Melanie and Todd || Clinton IL Wedding Photography

We had a hard time narrowing down our pictures for this blog post!  Melanie and Todd had a perfect fall day to celebrate their wedding in Clinton IL.We met up with the couple at Clinton Presbyterian Church.  This was the first time we had actually photographed in that church. The church was a beautiful old church rich in history. We thought the beautiful stained glass was the perfect backdrop for Melanie's gorgeous gown (from Michelle's Bridal in Champaign).

It's clear the dress was made for her!  She looked radiant! 

Forget Me Knot flowers put together this beautiful bouquet for her, and we love that her 

shoes matched the flowers!

 We understand the tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other before the ceremony, but we LOVE when couples actually do what we call a first viewing before hand.  This allows us to get a large portion of pictures done before the ceremony, so afterward the pictures are minimal and we can get them to their party!  We typically find a place for the groom and make sure he's facing away from the bride.  Once he is in place, we'll bring the bride in, have her tap his shoulder and he'll turn around to capture his bride for the first time!  There is still that special moment where he gets to see her for the first time, but what makes it sweet as they can then have a special moment, to say a few words and release some of that anxiety.  When you see each other for the first time in front of the congregation it's hard to talk to each other and say what you are feeling.  We alway stay far enough back too, so we aren't in the middle of your special moment.  Here you can see Todd's smile as he sees Melanie in her dress for the first time...ear to ear!

Here are shots of Melanie and Todd (his tux also came from Michelle's Bridal) in the open park conveniently across the street from the church!

And a shot of the two of them with the church in the background,

Because they had their first viewing we were able to get all the formal shots, bridal part and family, done before the ceremony even started!  

Their fur babies then popped in and made an appearance! How cute are these 2!

The happy little family!  She Clicks is happy pictures don't come with an audio recording, because what you would hear is She Clicks barking like a dog to get their attention!  Always a little entertaining! They are looking at her like she's crazy!

Always a special moment when the father walks his daughter down the aisle.

Here is a wider view of the historic church taken from the balcony,  What you can't really tell from this church is how bad the lighting can be in some of these old churches.  Often we are asked if we have experience shooting in dark churches.  We sure do and we pride ourselves that our experience and gear allow us to do this without constant flashing disrupting the service.  We try to be as discreet as possible so once the processional is over we turn off our flashes.  We also try to stay behind the guests (again, after the procession is over) so we are not blocking the view of any guests.  Our goal is to respect the church/venue, and not distract from the ceremony in any way.

The first kiss!

Picture perfect blue skies...check!

Awesome historic church...check!

Happy, fun, beautiful newly married couple...check!

The bridal party then piled into the limo (Elegant Limousine) and we headed to the square in downtown Clinton, IL for some quick fun pictures before heading on to the party.

The reception was held at the Copper and Brass Room in Clinton.  Again, a new location for us. Fabulous Affairs did a great job with the decor! The tables, chairs, centerpieces, and place settings were amazing!  A purple paradise!

Hilltop Catering from Mt Pulaski put on a delicious spread.  Trust us...we know our food...we wouldn't lie!  DELICIOUS!  It always feels good at this point in the day (usually around 8 hrs into being on our feet all day) to sit down and refuel our bodies to get us through the reception.

Mowry Baking in Decatur is the talent behind the cake!  They were very sweet with their cake cutting, no injuries and no frosting-covered faces.

The first dance was to Brad Paisley's Then,  The rest of the night was one big party.  Our DJ friends at Absolute Light and Sound kept the dance floor packed until the very end!  Melanie and Todd we wish you many years of love, laughter and happiness!

How She Clicks Shot the Blood Moon | Night Sky Photography | Bloomington IL

Equipment: Canon 5D MkII (camera), 70-200 2.8 IS USM (lens), tripod

Settings: Manual, ISO, 5 seconds, F 5.6, ISO 320

 

Edited to add: Sorry for any typos/ramblings...falling short of sleep today! :)

 

As Facebook was flooded all week with images of the last Blood Moon, in anticipation of this morning's Blood Moon, I knew I was going to make myself get up early.  I have always loved my sleep, but being neck deep in the middle of wedding season, most of my nights are spent up very late  processing files, blogging, assembling slideshows, preparing for deliveries, etc(making it painful to wake up early).  As I set my alarm for 3:30 there was still much doubt in my head whether I would actually wake up and photograph the moon.  Just in case I chose to wake up with the alarm instead of violently flinging my phone across the room I prepared my camera and researched what time the eclipse was to take place.  Which brings be to tip # 1 for photographing the night sky:

 

1. Be Prepared: Do your research! Know the weather. The forecast called for clear skies with the prenumbral eclipse beginning at 3:17, the partial eclipse beginning at 4:18. and the Total eclilpse around 5:27 (CST). I was ok missing the prenumbral eclipse because 3:17 was too early! But I knew I wanted to see the partial eclipse.  I then prepared my gear. I had planned to shoot timelapse, so I charged my batteries and cleared off a 32GB memory card. I then put everything in my car and went to bed.

 

Mistake 1: I got so excited this might actually happen (me waking up early), that I didn't finish preparing. Why did I choose my 5D Mk II, and not my MkIII or my 60d? I had planned on trying my 60D first. The resason is because it has a cropped sensor and it would have made the moon appear closer than it really was, resulting in less need for cropping after the fact. I also knew I was going to use a low ISO, so it was not absolutely necessary that I have the "better" sensitivity in the full frame sensor. Well I left that body in my studio, and didn't want to waste the time getting it. My next option would have been my 5D MK III which was in my camera bag, but had an attachment for my Spider Holdster, where the tripod foot was supposed to go, and I didn't take it off before hand, or bring the necessary tool with me. So I was left with my last choice.  Tip: Be fully prepared...not partially!

 

2. Know your equipment: As many who know me will tell you, I am able to teach what not to do because I have made, and will continue to make mistakes.  I'm not ashamed of it, and I will not pretend to be perfect.  These mistakes will continuosly mold me into the photographer I want to be.  My intention was to do a time lapse of the eclipse.  With timelapse you stack several images taken at the same interval.  I have an intervalometer which will take continuos pictures every set interval of time.  In the perfect world I plug that into my camera, set the interval, lock the shutter and BAM!...every 15 or 30 sec (or whatever I choose) it takes a picture. 

 

Mistake 2: Well I recently bought a new intervalometer and couldn't figure it out on the spot.  My phone went MIA, so I was left counting my intervals.  Huge mistake...not convenient at all!  Lesson learned, I will know that intervalometer inside and out before my next timelapse attempt. 

 

3. Camera Settings:  The settings for the posted picture are at the top of the page, because I knew that's all some people wwant.  They didn't want to read all my ramblings.  Typically when photographing the moon I shoot in manual mode and start with a low ISO because the camera is actually exposing for the bright light reflecting from the moon and onto the sensor (and not exposing for all the darkness around it).  So I start with ISO 100.  I then choose an f-stop around 5.6 and start with a shutter speed at around 1/125.  Then I'll take a shot and chimp...yes, that's not illegal...and I will admit to it.  If the moon is too bright then I'll choose a higher f-stop number or increase my shutter speed.  When shooting a regular moon shot I don't need a tripod.  However, because I wanted to do timelapse, and knowing that the moon would get darker with an eclipse I chose to use a tripod.

 

Mistake 3: When using a tripod ALWAY shut off Image Stabilization/Vibration Reduction on your lens.  ALWAYS.  It took me awhile before I figured out that noise coming from my camera was my IS motor trying to stabilize the shot that didn't need to be stabilized because I was already on a tripod.  This caused my pictures to be less sharp.  At first I was struggling to figure out why they weren't coming out sharp, and blamed my eyes for being tired at 4 in the morning.  But that wasn't it...it was another mistake!

 

My last tip would be to find a location that's away from the city lights, where you feel comfortable.  I chose to pull off on the side of a country road, and didn't feel 100% comfortable, because even though there was very little traffic every time I saw a car coming I felt the need to turn on my lights to be sure I was seen and didn't get hit.  Being alone in the middle of the night, I was also afraid that someone (maybe the wrong person) may stop to "see if I was ok".  I'm from the city, so I may worry about that more than others. I do travel with mace, but you just never know.  So, if possible find a location that is safe and comfortable so it will be an enjoyable experience.  I am very happy I woke up and made it out!  It has been a long time since I watched an eclipse, and it was absolutely amazing.  I have always been fascinated by the night sky since I was a child and am now looking forward to the next night sky experience!  I will admit I really enjoyed the peaceful, quiet, dark (the only noise being me counting down my intervals out loud)! :)

 

ETA: Post processing on this image was done in Camera RAW (cropped, added clarity and a little vibrance).