Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 220, ƒ/8, 1/100

I just got back last night from the west coast. I enjoyed shooting a friend’s wedding and meeting all of his friends.

The weather in Portland was perfect for the wedding. Cool enough that a coat was not too hot to wear, which was perfect for all the guys.

This is one of the bigger group shots I have done for a wedding. Everyone turned around just before they walked out of the church for a group photo—an excellent idea.

My second shooter for the wedding Laura Deas Espeut showed me a great tip. She had on her phone a collection of wedding photos like a Pinterest album and used this for ideas to help in a moment when you start to run dry. The second bonus is she can show people the concept so they can execute it a little better.

That is what we did for the first look photos.

I did find that this couple was great because they wanted more spontaneous moments rather than posed. This meant just getting them in good light where the background was good and then shooting.

We did a good number of posed shots because that is the only way to be sure you see everyone and get a good expression.

The cloud cover gave us pretty even light for all of the photos outside. It had just rained, so all the sidewalks were not bright. Like most movies and TV shows, they wet the pavement to keep it from being too bright.

My tip from this wedding is to create an album on your phone of photos you like to use with weddings to show your bride and groom on the wedding day when you are trying to get everyone excited about participating and making the photo work.

My favorite role at a wedding is that of the guest. GWC in the photo world is often referring to the Guy With a Camera.

My favorite camera to use for these situations is my Fuji X-E2. It is small, and everyone doesn’t think of me as the “official photographer.”

This is my travel kit. As a guest, I carry this in a small bag and, most of the time, shoot everything with the FUJINON XF 18-55mm.

Now when you are a guest, the odds are you have a personal relationship with the Bride and Groom. The bride’s daughter is on the left, and my daughter is on the far right. I feel the smiles are different with family and friends than with a professional photographer.

This is why everyone should take a few photos at a wedding and share them with the couple. Just don’t get in the way of the professionals. They will get almost all the main images. It would help if you got things like I have done here, photos around the main action of the bride and groom.

There was a quick moment when the maid of honor gave her flowers to her boyfriend to hold for her. I thought this was a fun moment that most wedding photographers wouldn’t necessarily capture.

Because we are friends, some conversations brought laughter to the family that, unless you are family and friends, are more challenging to capture as the professional who is back a couple of feet peeking in versus being in the conversation as here.

What I love to give to people is my gift of photography. I think, for the most part, this makes for one of the most intimate gifts you can give to someone.