Manuel and Samirah’s Wedding at the Grand Canyon from Jared Platt on Vimeo.

Manuel and Samirah were married at the Grand Canyon in front of a small group of family and friends. The small intimate wedding was full of beautiful ceremony and the location was as beautiful as it could be.

Here is a slideshow of images with my thoughts on the wedding, if you’re interested in what I was thinking about the wedding.

Photography Notes: A Wedding at the Grand Canyon from Jared Platt on Vimeo.

No chapel, no cathedral, no resort can match the awe inspiring combination of 17 million years of erosion and unpredictable in-climate weather. The view was breathtaking and the light was ever changing and fantastic. Of course we had to bare some cold weather. But, I’ll take the cold weather in exchange for the storm clouds and perfect light any day.

Just a note from the guests, left on a rock on Shoshone Point at the Grand Canyon. “Kiss the Bride”. And he did.

This has got to be the coolest way to make a bouquet. These are dried flowers made into a bouquet. They certainly fit in with the natural surroundings. And as a bonus, they were light and never started drooping.

Here comes the bride.

This is the longest isle. Samirah was escorted by her father in spirit by the soft beating of a drum. It was probably the most touching procession I have ever experienced.

To get a shot like this, you sometimes have to lean a little too far over the edge of a cliff. I was not completely comfortable with my proximity to the edge of the cliff, but we have to push the edge to get the perfect shot.

There were many tender moments in the wedding, but this one was difficult for me to shoot. This was a washing of the feet ceremony. This is something Christ did for his apostles before he was crucified. It was an act of complete humility. John the Baptist had told Christ that he was not worthy to lace the savior’s sandals, and yet, years the savior kneeled before his 12 apostles and tenderly washed dust and soil from their feet, to show his love and his purpose to serve them (John 13:5). It was truly the Condescension of God. So when Manuel washed his bride’s feet and she in turn washed his, I was struck by the complete sacred nature of the act. Of course, I am being paid to photograph this, but I felt like an intruder at this moment. It was truly the most religious act I have every photographed at a wedding.

Did I mention it was cold! It was May, but it was only 43 degrees out there on that pointe. And yet, Samirah bore the cold to get these great shots.

After the sun had dropped below the horizon, we went to a burned out section of the forest and got a few more portraits. The quality of light that exists after the sun sets is the best light, hands down.

Both Samirah and Manuel are pilots, so this was an appropriate setting for their wedding dinner. The entire wedding was a small group, so they all fit around this large table. The candles were a nice touch, but to avoid explosions, it was not possible to light the candles. Airplanes are full of fuel, even some of these old planes.

And finally, the rings! I wanted to use something that was unique to the wedding to photograph the rings. I think I nailed this one. It says so much about them, about how they came together (they met in a flight school situation) and I even though the dials, words and arrows made a great point. So I am very proud of this shot.

Photography: Jared Platt, Platt Photography
Slideshow Music Courtesy of Triple Scoop Music
Location: Shoshone Point, The Grand Canyon

Campisano Infant Portrait, Scottsdale, Arizona from Jared Platt on Vimeo.

I photographed the Campisano’s new baby boy.  Here are a few of my favorite images from the portrait shoot.

I love the details in a baby’s room.  The toys, the blankets, the mobiles…  They all tell me a little bit about the parents.  I wonder what kind of influence they have on the children.  Will Quentin grow up to be an archeologist?  Will one of my children grow up to be a photographer?  I don’t know.  But it sure is fun to give them toys and decorate their rooms with things that I hope they will love as they grow older.

I love this Anti-Monkey Butt powder.  It made me laugh.

Most of the time an infant’s head will flop around, so it is a bit difficult to get the right moment and expression.  I loved this little expression.

I also love photographing through the crib bars and using them as foreground elements.

Use The Right Click in Lightroom from Jared Platt on Vimeo.

So many questions can be answered by simply right clicking in Lightroom. If you want to do something to anything in Lightroom, try right clicking it and see what you get. This is just a short list of things that the right click can do and by no means exhaustive. Just right click everything in Lightroom, even the little triangles at the edge of the screen, or the individual section headings on the left and right panels. Spend 20 minutes just right clicking. It will answer so many questions that you will no longer have to ask me about. As much as I like being needed… I’d rather have you exploring and discovering things for yourself.

And if you are on a mac, you do have a right click, you just need a mouse with a right click button. Or hold down the control key and click. (This is the point at which all PC users may laugh at the mac users. Your one chance!)

Lindsay & Travyn’s Wedding: Troon North, Scottsdale, Arizona from Jared Platt on Vimeo.

Lindsay and Travyn were married at Troon North Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were there to capture them getting ready, the ceremony and a little bit of the reception.

Lindsay’s father got a sneak peak just before the bride and groom would see each other for the first time.  His pride at this moment must have been overflowing.  Two years ago, I may have still captured this image, but would not have fully understood it.  Now with a little girl of my own, I get it… I really get it.

It was a warm day in Scottsdale, Arizona and the sun was high in the sky, so our group portraits were taken in the dappled light of the paloverde trees.  Troon North has a lot of interesting tree covered ravine which work great for non-golfcourse looking shots.  And shade in Arizona is a very important thing to find.

I always love having the wedding party as a backdrop to the bride and groom.  People are often times the best backdrop to any shot.

Of course, a nice scenic backdrop works too.  I love the huge boulders out at Troon North.  They are all over far north Scottsdale.  The make for some great photographs.  Note: I am always very cautious and walk in front of the bride and groom looking for and listening for snakes!  Rattle snakes.  We didn’t find any snakes during this wedding, but I have almost been bitten four times in one day before (a story for another post), so, it is something to take seriously.

I loved this lone tree.  I have shot a lot of weddings at Troon North and never saw this tree in this way before.  It just happen to catch my eye this time and I thought it made for a good dramatic portrait of the groom.

I loved this moment.  Most of the time, it is a hand shake or a simple handing off the bride, but occasionally something bigger and more emotional occurs and when it does, it is a little treasure.  I was glad to be in the right position to get the moment between Travyn and his Father in Law, but Lindsay being in the shot makes the shot.

I have been shooting weddings at Troon North long enough to see the wedding site change drastically.  It used to occur off the driving range (which had a nice view), but they really did a good job choosing a great backdrop for their current wedding site.  But, you do have to time the wedding just right.  The sun can make things a bit difficult for the photographs and for the guests if it is not timed right.  But if you time it right, it can be perfect.

After the wedding we took a little ride on the golf cart for some more portraits of just the bride and groom.  Lindsay and Travyn got to watch the sunset from a high vantage point.

But after the sunset, we did a few more shots in the boulders.  I love the soft quality of the light after a sunsets, and thanks to modern digital equipment, I can capture images in this limited light without difficulty.

Photography: Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Slideshow Music: Jared Platt, The Genesis

Location: Troon North Country Club, Scottsdale, Arizona