I shot a beautiful backyard wedding this weekend.
I was in a position near the front when they had communion.
I was kind of trapped there for a bit as the ceremony continued, so I looked for a different type of moment.
That’s when I saw this moment.
I love that it seems that they are all alone on the most special day of their life.
I always want to capture moments like these that are completely unique to each bride and groom.
Placing the bride and groom at the extreme lower right of the canvas gives this moment and almost magical composition that isolates just the look on the brides’ face.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I’ve been talking about negative space this past week and wanted to show what it looks like in an engagement image.
This couple received the benefit of a new location that I found.
Basically, it’s just a vacant lot but with the perfect amount of wild mustard and uneven terrain.
I utilized my 15mm lens on my 7D which means it’s not quite the full 180 degree view on a full sensor, but wide enough to create the illusion of space and isolation for my couple.
In reality, there’s a major roadway about 20 feet away, but this image lets the couple be an island unto themselves.
I’ve composed this frame with the couple in the extreme lower right and surrounded them with the sea of wild mustard and other assorted plants.
I’m always reminded of Sting’s, “Field of Gold,” which according to a friend, it the most romantic song ever written!
Negative space does bring balance to the universe, just like Anakin.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!

Making effective landscapes is just as hard as making a beautiful portrait.
I was able to capture this image during a recent wedding.
What was amazing was in the middle of the summer, at the end of the day, there were hardly anyone on the beach.
I was able to make a landscape/portrait that made this couple feel and look as if they were practically the only people on the beach.
I placed the horizon very low in the frame to emphasize the sky.
I also used my 15mm which captured just about 180 degrees, the sun is almost in the frame, opposite of the bride and groom.
Great things can happen if you look hard enough and prepare.
I found the perfect moment, in between masses of people on both sides, just out of view.
Be inspired!
Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!

Moments can happen anytime, regardless of the circumstances, there’s always a great picture just waiting to be captured.
The song, “It never rains in southern California?”
Well, guess what? Not so true, at least this past weekend.
Every brides nightmare was happening, it was pouring, like monsoon pouring during the ceremony.
Afterwards, the rain slackened a bit and I took a few images before they headed out to their reception.
I grabbed an umbrella and told them I wanted to make photos that would remind them that it rained on their wedding day.
To embrace the elements, because almost every wedding has something go off planning.
To me, it only makes the event more memorable.
They stood under an overhang, so they were dry, and they popped up the umbrella and I had my moment.
My philosophy?
Use whatever the day throws at you, and make it yours.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I wanted to show 3 examples from a recent wedding event.
Detail photos really make the difference in any event.
They move the story along and insert more information for the viewers.
I was able to make 3 quick images that vary greatly, but that each can stand on their own.

After the first image, I turned the flowers around and used the stems as elements.
I placed the rings in the lower right area of convergence to strengthen the composition.
Finally, I utilized the pins as compositional elements.

I was able to make these three images relatively quickly.
During a wedding, shooting anything needs to be done quickly and efficiently.
These shots took about 2 minutes to create and capture, allowing me to return to covering the events of the days, but only after capturing detail images of the couples rings.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

Engagement sessions or E-Sessions are like a discovery phase for photographers and for the couples.
I always do e-sessions to explore my clients and see how they react in front of the camera and likewise it’s a great chance for the couples to see how I am as their photographer.
A lot of couples never consider the personality of photographer, remember you’re going to be spending a lot of time with this person on the day of your wedding.
Hopefully, you gel with them, otherwise, it’s going to be a long long day.
The e-session gives everyone a chance to get to know each other and develop some chemistry.
I try to get the couples to forget about me and just have fun and relax.
Most of the time they’ve been concentrating on getting their to-do lists done, that they haven’t relaxed in a long time.
This day is about that, relaxing and being themselves.
My post a few days ago talked about harsh light, I used that same technique to utilize the beautiful soft even light created by this back lit situation.
If you can get your couples to relax and forget about you for just a few moments, you can be rewarded with some great moments.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I photographed a wedding last month.
I was looking through some images for inspiration, when I came across images of the bride photographed in a rear view mirror.
It was genius!
I don’t condone outright copying, but there is nothing new under the sun.
Just seeing different images can spark creativity in your work.
Look at lots of different images and let things happen in your work.
I used a different lens than the images that I saw, so my photos include a bit more of the background around the mirror.
I think it gives more space for the portrait and gives a little more context for the image.
There’s also different layers of focus in this image.
The out of focus background is one and the image in the mirror is the other different plane of reality.
The mirror also serves as a frame that encapsulates the subject.
All bonus items for an image that is refreshing because it’s new and different.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

This is a little trick that I usually try when I’ve covered an event from a lot of different angles and I want to spice things up a bit.
Most clients are wowed by this, since most don’t know how it’s done.
It’s really very simple:
1. Set your camera to Manual
2. Adjust your shutter speed to about 1/8 to 1/15 of a second.
3. Rotate your wrist before you start to press the shutter and continue to rotate as you press the shutter. It should be a smooth movement. It will take a lot of practice to make sure that you can do it.
4. Place your subject near the center of the circle, since that area will not move as much as the outsides.
5. Adjust the shutter speed slower and faster if your subjects show too much movement or not enough.
The slow shutter speed picks up any specular highlights as you twist your camera.
Give your photos a twist to liven them up.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

Detail photos are so important.
They give so much more information to your viewer than a bunch of overall images.
This is a variation of the rings photo that most wedding photographers do.
But with a twist.
I noticed that each centerpiece had a Bryan + Celina heart with an arrow through it.
The date of their wedding was also etched into the wood.
Simply including their rings made this an information packed image.
See how an image like this creates variety from straight people shots?
Although everyone wants to see the bride and groom, detail images give the viewer a visual variance that can make the story telling more interesting and provocative.
Here’s another version:

The bride held a bouquet of sunflowers, so I decided to utilize the flowers in an image.
The information gleaned from this image is all about the rings.
What they look like and how many diamonds are on the bride’s ring etc.
To sum up this post, detail images not only fill in the blanks they add the information that makes any story interesting and more viewable.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

I was photographing a wedding recently and noticed that the groom’s family was a lot more reserved than the brides.
That’s a great challenge to capture those quiet moments that reverberate during such a special event as a wedding.
I was at a seminar once and the noted photographer was talking about getting a great reaction out of the mother of the groom.
He would tell them to look at each other and then jokingly say, “This is when the mom is supposed to start weeping.”
It never fails to elicit a laugh from the mom, groom and the family.
Then something funny happens, without fail the mom does start to tear up.
I think it’s just the emotion of the day finally hits them with that cheesy statement.
Well, ever since I heard that, that is exactly what I do, too.
And believe it or not, it always gets a great reaction from each mom.
Today was no different.
I got them ready for the photo and asked them to look at each other. Then I said the line about crying and guess what happened?
No tears, but this awesome moment where the mom kissed the groom’s forehead.
Completely unexpected and as far as I could tell out of character.
But, the significance of the day, overrode her normal demeanor and she showed such a tenderness that I was extremely happy to record.
Sometimes, cheesy works. It works for the reaction that the first response leads too.
Be careful not to drop your guard and to keep on the lookout for the great moments that occur after the staged moment.
Be inspired!