Union Bluff and Nubble Light Wedding Photographer :: York, ME :: Diana + Jeff (Part III)

Quick recap:
- Jeff & Diana got ready for their wedding at the Union Bluff Meeting House in York, ME, had a lovely first look and Diana found out they would be honeymooning in Bora Bora **here**
- You can meet their wedding party **here**
- Jeff and Diana had their wedding ceremony at St Christopher's Church in York, ME **here**

You know I like to impart useful information about weddings with each blog post so here are my thoughts on choosing a location/time for family pictures.

The ideal location is quiet, nicely shaded (consistent light, not dappled through the trees), has a darker background so that your focus is drawn to the people and if we can shoot in late afternoon then it's just perfect.

So as a general rule if a couple tell me that they want to take pictures on/around NOON on a beach then I will strongly advise them against this for the following reasons:
1. The light is terribly strong and harsh at midday with NO shade. This means everyone will be squinting like crazy and have dark racoon shadows under their eyes unless we bring lighting equipment (which will likely blow away)
2. Family pictures are about the family! Not the beach. For family portraits you usually want to be able to see the people, the faces, the expressions. If the people are little tiny subjects in a wide beach shot this doesn't really work.
3. The beach can be crowded and you'll have people in the background.
4. Your family and friends may not want to get sand all over their shoes
5. It can be windy and hair will be flying everywhere.

Having said all of that I am now about to show you family pictures taken at Nubble Light on the rocky beach overlooking the ocean. And it was just after noon. BUT...
1. It was mostly overcast and cloudy
2. It was April so the tourists weren't fully out in force
3. Jeff and Diana were super cool and trusted my advice on locations. Much as they wanted pictures at Nubble Light if it had been crazy-sunny out then they would have been more than happy to head to the alternate location.
4. We were on rocks so no harm was done to shoes and it wasn't particularly windy
5. I've shot at Nubble Light before (click **here** and **here** to see a beautiful elopement from last year at the Maine Lighthouse) and I knew that if I shot down on the groups not only would everyone look great but I'd be able to use the darker rocks as my background.

And that's the lecture over ;) so you can make lovely wedding images at the beach at noon but you need a number of stars to align...and here's the proof:

Whilst Diana's dress was being bustled, I took some pictures of the guys:

The guys also had studier shoes than the girls so I thought I'd make them run around a bit to keep warm ;)


And of course if I'm showing you Jeff and the groomsmen you'll want to see Diana and the bridesmaids. We took these pictures earlier in the day at the Union Bluff meeting house. I am loving the nude color shoes:


And one more:


And back to Nubble Lighthouse for some family wedding pictures. Here's the newlyweds with Jeff's parents Rick & Yvette:


And some more, adding in Jeff's sister Catherine and her soon to be husband Rob:


And here's the newlyweds with Diana's dad Al and Kathy:


I love love love this picture of Al with Diana and her sister Andrea:


And of course if we're at the location of the most photographer lighthouse in Maine I thought it only appropriate to include it in some of the pictures:


Calm:


If I were to name my wedding photographs this one would be called "Close-up on Happy"


And therefore this one might be named "Far away on happy"


Time to head back to the Union Bluff Meeting House for cocktail hour:


With one more stop by York Beach where the sun had come out to play:


Guess what's next....yes! wedding reception photos at Union Bluff Hotel and Meeting House...the first dance! the toasts! the electric slide! the twilight pictures of Jeff & Diana on the beach! You don't want to miss it! OK Leah, that's enough with the !!! key.

If you'd like to read more about shot lists and family pictures you can check out this post **here**

You can also call me at 603 571 LEAH or email me at leah@leahhaydock.com if you'd like to chat about your own wedding plans. 2012 is already starting to book up....

Nubble Lighthouse, Cape Neddick, ME :: Wedding Ceremony :: Tess + Allen

A light drizzle of rain fell on the windscreen of the Aston Martin as Paul and I drove up to Kennebunkport, ME for the wedding of Tess & Allen at Nubble Light.

Yes - you read that correctly. Paul and I drove to a wedding together and Paul took some pictures.

No - we will not be the next Jasmine Star and JD married photographer team :)

Paul has no desire to get involved in the wedding industry and that's why I hire qualified second-shooters. However when I explained that Tess and Allen were flying in from Pennsylvania to get married on the rocks at Nubble Light and they needed two witnesses and a way to get Tess to the ceremony he said "Hey, I'll come and drive the bride in the Aston Martin." We'd just finished dinner and may have had a couple of glasses of wine so I was a little skeptical that he's actually do it but he was perfect company for the day.

More on that later because let's be honest, you're here for the wonder that is the wedding of Tess & Allen at Nubble Light.

I arrived at the Captain Lord Mansion in Kennebunkport, ME to take some detail pictures and Tess getting ready. It can be difficult to find hair and make up on a Sunday when it's just for one person and although the super-awesome Joanne from Joya Beauty was already booked, she still took the time to find someone to help Tess. And the amazing Maura Gagne (mauragagne@gmail.com) from Samba Salon (Phone 603 766 2460) in Portsmouth, NH did a phenomenal job!

This beautiful little locket belonged to Tess's grandmother and was her "something old":


The Captain Lord Mansion Oriental Room was perfect for getting ready, and I couldn't resist hanging Tess's dress from the ornate four poster bed. I think Tess was channeling old Hollywood here:


A wedding isn't a wedding without rings:


Tess's beautiful satin shoes:


I drove ahead with Allen to Nubble Light and Sohier Park to meet with the fabulous Maureen Quirk who would be the Justice of the Peace conducting the wedding ceremony for Tess & Allen.

When I'm entrusted to document a wedding through photography it's a responsibility I don't take lightly, and when it's an elopement the responsibility is even greater as this is how friends and family will share in the wedding. I hope these pictures show the love and tears and wonder and smiles :)


And happiness:


So when you have only the bride and groom to photograph having a second shooter is kind of overkill so I figured I'd give Paul my back-up back-up camera and see what award-winning images he came up with. He may kill me for posting this but check out my multi-tasking photographer-bouquet-holding husband as this will be the first and last time he appears at one of my weddings:


Tess & Allen, by the power invested in me by the state of my blog, I now pronounce you man and wife and you may kiss your bride:


As it was such a cold and windy day, Sohier Park was pretty quiet but there was a smattering of tourists who quietly watched the ceremony breaking out in claps and cheers and honking their car horns. Tess and Allen waved back. And the picture on the right is one of my favorites:


Happy Newlyweds:

Okey dokey, I'm at the limit of images for this blog post...

After the ceremony I had the distinct honor of following Tess & Allen around York, ME for an hour or so to take more pictures.

I think most photographers are slightly insecure at heart; I constantly try to challenge myself to get that heart-stopping or remarkable images and always think that I could have done better.

I'm telling you this as Tess & Allen's wedding was the perfect storm of:

- a couple so in love

- soft Maine light

- no timeline or schedule

- beaches and rocks and old stone churches

as Paul drove me home after a celebratory drink with Tess and Allen, I looked at the pictures on the back of the camera and declared "these are so good I almost want to cry". The next blog post is already written so leave a comment below and I'll post it early...

Wedding at Nubble Light :: York, ME ::Tess + Allen (Teeny Tiny Preview)

I'm jumping the engagement shoot queue with just one image that caught my eye as I downloaded Tess & Allen's wedding photographs from their elopement at Nubble Light in York, ME.

I'll be sharing all sorts of gorgeous pictures with you in the next few days but if ever there was a reason to schedule some time to sneak off alone for couple pictures during your wedding - even if its just 10 or 15 minutes (although give me 30 minutes and you'll be in heaven with a plethora of epic pictures) - then this is it:


Like? Want to see more?