Tampa Wedding Photographers

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] am sure there are many very good Tampa Wedding Photographers out there.. and hopefully after looking at this blog post, you can add me to that list even tho I live in Miami, FL. 😉

Now let me start off and say.. that I don’t blog every wedding I shoot. If I did, I would be stuck to my computer 24/7 LOL.. and have no time to do the other things I need to accomplish in my life and this leads to burnout.. and thats not good for anyone. So, instead.. I try and focus on the weddings where I can either communicate something specific to other clients, or help inspire others in a specific way, or to showcase work where all the logistics of the day just came together nicely. Also, I try and avoid blogging about the same content over, and over again.. things like the same locations etc..

At this point in my photographic career, I feel that I am beyond that of trying to build a “portfolio” of work.. and instead look for unique content, clients, and experiences.

My time now, is mainly spent with my YouTube channel, and making content that really in fact showcases me in a much more dynamic way.

So this story started wayyyy back in April of 2011 when I shot one of my clients wedding (Lia & Sean) here in Miami, FL. They were so nice, and incredible.. and of course this leads to meeting other clients just like them. Sure enough, I was invited to Zephyrhills, FL to a strawberry farm in March of 2014 to shoot one of their friends wedding (Sydney & Kyle.. click here to see that wedding). It was incredible, and I got to know the Klemp family very well (Sydney’s mom and dad). The Klemp family.. is pretty much what I would call the role model for any family to follow. Everyone is so nice, thoughtful, and the willingness to pitch in and help each other was something that just made me stop, and think about my own self and say “I need to be a better person”. When you meet people like this, and they have that type of impact on you, its just life changing. This is one of the hidden benefits of my career, in that I get to have these type of interactions with people and be a small part of their lives.

Fast forward about a year, and I get an email from Nick (the dad) that his other daughter Samantha (Sydney’s sister) is now engaged, and planning her wedding in Tampa in 2017!

I said.. “I’m there!”.

Now, based on the experience that I already had with their family.. I can’t tell you how excited I was for this wedding, and how much I was looking forward to it!

I can see that Tampa Wedding Photographers have it easy! When I arrived to Tampa, FL and started driving around.. I was very impressed! There are tons of beautiful structures in the city.. and the city was small, manageable, and almost “small town” in feeling. I love that!

I could tell right away.. between the location, and the family.. this was going to be one incredible wedding.. and I was right. It was.

There was one moment in the day that stood out to me, and in my mind.. and I will probably never forget this for as long as I live. I wish I had my camera on me at this moment, but I did not (nor was suppose too).. let me explain.. So, in addition to the wedding photography we also provided a photobooth service for them (super cool, check out that page here) and we went to the venue to set this up bright and early in the AM, so that it was all done, and out of the way. So, we arrived at the venue first thing in the morning and was told that someone would come and let us in to setup. We stood their for a few min by my car looking around, and all of the sudden this huge U-Haul truck comes pulling into the drive way.. I turned to my assistant and said.. “ah.. thats kinda weird.. ” humm.. who gets out of the truck? Nick! It was the brides father. He comes over and gives me a big hug.. and pulls open the back of the truck.. He was there himself, with other family members to help setup for her reception.

There was no hired help, there was no planner, it was family all coming together to make it happen.. and I’m telling you.. I caught a tear in my eye when I saw that.

Samantha, Sydney, Nick, and the whole Klemp family.. you all are so wonderful. Having me now apart of two weddings in your family means so much, and I can’t think of a better family to be apart of. I was truly happy to be there, and felt very special all day long by everyones side. Thank you so, so much.. these are the type of weddings that are never forgotten 😉

Some detail shots above of the dress, and rings. Crazy enough, this was a complex lighting setup to get this result. No edits were done, and this was manufactured in the camera by use of light, and direction. If you were to stand in the hotel and look with your own eyes.. and then see this appear on my camera back, you would have thought you attended a magic show.One of the things I loved most about the Hilton in Downtown Tampa.. was the photo options they had outside as well! I found some nice pockets of light where I got some nice styled shots of all the guys.On our way back to the hotel after a little shoot.. and decided to play around with this “causal” kinda feel to imagery. Took the guys, and had them all spread out talking, and laughing. I also got some with them all looking at camera, but this one was my fav.I always do a “final makeup” shot at the end of that getting ready process.All the girls in the robes on the bed before they all had to get dressed.Mom and the two daughters / sisters.When it comes to shooting the tiny, tiny details such as ear rings, and neckless.. its so much better to wait and do this when it is ON the bride! All too often these shots can look a little silly statically on their own. Granted the dress, rings, shoes etc.. all work better as they are larger items.. Here are some bridal “detail” shots again, showing the hair piece and the back of that beautiful dress.Here is a good example of “seeing the light”. We were on the way to the first look location, exited the hotel.. I turn around and “saw” the light. Well, in this case its the background that was lit that way I wanted, and then I added in my own with use of a power studio light.. and got some impressive results out of the camera.The two sisters, and both my clients. 🙂I loved this shot of Samantha, because it showed the back of her dress and her flattering figure. High contrast image out of camera by noticing the darker background, and lit foreground. This in conjunction with my studio light, gives me the results I was after.
Check this impressive “eye candy” shot out! All in camera captured, no gimmicky photoshop or anything like that LOL. Maybe Tampa Wedding Photographers get sick of this place.. but, man.. for me.. I was a kid in a candy store when I saw this building! This actually brings up a good point.. clients are always so worried about hiring a photographer that has worked at their venue / location before In order to have enough time to get all the great image content that we did.. they elected to do a “first look” and see each other before the ceremony. I often have this conversation with my clients before the wedding, and I also speak about the logistical advantages of doing this. I can assure you, that the moment is retained, and very much as impactful as waiting and seeing each other at the alter. In fact, they still got that shot anyway.. so, in a way they had this moment twice. If they did not do this, they would not have gotten ANY of the creative images that your seeing in this blog post.. and this is very important if your looking at my site, and establishing an expectation for your own wedding.
Any great wedding photographer should be able to transition from using off camera (studio) lighting, to using only natural lighting and be able to “make it work” and not have a hugely disconnecting feel. Here is an example of just that. I saw the direction of the light, and knew that I could make it work and not have to be tied to studio light. In this case, it allowed for more movement and more “moments” to happen. All the while, the point is that it fits right in with all the other shots taken with or without the fancy lighting being used. This is very much a strong point of mine.Could not get enough of that dress… seriously…This was likely my fav. “creative” shot of the day. Just so simple, and elegant.This is Nick (Brides dad) and we decided to do a little “first look” for him! This is not only a big moment for her, but for him too!Here we have the whole bridal party.. This is a nice shot of both sisters, husbands, brother, and mom and dad.Had to get a shot of both my clients together!Remember when I said that one of the most incurable moments of the day was when Nick (father of the bride) came to the venue at the crack of dawn to help start setting up? Well.. here is what that was all about.. take a look at all the details.. and just know that this was the result of all their own, personal hard work. Just beautiful!I saw this little guy first thing in the morning.. and he stayed on property until the very last dance.. LOL.. too funny!This is Sean (above).. he was the groom of that first client I had that introduced me to this wonderful family. Who is he hugging? I have no idea.. but I was ready to capture it 🙂Here is Tyler looking down the isle before Samantha started to walk…How cute is this.. this little girl is the daughter of Sean and Lia.. those were my clients back in 2011! How time fly’s!This is now the second time I have been there when Nick (father of the bride) has walked down the isle with his daughter. Such a great moment every time!Ah! and still a very powerful reactionary shot of the groom when his bride came down the isle! So, in this case they did a “first look” and STILL had a wonderful moment here as well. I’d say they got the best of both worlds!