Wedding Photographer

I went to a wedding at the Salt Lake temple on Friday and attended the reception later that evening.  It was a gorgeous day.  My friends Jessica and Luke are both beautiful and ridiculously photogenic.  They looked so happy together and I felt a seriously great vibe being around them.  I'm super close to Jessica's family and loved hanging around them and feeling like another sister in the wedding party.  The reception ice cream bar was delicious and the decorations were unique and elegant.  But do you want to know what my favorite part of the whole wedding day was?

The photographer!  *Whitney Lewis Photography*

Whitney Lewis was super impressive to me, right from the start.  At the temple she was totally in charge and knew exactly what she was doing.  Jess had given her a list of the pictures she wanted (group, immediate families, friends, etc.) and Whitney knew what was expected of her.  But lots of times-- at other weddings I've attended-- the photographer is just kind of in the background and timidly tries to position people and take a few good shots.  Not this girl.  She was outspoken and confident and actually pretty entertaining.  

There was a moment when she was taking a shot of the families up on the steps next to the temple, and all of a sudden her husband, Thomas, hoisted her onto his shoulder like it was nothing:

It was funny to see all of us by-standers with our cameras turn and take pictures of them rather than the wedding party. :)  Also, I later learned that Whitney and Thomas met through swing dancing, soooo  that might explain the smooth "hoist on the shoulder" move.

Whitney seemed to already know the personality and style of Jess and Luke and knew the kinds of backgrounds and settings to use for their pictures.  I like that she didn't take all the pictures against the temple, but moved the group over onto the grass where there were trees, benches, and flowers to include in the photos.  I just kept thinking, "Wow, this girl is good" and felt happy that Jess & Luke had a great photographer to capture their wedding day.

I also love that Whitney and Thomas worked as a team.  They were both snapping shots all day and Thomas never skipped a beat when she needed him to hold up that big screen thing to alter the lighting, or hold some other little trinket to create a better picture.  I don't know the actual photography lingo. :)

The best part was they were both really personable and interactive all throughout the reception.  They weren't just "wall-flowers" or creepy people with cameras. Haha.  They would stop and talk to us at our table or pause and show us the fun candid picture they caught of our group.  Or if our candid shot didn't turn out too well, we'd stage another good one and keep going until it was a winning shot.  Not only was I impressed with their talent and professionalism, I really just liked them as people.

After chatting with Whitney for a few minutes in some down time, I learned that her dad is currently the mission president of my mission.  Her parents went out to Spokane,Washington 9 months after I came home, and I've heard so many good things about them.  "President Palmer."  How lovely is that?  Such a small world and I was happy to make that connection.  

By the end of the night, they were exhausted and got to sit down and enjoy some ice cream with the rest of us.  You know how sometimes you want to marry someone just because their parents would make great in-laws?  I was thinking, "Crap. I want to get married right now just so Whitney can take my wedding photos!"  I'm totally sold.  I told her I'll try to think up some kind of important life occasion so she can be my photographer, but so far there really isn't anything coming up.  That's why I figured I'd write this blog post in the mean time, so the rest of you can check out her work and maybe use her yourselves. :)  

*Whitney Lewis Photography*

...And here's a few random pictures of the wedding day that were taken with my measly Olympus camera.  :)

Such a sweet and happy couple.  I loved watching them.

Kristi and I confused about who to give all the flowers and boutonnieres to.

If only I had worn a plum colored dress...  :)

Whitney was trying all night long to get a picture of stubborn Alyssa.

I'd never seen an LDS cultural hall decorated so well!  Definitely felt like a reception hall.

Beautiful prints of Jess & Luke on display next to "the line"...

Good friend Kristi and her sweet husband Brandon.  

Well anyway, I enjoy a good wedding.  Especially when you actually know the people and don't have to wander around awkwardly and keep re-filling your plate with more food you didn't really want.  It was a comfortable and happy day for me and I even talked to a cute boy at my table during the reception.  But I won't give details on that one.  This post is just about photography. :)