Last fall I had the great opportunity to second shoot a couple weddings with Fred Egan of Fred Egan Weddings.  I have read and continue to follow many wedding photographer blogs and tweets over the past year trying to learn and improve my technical & artistic skills.  I have found that particular community of photographers to be much more open as it relates to sharing tips, best business practices, and solid advice.  I also have a new found appreciation for what wedding photographers do and get paid for ... the pressure of trying to meet up to the bride & mother of bride's expectations, capturing moments of a lifetime (better not miss anything), and from my little experience, trying to coordinate with the coordinators.  What's especially challenging for the wedding photographer is the constant change in venues, people, and times of day--all factors that contribute to different situations and challenges.  As a portrait photographer, I usually have the luxury of selecting the venue and time of day that will give me the best lighting for the result.

We shot two weddings ... one in Atlanta, and one here in Dallas.  Both were impressive.  Before I had the chance to shoot with Fred, I always wondered how wedding photographers handled the reception ... night-time lighting, the dancing, bouquet throwing, etc.  The solution was to create our own off-lighting source, working as a two-man team, wireless-ly connected.  While Fred shot, I was either positioned directly behind the subject (creating a back-lit image) or 90 degrees off, creating some side, indirect light ... much better than a direct flash to the subjects face.  I learned a lot from Fred ... there is no better way to learn than just getting out there and doing it, improving as you go ... Here's a couple images I got while Fred graciously provided the light: