I headed up to the Asbury Park area to meet Quinny, the photographer I was second shooting for today. He seemed like a good guy and we got along well. We had a busy schedule for the day so we got started right away talking about the logistics, then I went to the groom's house to shoot the guys getting ready. Of course the guys are usually done getting ready when I get there for this part, but there's always the same problems like trying to figure out how to put the flowers on their lapel or how to fold their pocket squares. It's always funny to watch, and I still don't understand why they leave it up to the guys to figure it out. Despite this, we got some cool shots in the road and house, including one of my favorite shots I've taken with groomsmen. When he said, "Do you mind if we take a picture with the guns?" I had no idea this would happen.
The guys caught the trolley, stopped at the liquor store that the family owns, then headed over to the church. It was a while before everyone arrived and filled the pews so I shot around and watched the bagpipers practice. It was a proper Irish Catholic wedding. Once getting started the ceremony went quickly (for a Catholic service) and all went well. After the receiving line, we did grouped pictures with the family inside and outside with the wedding party and then it was off to the beach!
We went down to the Asbury Park boardwalk to shoot in the old Casino building and on the beach. Quinny has his routine down so much that he was going really quickly with each shot. I did the best I could to keep up, but not knowing exactly what he was doing each time made it harder. I liked a lot of the shots he was doing and took a mental note of them for the future. I wanted to direct the group sometimes, but he was in the zone so I didn't interrupt. I suppose I should be more assertive sometimes.
Our next stop was Monmouth University. This place is beautiful. The inside has gorgeous lighting, marble staircase, arched doorways, and an awesome garden outside. We made use of all of these aspects. Quinny and his videographer got some really great shots here. It was a hard balance for me trying to shoot details and close-ups while also getting some wide portfolio shots of each scene for myself.
Finally it was time to head to the reception at a beautiful hall not far away. They had the cocktail hour setup outside on a deck. The food was decadent and seemingly never-ending. It started raining a bit which drove some people under the awning and pressured the people in charge to get things moving. The reception was very nice and classy. All the usual events took place and I circulated, taking photos of couples at tables and people dancing. We even got a tip from the bride that Quinny was nice enough to share with the videographer and me. I had a great experience with him and I hope to shoot a wedding with him again. I had a long drive home down the dark parkway, but my podcasts kept me company until I made it back to my bed.
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