Today Sam and I had the privilege to shoot Mark & Charlotte’s wedding at Grace Baptist Church in Kent, Ohio.

Whenever I shoot a wedding with another photographer, I split the day into different schedules for each of us, making sure that we take advantage of being able to cover two different things at the same time. This is crucial during weddings since there are so many things going on at once, often too many for even the most skilled photographers to cover on their own.

For example, I covered Charlotte and the girls getting ready while Sam hung out with Mark and the guys.

When it came time to do formal pictures before the ceremony, I took the group shots while Sam stuck with the group I wasn’t working with at the time.

Before the ceremony, I went down to the sanctuary to shoot the processional, while Sam stayed with Charlotte.

Here’s our two angles on one of the most important moments of the day; Charlotte being led down the aisle by her dad, Bill.

During the ceremony Sam and I had more access than at most churches, which allowed use to get more angles than is usually possible.

After the ceremony, I made sure to get portraits of the flower girl and ring bearer, since they had finally calmed down after being pretty nervous the whole day.

While the bridal party was greeting the guests after the ceremony, I noticed how Charlotte and her mom, Denise, were making similar expressions. I ended up with one of my favorite images of the day.

After the ceremony, we headed out to shoot group formal pictures. I’m not going to include any of the usual formal shots we shoot, but instead a found moment while I was waiting to pose one of the groups. Here, Charlotte’s younger sister Lucy catches me looking for a candid shot.

Once we were done with formals, we headed off to Towner’s Woods for a quick portrait session. Due to the short amount of time we had to work, Sam and I took turns posing Charlotte and Mark. First, one of Sam’s poses:

My view:

My view, of Sam’s view:

Next, my pose in the same area:

Sam’s view:

Sam’s view, of my view:

After that we headed into the woods and had Charlotte & Mark hang out on one of the benches.

Sam’s view:

Next, Sam had Charlotte & Mark stand in the middle of the path, not even ten feet from the bench.

My view:

Since we managed our time well, we actually had extra time, enough to head to the nearby Beckwith Orchards.

My view:

Next, we headed to the back hill at the Orchards, and were lucky enough to put Charlotte & Mark on the horizon line.

Sam’s view:

Lastly, I posed them in one of the corn fields.

Then it was on  to Newton Falls for the reception at Roby Lee’s. First off were the toasts, couple’s dance, father-daughter dance, and cake-cutting:

Next was the dancing. Unlike most weddings, Charlotte & Mark had a contra band play for the reception. Since the dances are directed by a caller, it is easy for anyone to join in, even those who are not normally comfortable on the dance floor.

Charlotte & Mark wanted a portrait with the band, so Sam and I set up our lights and made the following image:

Using the same lighting setup, I took a portrait of Charlotte & Mark, one of my favorite images of the day.

As something new to try, Sam and I set up a photo booth.

It was so popular, at one point the dance floor was nearly empty. Here, Charlotte & Mark took a picture with all their friends from Allegheny College.

Charlotte & Mark got some pictures with Charlotte’s parents:

At the end of the night, Sam and I made sure to get a picture with Charlotte & Mark, something that has since become tradition for us.

Charlotte & Mark – It was a pleasure working with both of you. Sam and I had an incredible time photographing your wedding day! Thanks for letting us document one of the most important days of your lives.

-Joel and Sam

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