The details: Ryan and Courtney were married on September 8th 2007 at Regency Garden.
Jared told me to write my blog entries different. Actually he told me to start writing entries again period. 
So without saying exactly how he told me to change my writing … let me see if anyone notices.
This next image was an interesting one. Honestly as I view it, it has tons of emotion for me. You must understand … at weddings I am in the room while women get dressed. I am there because I want the shot of the bride getting in her dress. It’s not comfortable usually for the bride. It requires at least some assistance from others. And it’s a bit nerve racking. Marriage is a right of passage that brings all new cultural circumstances. The wedding day is the day the bride puts on the dress for real. Make believe is now reality. I want to be there to capture what is going on, on the outside so she can see the expressions and remember the feelings she was having on the day of. - That is the setup for the shot though I don’t think it needs explained. As for my side … When I am in the brides room I make it VERY clear that I don’t want to see nudity or take pictures of it. Not of the bride, bridesmaids, or grandma (do I have awkward stories to tell there – ) If a bride wants anything of that sort we are not the team for her. And please don’t be afraid to tell me not to turn around. You can bet that if you were clothed a minute ago, I don’t want to turn around to find out accidentally that your circumstances have changed. Sometimes I have brides who just want us to stay out and that is fine too. It’s her day give her what she wants. But to be honest I feel a little out of place in the brides room most of the time even when I am invited. I love getting the shots and don’t want to be anywhere else because of it but I am not used to burying my face into my camera and aiming away so as not to get shots that I don’t want. Which is why this shot resonates with me. This shot shows the brides discomfort in a way as I could imagine that even one person helping me get dressed would seem strange, but three!!! I love how this shot through the mirror has the outsider feel to it. Not someone involved but rather someone observing the strange rituals that occur in the name of weddings. Courtney’s body language and the outsider feel of the image really sums up one moment in her day that I feel just about every week.
Ryan stepped out into the ally way and nearly stopped. Almost pensive, as if he was saying … can I come now? Which was funny … it was his show. We were waiting for him!
The last shot really got me too. It has such a great feel in the overall detail that is lost at this size. It has motion through just about the entire image. I love the expressions on the kids faces. Unsure and excited at the same time. You could tell she just wanted it done perfectly. I think he was just a little more concerned about getting up front. The full motion in the image gives me the sense of time not standing still even for the camera. Enjoy the moments as they come because they sure are fun. Too bad that sounded really cliche.
Matt Wheeler – Still Life Studios - Photographer