Archive for June, 2011

Photographing a Wedding

June 12th, 2011

A little over a month ago I had the opportunity to be the second shooter for a wedding that my friend, Tara, was photographing. Tara is a wonderful photographer and it was such a privilege to work beside her and learn from her throughout the day. I think one of the things I loved the most about the experience was just getting to watch Tara at work. She was amazing, not only at taking quality photos but also at building a relationship with the couple and their friends and family and making everyone feel at ease. It was a beautiful thing.

I’d never officially photographed a wedding before, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. So it was so fun to get to do it with such a dear friend and experienced photographer.

As this was my first wedding there was definitely a learning curve. It started with the fact that I (gratefully) used one of Tara’s cameras and her lenses (as hers are a good step above what I have). This meant a bit of adjusting for me at first – just figuring out the new camera. Of course the fact that I hadn’t really picked up any camera at all in about 6 months didn’t help. But, by the end of the day I was feeling much more relaxed and like I’d finally gotten a bit of a handle on things.

Here are a few things I learned in the process of the day:

  1. Photographing a wedding requires a lot of fast thinking. Everything moves pretty quickly on a wedding day and it’s easy to see a shot and then miss it a second later. That was frustrating at times, but it was good for me too, because it forced me to think on my feet and figure things out quickly. In some was there’s no better way to learn camera settings than to be thrown into a wedding and have to change settings quickly with changing light as to not miss a shot. I felt like my skills at the end of the day were way different than at the beginning of the day.
  2. Photographing a wedding is exhausting! It might be that I did it while 6 months pregnant, but I think even not pregnant it is a super long day and as a photographer you spend most of it on your feet. It’s easy to forget to drink water, or eat, or just take a break in the midst of trying to get the next shot.
  3. I also realized that I don’t think I would ever want to do what Tara does as the main photographer. To me, at least at this stage, it seemed like a lot of work and pressure. But, I LOVED being a second shooter! Tara gives her second shooters lots of freedom, so really most of the day I got to play and find shots and just enjoy taking pictures. It was really fun. Is it possible to be a Professional second shooter? Haha. I think that could be pretty fun.

Ok, so here’s a very small, quick sampling of the photos I took at the wedding. Hope you enjoy.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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A Quick Peek Into A Family Tradition

June 3rd, 2011
This past weekend my sister-in-law got married and that meant there was lots of
family in town for the wedding. It was fun to catch up with so many people from bryan’s extended family on both his mom and dads side.
One of the events from the weekend was a very traditional Armenian BBQ with Bryan’s mom’s family – which meant lamb kabobs, along with LOTS of other food, and of course lots of vodka. It also meant Bryan’s grandpa and great uncle telling stories, papa quoting Limericks in German and plenty of funny and meaningful advice for the bride and groom. It was an experience to say the least.
I didn’t take many pictures during wedding week, but this was one event that
I’m glad I got a chance to pull my camera out for, even if I didn’t get that many pictures.
Heres a little peek into this family tradition…
Here’s Thaddeus having fun with his great uncle Geoff:
Here’s Blake and Papa working on the kabobs
Here’s the guys grilling and generally enjoying life
And the boys scolding the girls and saying that it was a boys only time
Thaddeus wanted to get in on the drinking action with the boys – here he is blowing bubbles in his milk
Here’s the beautiful bride – this pictures my favorite
Papa gave a great toast filled with funny stories and great advice
And we’ll end with the adorable couple listening to the toast
Fun times were definitely had by all.
Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Wedding Toast for Raul and Tamara

June 1st, 2011

This past weekend my dear sister-in-law, Tamara, married the wonderful Raul Fernandez. Bryan and I were hoping for them to get together before the two of them even took notice of each other. They are a wonderful couple and it’s been so fun to watch there relationship develop and now to celebrate their marriage with them. Bryan and I both had the honor of standing up with them as they pledged their lives to one another and I had the extra honor of being asked to give a toast. As I’ve posted all my other wedding toasts here I thought would share this one with you all as well. Here it is:

In a quiet forest a beautiful girl walked a path alone. She loved her path, loved the quiet woods around her, loved where she had been and the unknown that stretched before her.

But, she was lonely. Sometimes she thought about going off the path, venturing out on her own, to find a friend, a partner – someone who she could walk with, someone who could help her up when she tripped, someone who would make the dark valleys a little brighter, and the high peaks a little less daunting. But, in the end she never wandered, she always came back to Trusting that the maker of the path knew what lay ahead and knew what was best for her. 

One day her path crossed with the path of a boy. It wasn’t the first time her path had crossed paths with a boy, but nothing ever really clicked with those other boys and their paths soon diverged. To all outward appearances, and even to the girl herself, this time seemed basically the same… at least at first.
 
The day the boy met the girl the boy said “hi” and the girl said “hello”. And they pretty much continued on their way. But, the girl knew that the boy’s path had not wondered far from her own. Sometimes she could hear him singing, sometimes she would sing back to him. They were sweet songs, but short and really not much to mention.
 
Then one day their paths crossed again. This time they took notice of one another. This time they stood a while and talked. This time they shared a simple first kiss. They looked out on each path which stretched before them and they could see that their paths would remain close and crossing for at least some time to come.

The boy reached out for the girls hand. The girl drew close and smiled. And on they continued along their paths, each holding the others hand. Sometimes their paths stretched further apart and they had to reach out to keep holding hands. Other times their paths crossed very close and they could whisper to one another in tones only young lovers use. 

One day the boy said, “will you?” and the girl said “yes”. Now their paths were so close they were almost indistinguishable…almost.
 
A short time past and then the boy said, “I do” and the girl said “I do”. On that day their separate paths became one path. And they walked on holding hands.
 
Now the boy would always have someone to help him up when he fell, and the girl would always have someone to help her over the boulders that they might sometimes find in their way. The boy and the girl would have each other to brighten the dark valleys, and make the high peaks seem less daunting. They could walk forward into the unknown trusting that the maker of the path, the one who brought them together, would guide them each step of the way ahead. 

Tamara and Raul, may you walk hand in hand wherever the future takes you. May you lift each other up without judgement when you fall. May you help each other over the hurdles that may stand in your way. May you make the dark valleys brighter for each other and the high peaks less challenging to climb. When the path before you twists and turns out of view, and fog covers each step of the way, may you hold each others hands a little tighter and walk forward bravely, trusting that God walks beside you and will lead you safely onward. 

And now, would you all raise your glasses with me in celebration of a boy finding a girl, in joy of God leading two people together, and in expectation of a love that will reach far into the future. To Tamara and Raul! We love you! 

Rejoicing in the journey –
Bethany

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