I hoped you enjoyed the photos this week from the Cayman Islands wedding of Eric and Haydee. Today’s final photo of Eric and Haydee is one of them enjoying each others company on the balcony. I Earlier in the week I was talking about how I prefer wedding photojournalism which is an alternative approach where images are captured spontaneously to emphasize moments and emotion. This is a good example of a photo that could be staged. And we actually tried a few posed photos. However, I find the Bride and Groom just don’t relax. So I excused myself and let Haydee and Eric carryout a conversation and I went into the adjoining room. I then started to take photos of them interacting. I find, as in this photo, you can capture so much emotion when they forget the photographer is there.

Strobist Information: Canon 30D with 85 mm f/1.2L II Lens and natural light.

This photo was taken on Haydee’s wedding day about an hour after the beach side service. She was staring into her husband’s eyes with such a peaceful, blissful look.

Strobist Information: Canon 30D, 85mm f/1.2L II lens, 580 EX II Flash and Gary Fong Diffuser.

After the service we headed up to the Shangri-La Bed and Breakfast in West Bay where Haydee and Eric were going to spend the night. The Shangri-La is an 8 bedroom Bed and Breakfast with a full kitchen, swimming pool, Jacuzzi on a half acre with palm trees and various other tropical plants and flowers. And of course, some of the rooms have their own balconies . This photo was taken with me outside looking up at Haydee and Eric.

Strobist information: Canon 30D with a 85mm f/1.2 L II lens and natural light.

One of the reasons that Smith Cove is frequently used for weddings is that you have the sand, the sea and the iron shore. For this photo Haydee and Eric were posing on the iron shore while I waded into the water. I was able to take a number of great shots but I wanted to different angles, so I kept moving further and further into the water…and before I knew it I was up to my waist but didn’t care as I was getting great photos. That was until I came out and someone asked whether I remembered to empty my pockets before I went into the water. Unfortunately I had my SanDisk Compact Flash cards in my pocket. Long story short, I was able to retrieve all but two photos from the cards after washing them with fresh water, blow drying them and leaving them sit for a couple of days.

Strobist information: Canon 30D with a 85mm f/1.2 L II lens, 580 EX II flash with a Gary Fong diffuser.

Shooting outside, as opposed to inside, affords a photographer a lot more options to take photos during the service as you usually have more light, natural light, you can move around without making too much noise (sand can only make so much noise ), and most angles are available (there are no pillars in the way). Having said that, the one downside to shooting outside, is the sun. It can play havoc if is coming from the wrong direction and you just cannot move it!

This photo was taken from the center isle as Eric was placing the ring on Haydee’s finger.

Strobist information: Canon 30D with a 85mm f/1.2 L II lens, 580 EX II flash with a Gary Fong diffuser.

I was honored when Haydee and Eric asked me to be the wedding photographer for their wedding. The wedding took place on Saturday November 29, 2008 at Smith Cove, Cayman Islands. Smith Cove is a lovely, quaint beach in south west corner of the Island. It has a nice blend of sand and iron shore, great for swimming and a really nice place to be wed. I arrived early to setup and take readings especially considering the Groom and Bride were both in White, on a sunny day, on the beach!

While I shoot the “normal” posed shots of the Bride, Groom and the families, I prefer telling a story with my photos, effectively what is known today as wedding photojournalism. Pursuant to Wikpedia, “a wedding photojournalist is a person who takes photographs during a wedding using an alternative approach where images are captured spontaneously to emphasize moments and emotion. Much like photojournalists for the media, wedding photojournalists present the story of the day through their photographs. A wedding photojournalist typically shoots images quickly using available light or on-camera flash rather than using traditional, formal posing techniques and studio lights.”

Today’s photo is a prime example that in my opinion you could recreate if it was posed. The best man was helping Eric with his boutonnière and sharing a joke.

Strobist Information: Taken with a Canon 30D, 85mm f/1.2L II, 580 EX II and Gary Fong Diffuser.

Last week I did something different here on my photo blog, I devoted the entire week of photos to one topic, specifically the 27 June 2009 Junior Equestrian Jumping Competition held here in the Cayman Islands. Similarly for this coming week, I will be “photo blogging” about one topic… Haydee and Eric’s lovely Cayman Islands November 2008 wedding.

Strobist Information: Taken outside with a Canon 5D Mark II, 85mm f/1.2 L II Lens, 580 EX II Flash with a Gary Fong Diffuser.

This photo was taken shortly after a beautiful wedding service at Smith Cove, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.  As evident in this photo, the father of the bride could not contain his happiness.  It was a real pleasure meeting him as he was one of the nicest gentleman I have ever met.

One of Cayman’s favorite performers, Gary Ebanks, playing the tenor saxophone at a beach wedding in November 2008.  He is an amazing player and if you haven’t had the opportunity to hear him, I highly recommend you do so.

This was a really nice wedding to photograph as everyone was very relaxed, including the Bride and Groom. After the ceremony, one of the guests had asked the the bride to hold a camera. She took the opportunity to take a few pictures and I was able to "catch" her taking the photos.