Anna and Travis' Road to Their Wedding Day
Anna and Travis consider themselves outdoorsy and adventurous. They love to go kayaking, fishing, and checking out new areas to take a walk with their adorable and handsome golden retriever Benji. You can usually find them visiting sites like Lake George or doing DIY projects at home.
The Beginning
Anna and Travis had worked together at Colonia Country Club when they were only teenagers. Travis was the valet boy and Anna was a waitress. The spark of their bond started there but paused when Travis left the country club.
Love Separated and Reunited
Thankfully, the spark of love has a way of reigniting. The connection was through Snapchat only years later. Travis’ page was recommended to Anna and their story progressed.
They set up a date to RPM go-kart racing where Travis promptly won in about 10 seconds flat. You could say, in the end, they both won each other in marriage. Anna likes to say she'll always be his passenger princess.
Another pause in their relationship arose until Valentine’s Day 2016. They had another date and officially became the couple I got to film for their wedding.
The Proposal
Travis popped the question at outheirr favorite spot, Manasquan beach, which they visit frequently during the hot summer days.
Anna is still in awe of Travis’ proposal. He had their closest family hide and his cousin as their photographer. He even got their dogs to be a part of the moment.
The Wedding
The day started off strong at Anna’s parent’s home where Anna and her bridesmaids got glammed up. Travis and his Groomsmen got ready at their home close by.
After some prep and a beautiful first look with Anna’s father, we made our way to St. Theresa's of the Child Jesus for the ceremony.
Once the ceremony was finished and the couple had a lovely exit, we made our way to where it all started. The Colonia Country Club.
After our portrait session with Benji at the club was complete, we headed to The Primavera Regency for a wonderful reception with lively dancing, special events including Anna and Travis’ parents, and so much love to go around.
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Wedding Venue From The Sky | MD Performance Horses
I had the second opportunity to shoot a wedding at MD Performance Horses at Bangor, Pennsylvania this weekend.
The owner, who teaches horse riding, also hosts weddings on the premises.
I do a bit of photoshop work when called for. For these images, there were a handful of cars parked in the middle of the location that really bugged me, so I photoshopped them out. Photoshop has gone such a long way in terms of their AI. I didn't need to do much to make the distractions disappear.
Witnessing True Love: Meghan & Shayne's Spectacular Wedding at Oak Mountain!
When Meghan and Shayne decided to tie the knot, their friends and family knew it would be a spectacular event! And when they chose Oak Mountain as the venue, there was no doubt that the wedding would be a magical experience.
Oak Mountain is a scenic venue tucked away in the Southern Adirondacks. With its breathtaking views, it was the perfect place for Meghan and Shayne to celebrate their love. On the day of their wedding, the venue was filled with friends and family, excited to share in their joy.
Meghan and Shayne's wedding was a truly spectacular event, and it was all captured in their stunning wedding video. If you're looking for a way to capture the special moments of your wedding day, look no further than Richard J Nieves Photography.
At Richard J Nieves Photography, you can count on us to provide you with a beautiful and cinematic wedding video. We use the latest technology and equipment to capture your special day in all its glory. Don't miss out on your chance to relive your wedding day – reach out to us for your wedding videography today!
I Took My Daughter's School Portraits (Also My Son Was There.)
I also included my son because he wasn’t about to let his sister have all the fun.
Massive Trucks and A Beautiful Wedding | Richard J Nieves Photography
Here’s some edits from a recent wedding I photographed in Pennsylvania.
The edit is warmer than I would normally make it, but the vibe of the day and the couple called for it.
These two were awesome. Everyone was cool. Not a lot of jitters all around, even in the toughest of moments. A solid wedding through and through.
Two Narrators, One Great Tale
Recently, I decided that all of my wedding packages will include two photographers or videographers.
That decision was made because I feel like only 1 person alone couldn’t do justice to the story of a couple. You have your lead who is focused on getting the traditional imagery that tells the broader story of a wedding, but the second is the person who fills in the gaps and gives you a more detailed vision of the day. They’re the ones capturing moments the lead isn’t focused on. They’re the one telling the smaller stories within the grand design.
I wouldn’t want to deliver anything less to my couples.
The Most Important Question You Can Ask Your Wedding Photographer
I was talking to a peer, a videographer, the other day regarding other photographers he’s worked with. A lot, too many, have told him they rarely, if at all, use flash at any point during the weddings.
That is straight up loony.
The most important tool we have as photographers, outside of the camera in our hands, is light of any kind.
Natural light is the most powerful and useful light we can use to make moments feel cinematic and beautiful.
That’s why, when we’re about to start photographing indoors, the first couple of things we do is turn off the lights and bring you close to a window.
Throughout the day, we’re going to be in different lighting situations that may not allow us to use natural light. In that moment, we have to bring out a flash or something to compensate.
A wide aperture can’t always save a photo.
I’m just blown away by fellow photographers who would rather deliver a mediocre image than learn the basics of a speed light and use it to their and their couple’s advantage.
If you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding, please ask the photographer how they light a scene. You’ll learn so much about the quality of your potential wedding gallery with that one question.
Simple and Beautiful | A Pine Lake Park Engagement Session | Richard J Nieves Photography
One of the skills you must have as a wedding photographer is the ability to guide a pose from clients that is authentic and characteristic of them and their relationship.
I’d say it’s honestly the most difficult tasks as a photographer, especially a wedding photographer who works with different people on a regular basis.
You want to show and celebrate the couple’s love for each other and show their viewers that this couple absolutely loves each other.
How do you do that?
What I do is set my expectations. Essentially, I completely demolish them going into a session. I immediately have stories in my head, as I work my couples, that I want to see. I’m driven by cinema. I turn their session into a short film and I figure out the way the story is going to go through photography. The story is of the couple just being together. Loving each other as only they know how.
Simple and beautiful. How do I convey a simple and beautiful rendition of their love through my eyes?
Those are the thoughts and roads my mind goes through as I’m working with couples.
The One Thing You Should Never Do In Front Of A Client
Warning: I’m going to go on a rant. I saw behavior from a peer that truly dumbfounded me.
Working alongside other photographers and videographers gives me a truly great point of reference for how to act in front and away from couples.
Recently, I worked alongside a photographer that showed me a great example of how to not act, especially in front of clients.
This photographer, who was the lead photographer this day, was absolutely manic in their posing. The way he posed allowed for beautiful imagery, but at the cost of the couple’s patience. That is something I truly cannot get behind. That should never be the cost of our work as wedding photographers.
The photographer was also constantly at odds with the videographers. He wasn’t willing to work in a manner that allowed the videographers to create the quality the clients paid for.
Here’s the one thing you should NEVER do in front of a client. He was combative and rude with the videographers in front of the clients and at one point in front of everyone at the ceremony. At one point, they were positioning the groom for the first look. They kept moving him around because they couldn’t decide on proper lighting because of harsh shadows created by trees nearby. I could tell the moment was getting sour for the groom. That should never be the case, especially before a first look.
The session got even more tense as time went on. By the end of the session, the couple was done with photography and videography.
For this person, the videographers were an after thought and his work was priority. That is not the case.
Clients are paying a lot of money for both photographers and videographers to have their wedding documented and their love displayed in a manner that is uncommon to them. Both parties, even on a day like a wedding where time is usually strained, should have their moment to get the imagery they need to tell a compelling story for their couples.
Okay, rant over. I’m sorry. I don’t normally get this riled up, but boy, oh boy. This hit hard as a service provider.