October 2009

It had been such a long time since I’ve photographed a wedding at Villa Antonia, I almost forgot how beautiful it is.  But several weeks ago I made a blog post about wanting to shoot a wedding there, and thanks to the power of Google and the Internet, suddenly I was flooded with inquiries for wedding dates.

The bride found me on the internet, and until the wedding day, we had never met in person.  All the wedding planning was done via email and telephone.  Since this was a small wedding, the couple only wanted hourly coverage, and hired me to use my Nikon Digital Cameras.   Of course I arrived a bit early to check out the place, see what had changed, and take some detail shots.

But while I was there I also decided to try a little experiment – I loaded up my Leica M4-P with a single roll of Fuji 400 Pro H film, and decided to document the entire wedding with a single roll of film.  That’s right I had to get 36 great shots that would tell the story of the entire wedding.  Since I was using film, and a camera so old it doesn’t have any batteries, I had to rely on my timing, and light meter to ensure I got each shot perfect.  There would be no going back, and no chimping (checking the back of the camera to see if I got the shot).

I carried my digital camera on one shoulder and my Leica wedding camera on the other.  When I saw a great moment, a moment worthy of film, I snapped a quick shot.  I wanted to get both great shots of the people, but also incorporate in some of the landscaping and architecture of Villa Antonia.  Couples getting married have lots of choices in wedding venues, and when they choose one, I try to get as many wedding photos as possible incorporating the details they selected.  This means finding great angles that show the place, as well as the couple.

Are you interested in some of the wedding details?  Of course you are!!  The couple wanted a small affordable wedding – an intimate wedding – a classy wedding.  Simple blue hydrangeas were used as the flowers on the tables.  There was a stone ceremony, as well as a sign in table where guests wrote well wishes to the couple on cards.  And my favorite part was of course the gelato bar.

This was a small saturday wedding – around 5o or so guests, mostly family, but a few close friends were in attendance.  The wedding was in the morning, and although it was a bit cold, and the skies were a little overcast, everything was absolutely beautiful.  You see, the best light for weddings is overcast light.  Your skin won’t ever look any better, I swear!

Of course there are hundreds more pictures in their private gallery.  These are just a few of my favorite from my little experiment.

Formal Portraits are quick and easy.

Group Wedding Photos - I'll even pose the gorup for other people with cameras. I'm not the kind of photogrpaher that prevents others from taking photos.

Here's the happy couple at Villa Antonia

A quick pre-wedding bridal portrait at Villa Antonia

Decorations at Villa Antonia - Blue Hydrangeas on a beautiful table -

Weddings at Villa Antonia

One of my favorite times for wedding pictures is when the bride approaches the ceremony - There are so many great emotions happening.

The old family bible was used during the ceremony. I wonder how many weddings it has been to.

The bride saying her vows during the wedding ceremony.

Formal Wedding Photos in Austin - Group wedding Pictures

The official wedding picture of the couple

Pictures of the first dance at the wedding

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