No secret here — the shoots I was most excited about for my summer as a Grand Cayman photography intern were those that involved a big white dress! I was lucky enough to join Heather for several weddings over the summer and I learned so much from each one. Here are my favorite photos — and memories — from each.
A Grand Grand Cayman Wedding
This was my first wedding second shooting and also the largest of the summer! It was a full-on island wedding with 90 guests and a full catholic mass — AKA my feet were hurting at the end of it. It was a last minute wedding — the couple moved the entire wedding from Jamaica to Cayman in four days due to the violence going on in Kingston. I couldn’t believe how laid-back they were about the whole thing! But it was our gain because it was a great wedding and fun to shoot.
It taught me how badly I really need to buy an on camera flash. I’ve resisted because a) I love natural light and b) I’m cheap, but there is no way I would be able to be the first shooter on a wedding and get the shots needed without one. For second shooting it was okay, just frustrating when I couldn’t jump in! I also forgot to fully charge my battery like an idiot and missed out on the last hour of shooting. Will never make that mistake again! Here are a few of my favorite shots, congrats Sherice and Derek!
Cutest flower girls!
Real Housewives of Cayman
Cayman hipsters
A Beach Affair
This was my second wedding second-shooting and totally different from the first. It was a short beach wedding, just the bride and groom, a minister, and two hotel employees as witnesses. Still I ended up with nearly 400 pictures! They were such a beautiful, friendly couple my camera just loved them. I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites. These were some of my favorite images from the entire summer. Congrats Jordyn and Mark!
A Westin Wedding
Another week, another lovely wedding at the Westin. This shoot went swimmingly and I got some beautiful, crisp, vibrant images. Yet the biggest frustration of this wedding happened well over the vows — when I was back home working on editing. For some reason, I can’t get my images to export properly and I have lost hours to google searches, failed tests, forum queries and eating ice cream in what has become the latest episode of Me v. Technology. (The ice cream is for soothing my wounded and tired brain, in case that wasn’t clear.)
The problem? I can’t get WordPress to display my images the way that they appear on my desktop, in photoshop, in preview, or in any other viewing device. They are duller in color and contrast, as if someone has put a white film over them. It seems it is a known problem but no suggested solutions thus far have worked for me. Its extremely frustrating because I love showing my work here but I never feel like I am getting to show the “real deal.” I know I have good work, but in this digital age, photographs exist more on computer screens than they do on paper, so is my work only as good as I can get it to look here?
I’m going to keep researching and testing (and eating ice cream) but in the meantime, do me a favor and picture these a little more vibrant, a little more juicy, and a little more fun until I can get this sorted out, or if you’re lucky, I can show you in person some day.
I love this end-of-ceremony shot on the right
favorite shot of the day
A Windy Vow Renewal
This couple was hands down adorable. This was actually a vow renewal, so they’ve been happily married for two years already! The conditions were tough today, it was windy enough to knock over every flower arrangement and the bride’s hair was constantly in her face. But despite the conditions, this was one of my favorite shoots yet. Beautiful smiles, beautiful setting, this one is going in the portfolio for sure. Congratulations, Kelly and Rick!
favorite shot of the day!
Under The Trees By The Sea
I’d done a few weddings on Seven Mile Beach by the time this one rolled around, and this location was by far my favorite. In a slightly secluded area under outstretched tree branches, you could almost feel like you’re on a private beach. Well, not really, but the closest you are going to get on Seven Mile anyway. This couple asked that their faces not be shown on any blogs, so I’m only posting a few shots, but I think they still capture the mood of this quiet ceremony.
Governor’s Beach Wedding
This photo shoot was at a new location for me along Seven Mile, Governor’s Beach. It was framed by seagrape plants and casuarina trees and the sea. The very low key couple walked over hand in hand from their hotel down the beach and after the ceremony, wouldn’t take no for an answer and shared their champagne with all of us, which was really just Heather, the minister and me. This shoot was a bit later than usual and was a technically really difficult shoot for me with the low light. I walked away not really sure if I had anything at all and thinking it might be the first shoot I wouldn’t blog. But I found a few keepers and was pleasantly surprised!
Not a technically strong photo, but I love the moment
Happy snapping!
