I will have more slideshows from Katherine and Ryan’s wedding with more music by the groom. Please enjoy and like always leave any comments down below but if the music strikes you please leave any comments for Ryan as well.

The photography was shot at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Bethlehem PA just before their wedding which was held at The Riverside Country Club in Easton PA

Q: HOW DO YOU KEEP COOL?

A: Easy drive the cart into a pond in the golf course. 

This is a bit funny followed by some seriousnes, especially for Brides and Grooms who are interviewing photographers to shoot their wedding.

so please read till the end.

Heres the story. The very nice young lady you see in distress was a rep from the golf course who was driving me and the couple to a very scenic  spot on the course of a bridge that spans a water hazard. We just dropped off the couple on the bridge and drove to the far side of the pond to grab their reflection in the water. I snapped a couple shots and walked back to the cart. Once in the cart the driver proceeded to make a 3 point turn to head back and get the couple. 

Now if you look closely its a big cart (6 passenger) and a tiny path, not the best places for her to choose to  make the turn. I remained quiet deferring to her expertise. Sadly though the cart got away from her just as soon as we were angled towards the lake. She missed the brake and gravity took over. SPLASH

Very quickly I had to make the call WTF DO I DO!!! I grabbed both cameras (I shoot with 2 black rapid straps so my cameras were close to me not on the seat) and raised them up as high as I can trying to protect the disks in them, abandoning all my lighting equipment (you can see it covered in seaweed in the lower left) When disaster strikes PROTECT THE DISKS!!!!! you can replace equipment not the images you have been shooting.

SPLASH!!!! now hip deep in water what do you do next. Pockets getting wet get out fast. Now I have always been an advocate of the GEPE Card Safe. It is a water proof hard shell case that I keep all my camera cards I carry  in. Why do I need the more expensive waterproof case LOL in case Im on a runaway golf cart that splashes down in a water hazard thats why LOL. 

Once on dry land I empty out pockets and set down all equipment on dry land. Im already wet so time to retrieve the rest of equipment from the lake bottom. Sadly its all electrical so can never be used again Id never reuse electrical equipment that has been submerged to unreliable.

Now assess damage. Cameras are good, images are safe, lighting is junk but I have backups back at the reception. Main priority now Im wet how do I keep shooting at a very elegant Golf club with sea weed in my shoes?

Proshop! I walk (run, lol its 95 degrees remember ugggggg) back to the proshop as the golf carts are dispatched to pick up the couple. Toss off my clothing grab a polo and slacks from the sale rack, good to go. Wait there are Coi fish swimming in my shoes. Here it comes, only golf shoes. Only ones in my size are a very nice white and tan alligator skin wingtip model -sigh- 

And the show goes on Whooo Hoo!!

Here is a shot of the bridal party on the course

NOW YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW THE MORAL OF THE STORY!!!! Especially if you are a bride interviewing photographers for your wedding. Well here it is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ask “Do you carry back up equipment with you? and if so is it just a back up camera or do you have back ups for everything?”

I would have been screwed if I didn’t have back up lighting. Its expensive to buy all the equipment then buy it second time “just in case” but WTF its a wedding. Professionals should never make up an excuse as to why they couldn’t get a shot if their preparation could have gotten it.

Conclusion: We lost no pictures, the Club is going to replace my equipment, we didn’t have to delay the reception, I got a refreashing swim in on one of the hottest days of the year and  I got to wear alligator skin wing tips all for the low low price of smelling like algae for the remainder of the night.

Every little detail can help in making your wedding unique and I love seeing people embrace things that are not the path most traveled. The reception was at the Riverview Country Club in Easton PA. 

As a Lehigh Valley Wedding Photographer who in the course of his 12 years having had studios in Baltimore, MD – Jacksonville, FL and now Lehigh Valley / Bethlehem, PA I have seen many trends come and go in the wedding photography industry. One consistent though has always been that its the brides day (just watch any of the reality wedding shows to see it in the extreme). In looking at my blog and my facebook and my twitter etc etc etc Im guilty a bit as well of being bride-centric. I wanted to share these quick couple moments though shot of the groom getting ready at the new Hyatt Place Hotel in downtown Bethlehem. 

There was some advantage in the bride and groom both getting ready in the hotel, in that I could capture a couple of these shots during a lull with the bride. The groom getting ready is a much smaller affair than the bride. There is less production and more introspection. In a room full of guys a groom getting ready can feel more private than the bride who is getting laced up by a mom and a brides maid while the maid of honor is slipping shoes on her feet. Sure there is typically beer and sports on the tv (world cup in this case but no beer) and the air is filled with good hearted teasing. But when the groom gets ready often he buttons his own shirt, ties his own tie and snaps on his own cuff links. I think these images capture a little bit of what he may be thinking as he prepared to walk down the aisle.

As a Lehigh Valley wedding Photographer I get to photograph in some of the greatest spots. I just a wanted to post a quick teaser for Monica + Jason who had an amazing wedding. More to follow

I have tons of stuff to post, wedding photography, thoughts, ideas etc. Its been a while since I posted and I cant wait to share the mountains of stuff that Ive been up too, the amazing brides and grooms I’ve been getting to work with etc.

I thought Id easy my way into it with something light hearted. Very often I dont share the behind the scenes of my wedding photography. How do I get the shot? How do I get the light just so? So for all thoughts inquiring minds your questions are now answered.

Im not a huge advocate of bringing an assistant or second photographer unless the wedding or event really calls for it. Why? well I really like the intimacy of it just being me. The only dynamic Im thinking about is the event itself. Its kind of private that way, but there is a down side “Who holds the light or reflector?” Assistants do come in handy for holding things and adjusting things while Im shooting. My solution has always been to enlist the help of friends and family. What Ive found is that by letting others participate in the photography the photography becomes more part of the day and the experience, it becomes interesting and fun. 

The above picture is shooting into the light and one of the brides Aunts was holding the reflector for me off to the left. The aunt was never with out her camera all day long the bride dubbed her Mike Jr. so I think she got a kick out of helping out.

But the question is “WHAT DO I DO WHEN THERE IS NO ONE BUT THE BRIDE AND GROOM THERE?”

The answer… Put the bride to work. 

Yes there is no rest for the weary, Kelly was an awesome bride and I absolutely we had such a blast at her wedding you will definitely be seeing more from her wedding in future posts. I just love this picture 

This morning I called over to the Sands, for a last minute confirmation before I leave my studio with my gear. My contact at the sands asked “So do you wanna know what your shooting today?” I honestly hadn’t thought much about it, but said sure. “Oh your shooting a private concert at the casino the concert is Rob Thomas”

I am actually a big Rob Thomas fan. I have an acoustic version of “3am” with Rob and a piano thats been in my Top Pick playlist forever. So needless to say I was jazzed about the shoot. I arrived at St. James Gate, which is an Irish pub set in the casino and noticed that there was only 20-30 chairs set out. I was thinking “this is cool” Wood covered irish pub, intimate crowd & acoustic guitars.

It really was a great show. The sound in the wood covered bar was great, and Rob performed with such emotion, emotion that Im sure translates in his large venue shows but was amazing in such a small venue

My only real complaint was that I couldn’t shoot while Rob was playing due to how small a venue it was. Ive shot many recording artists so Im used to requests like this so i snapped a couple shots of him actually singing during warmups just in case.

This actually lead me to a great discovery that soon had me palming my face that I had missed this before. The Canon 5d mark II (Beware non photographers you are entering photo-nerd world) has live view right??? That means the mirror gets locked up and the sensor exposed thus no clicking. I could take pictures all day long and there would be no sound to distract. Had I really thought of this I would have spoken to the rep from Atlantic Records about shooting some stationary shots using live view. In the past you didnt have live view in DSLR cameras and that clicking sound that people associate with the shutter is mostly the mirror slapping up to expose the frame. I could have sneakily shot it anyways and none would be the wiser, as I was shooting video during the performance, but I had already said I wouldn’t shoot pictures and Id find it in bad taste to not do what I said I would. In the future though Im gonna have to remember this. This would be great in during a wedding ceremony aswell so that people dont have to hear the click click click

So if you are a local or even in the area definitely check out the Sands, its not just about gambling, you have good food and entertainment as well. Casinos are great hubs for entertainment if we show up and support it. While they might not always be Rob Thomas its definitely worth while to check out all the acts that play there I know local rock stars Mouths of Babes has played there and others

Here is some video while I work on the pictures. enjoy

With that said why am I sharing another photographers work? Well 1 reason is that I freaking LOVE IT

I think its important to share things with peers and customers that are representative of what interests you. This album is an embodiment of what is so great about wedding photography right now. Its personal, emotional and eloquent. It does not need to do back flips and be embellished it can simple and powerful. Though each picture has been processed and toned the treatment is not at the expense of the message. I think that at times we can get bogged down in what we believe a wedding album has to be, and forget the story telling and emotion that we rely on our albums for in the years to come.

I can truly say I envy Virgina and Richard the bride and groom because they have something that in the bustling chaotic years to come of marriage and family and life. that serves as the perfect calm in the storm, and reminder of their day. It would absolutely slow me down, focus me, and bring back my day, creating a permanence to all invested time, money and emotion. There is no way that this ends up in a box or under a bed

Congrats Johannes on WPPI 2010 Album of the year. You can see more of his work here

WPPI 2010 Johannes van Kan’s winning album from Queensberry on Vimeo.

Photography and page layout design: Johannes van Kan of Modafotografica (New Zealand).

Wedding: Virginia and Richard in Barcelona.

Album: Queensberry (10×7 Musée).

Music: Johnny Cash.

Full story and links: http://ow.ly/1lpXi

If you cant view the movie in your viewer you can go here

Im so excited to finally start posting the wedding photography from cassandra and Josh’s wedding here in the Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem and Easton). So many killer shots and a super couple. The party shots over at the Candlelight in Easton are awesome Ill be posting more as soon as I get them loaded in the client proofer