Gentry Magazine Feature - Feb 2009 Annual Wedding Issue

Photographing bathing suit calendars with scantily clad models is exciting, the haute cuisine food photography has ruined take-out food for me for life, and my happiness for the ecstatic brides and grooms and their families I photograph already warms my heart on lonely winter nights into the next century. I do love my work, but when a photographer REALLY wants to have fun…

Gentry Magazine has recently exposed my vice--Trash the Dress--in their February 2009 Annual Wedding Issue. (full issue here)

I know it takes courage for women to sacrifice their treasured, expensive gowns, and my best efforts go into transforming the memories of these perfect wedding dresses into dramatic, whimsical, permanent art, elevating the dresses to importance equal to the lovely brides inside them. There is extreme contrast in style for featuring these wedding dresses between the precisely programmed events of the wedding day and the let-it-all-go, wild-and-crazy freedom of these photo sessions. And the gowns shine in both settings.

The brides tap into their imaginations as they collaborate with me, hatching the plan for these photo shoots. And if you look at my series of pictures, you'll see the mischievous thrill on the faces of these lovely women. If you could see a behind-the-scenes collection of pictures of me, you would see that I am having spectacular fun, too.

You are invited to share my Trash-the-Dress images to enjoy the happy faces in these out-of-the-box wedding mementos, and remember, on the other side of the lens, my smiles were even broader. Thank you, ladies, for making my day!

- Michael Soo

When I say jump...

 

View Lacee & Tejas' Wedding Album

Cypress Hotel, Cupertino
September 20, 2008

India met Czechoslovakia in Cupertino, California, recently at the wedding of Lacee and Tejas. This overachieving couple planned not one, but TWO weddings for the same day at the lovely Cypress Hotel.

The morning began joyfully with drumming; bright colors; intricate details, from the mehndi-henna hand painting, to the intricate jewelry, and stunning fabrics; and motion.

The afternoon was happy, as well. Typical Western customs were observed. A string quartet, the bride and groom with their attendants, the ceremony, the banquet, the dancing. A custom of swapping out a “matron’s bonnet” for the bridal veil had Lacee traditionally Czech for her dances with the male guests.

Which brings me closer and closer to the BIG JUMP.

This entire day was particularly marked with visual movement: the two events themselves; the quickly swapped patio, converting it from Eastern to Western style; the fabrics; the hand painting; even the wedding cake itself was decorated with details that “moved.”

So, as you can see from Lacee and Tejas’ wedding album, I used static shots in fluid ways to bring some of that energy into the experience of watching these pictures. Easy tricks are using a series of quick photos in sequence; close-up of the beautiful fabric used on the ceremonial wedding arch, with its pattern that ebbs and flows; capturing the bride’s gown swirling around her legs as she dances. These are all static tricks to show motion.

Another technique to insert motion into a shot is to MAKE your models move. And this is where my inner sadist has its fun. You KNOW that the wedding party is devoted to a bride and groom, when—dressed in tuxedos or fancy dresses with tall high heels—these folks will JUMP. Not once, not twice, but many, MANY times until every single toe floats off the ground at the same time. That is a powerful moment for the photographer.

As you can imagine, a double event like this, with so many transitions within the single hotel, cannot succeed without someone overseeing the day. Both Lea McIntosh and her team, Creative Events By Ashley were the behind-the-scenes wedding coordinators for Lacee and Tejas. Lea is one of my favorite professionals to work with because her skills ensure a smooth event. You can check out this talented woman at her websites.

I admire Lacee and Tejas for their profound commitment to each other and their families and for pulling off a Herculean challenge of two weddings on the same day in the same place. It was a joy and a challenge for me, too, to be focused on the job for such a long time. So, if the couple can get through this, who doubts they’ll succeed together?

—Michael Soo