whose hard work made the day go off without a hitch!

Wedding Planner: Marcia Husband
Floral Stylings: Knestrick by Design
Tents/Party Rentals: Liberty Party Rental
Wedding Cake: Publix of Franklin
Event Lighting: Tech Works
Ceremony Music: The Marty Crum Quartet
Reception Music: The Clarence Dobbins Revue
Catering: Namie Mason
Limo: Valet Parking Management & Transportation

image by Daniel Shaw

image by Daniel Shaw

image by Daniel Shaw

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to shoot Diane and Robert’s wedding in the heart of California wine country with my good friend Sam Hassas, who is a brilliant photographer from the Bay Area. The wedding was held in a vineyard, and the weather could not have been more perfect. I got to spend the morning hanging out with the guys (a fun change of pace: I’m usually with the bride!), which provided ample opportunity for photojournalism. I spent a good deal of time studying Robert Frank’s documentary style before this wedding, and while my work can only suffer from the comparison, I do believe there are elements of that influence here.