Lessons

Lesson Info

Make it Feel Like it Felt

So I think I got one maur example, but it's my last story that I have to tell so I know you guys air and I can throw a few questions your way if you yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so the idea of making it feel like it felt like to be there. That's the key right for me. And so, uh, this is this's. Quite awesome. This is one of the I was really proud of the way I told this story. Um, and, you know, it's. So basically, these two decided to a lope to vegas from kansas city to get married, right? And they took pam and I with them. It was literally them by themselves and pamela. Okay, and I'm like that sounds fantastic. No family. Nobody they knew was coming. And so I know I had to I had to approach this in a really interesting way, because what is the story here? Always think about what's the story. And the story to me is the fact that these two left kansas city and went and got married by themselves in vegas, you know? So I had to make it few and look like that, okay, you know, so it was interestin...

g the way I approached it, so, you know, you got your typical I put a flashback there just to make it interesting but you got you got your typical kind of getting ready stuff right? So she got ready by herself in their room and he had to find someplace to get ready. Okay, so so he got ready in the bathroom can you see the guy right? And I think that that's hilarious okay, you would not believe how many weird looks I got when they when these guys walk into the bathroom and I'm in there with the camera like it is what it is you know, on dh so I had a few more pictures of this it was really I was hoping for it all to come together like perfectly and I have like, one photo through the mirror of, like one dude at the urinal and then he's kind of like putting his vest on you know? But but the reason I did this was I wanted you you know, I want to see his face and he was actually a little bit nervous about doing this like he kept like he can't like getting ready and then he'd be like, you know, I iook nobody's kicking me out yet you know, it's really kind of funny but they don't want to see each other for the ceremony, right? So we had to do that so I had the bounce between the two places and try and tell the story best right? I went back up and helped her when she got dressed and I absolutely love this photo, right have any of you guys if it would've been just you and her and she was struggling to find her key to make sure she had her key, I do that every single time I leave a hotel room, I'm always like that my key right? She's trying to make sure she has the key, but she was holding her fake okay her other shoes in the marriage license so she had to put all that down a shade to hold the door open and look for a key and I didn't help once I just sat there and watched her struggle and shot it right? You know, would that have been something you guys would have done? You'd be like, oh, honey, help, I'll help you, you know? And do you know why I've learned that lesson? Because I've been there and I was being the people pleaser years and years and years ago, and I was helping somebody do something in a moment happened, and I'm stuck there holding the door and I'm not doing my job and I got so mad at myself I walked out on like, working I call myself working when I'm pissed off I go do your job that's why I yelled in myself like do your job it's not your job and from then on if I'm in a hotel room and I'm shooting something in something knocks on the door I just totally ignore it because as soon as I opened that door it could be her father and there could be a moment and I'm sitting there with the door in my hand and my camera down you know, right? So you see I'm saying right you know so it's always always, always always trying to show what it's what it's what this was like this is her the taxi stand waiting to get the taxi to go to this really interesting location they got married, they got elvis married them and of course like, why would you go to vegas and not do that right? And it was like in this apartment in the middle of this apartment complex, it was really creepy anyway, so I'm with her get in the car I'm trying to just like documents happening. Um pam is with him and he's taking a shot in the bar there's like hotel over it ever loved that photo totally awesome um she she walks up she's sheet she's walking in I'm freaking out because it's sunset and I'm like no light, no light um I get there and he's waiting he's waiting by himself for the ceremony to start like I love this is like something on my dying for right the man himself arrives the king right and that I love this I was talking to him about what's gonna happen he's like well we're going to get married over here okay like you just literally just hired this guy I love stuff like this um she's hiding in c and she's trying to see what's going on around the corner I suspect amazing right and then she walks down the aisle on they see each other and she's like this is seoul areas like this is like the cheesiest thing you've ever seen in the middle right and she's like oh my god this is so funny um you know ceremony funny thing about this was is that like I started to kind of watch what was going on and elvis was bored out of his mind like he's just like okay it's like the four hundredth what he's done that day or something like that you know and so I tried to kind of show that how he was bored he likes emotional there unfortunately but he was bored but I finally got aboard one I worked really hard and I got a board photo of elvis being bored and so lookit I missed I almost missed them like putting the ring's on you see that but I don't care that's a stupid wedding picture like, why can't you show what's happening to them so it's unique to them and their story, you know? And I think I shot I think I think I got I got I think I might have got him putting hers on, I don't know or something like that, but in the end, it doesn't really matter, you know, some funny moments, ninos, you know, some great and these air thes air not like, really high quality hero pictures, you know, but they get it done, and they tell the story that and that's what I love and so and then elvis sing them a song. So funny it was so funny just great. Great, great little moments. Like how cheesy that places. And then he had to pay for the ceremony. Ah, right on. And then they went and got in a cab and went to dinner, but they went on day called their families right. Then they went to dinner by themselves, and we in pam and I ate at a table nearby, and I needed to show it like I wasn't there, right? So I shot him shooting her with this with a camera or a cell phone, and then her shooting him all right, and then the waiter sitting on both right and it's just like it really felt like I wasn't there you know and that's what I really wanted they got cake to go so they so they fed each other cake on the strip, right? I was hoping for them feeding each other during people came by I didn't happen, you know photo gods didn't help me out there somebody's driving by and honk the horn and she decided to throw her bouquet to some got to some random dude on this trip I mean stuffs amazing, right? It's like this is fantastic, you know, um and then we went and, uh did it and did a quick portrait, you know? And then it was over and it's just it's just it was really, really, really fun. So this goes to answer that question about the about the ceremony, you know, it's like you can still make it a little great story on just anything, right? And the best part about it was is that pam and I had to be the witnesses of the wedding so that's me signing the marriage license like we literally they were the only ones there, so we had to be there witnesses, you know, you know, which is which is which is really, really, really, really fantastic, but so yeah, good. So I am. I am one hundred percent ready now and caught up for courtney, so we have any questions? We have time for questions. We could do a couple things. Right? Anybody? Yeah. So I'm gonna throw one at you, and then we could go to the in studio audience. So, question from matt kennedy, what is your favorite way to encourage an emotional moment between the father of the bride on the bride without manufacturing it? I don't. Okay, you can be up. You can't. You can't encourage it. Because then it's this in my pen is not even the manufacturing it, right? You just have to hope and pray that something's gonna happen, right? Does that make sense? He's, over here, you know, so so, yeah, I think I think I think it's really important to not. I mean, at my planning meetings, I'm like, hey, you know what? You might want to think about getting ready your house because there might be some some great moments that happened there everybody's comfortable, but that says that's a sfar as I encourage things because I don't want them just tow completely, like shut down any possibility for moments, you know, does that make sense, so, yeah, yeah, but I but I but I can't be like, you know what? There might be a possibility of a really great moment between your dad. So why don't you like, go into that room? And then we'll see if it happens like you just can't do that. I said, I just hope and pray that it's gonna happen. Gotcha on dh, this is from rain, bose says three times this summer I've had brides, maids and mother of brides kill moments until their makeup bazan do you set expectations documentary expectations with parents to or how does that communication work? Yeah, that's, good question, that's a really good question, yeah, I tried to I actually love it when parents come to the like initial console, right? I think that that really helps me because I can I can, like get them on board as well, but oftentimes they don't, and I just have to rely on my couples to kind of educate them, which they don't do properly, usually to be quite a witty and so, you know, this could be interesting to talk about with courtney as well, so we need to remember that, okay? Because, uh, I've had that happened so so, so many times and it's, like, I have my makeup put on, so don't don't take pictures of me, you know, and I'm like, I just kind of be, you know, just like now, you know what? That was an amazing moment with your daughter, and I think that that's, that means more, and they're like, she's like ho usually hopeful they're like, oh, you're right, you know? But they just say that because they feel uncomfortable about it, and in the end, if it really blows it down, I know that they're not going to be, like, totally, totally devastated. I'm hoping they're not going to be because they don't have makeup on, you know, so so I just I just try and, like, brush it off and just I'm going to keep shooting because there's, really, I can't let that stuff slow me down because I can never go back and get that moment back again, but I can like apologize later, but I'm like, but lisa saw the moment of you and your daughter and she's like, yeah, you're right, it's an awesome moment, you know, hopefully that happens.