Scott and Katie's "First Look"

What is the "First Look"? It's that first moment when the groom sees his lovely bride in her wedding dress. It's that moment that his heart skips a beat as he realizes it's really happening. It's that moment of confirmation that she sees in his eyes his deep felt love for her. It's that magical moment she has always dreamed of and wished for.

Why do a First Look session?

• Because it allows us to capture that rare moment in its entirety.
• Because without the rush of the ceremony and the crowds that follow we can spend more time photographing you and your fiancée.
• Because getting pictures of you before the ceremony will allow us more time to get the necessary family pictures after the ceremony.

For Scott and Katie, we had already discussed the possibility of doing a Formals Session (bride and groom together - sometimes called Bridals and Groomals) with them at Thanksgiving Point Gardens where they planned to hold their wedding reception.  But I suggested to her that we could do something more - that we could make the whole process more special to both of them by doing a First Look session.

For this session, I had Pete Hansen come and assist me.  I feel it's necessary to use at least two photographers for a First Look so that you can capture both the bride and the groom's reactions simultaneously and without interruption.  This is to be a "special moment" and the bride and groom should not be thinking about the cameras.  They should only be thinking about each other.

While Katie was still getting ready, I sent Pete on down to the Secret Garden area of the Thanksgiving Point Gardens.  I asked him to stop along the way and get a few shots of the gallant Mr. Henderson.  And wow, did he ever.  Scott is very handsome and Pete captured his personality well.

Meanwhile I stayed back and waited for Katie to finish getting ready.  And once she was done I then proceeded to do the same thing, capturing images of Katie as we progressed towards the Secret Garden.  It was there, at the Secret Garden, where we choreographed the encounter.  We set up how Scott would be waiting and how Katie would come in to find her man.  We set up how we would capture both angles at once and then just set things in motion and let it unfold.

Below are some of the images we captured, on the way to the Secret Garden.  During the First Look, and also afterwards as we completed their Formals Session.









Here is where we bring Katie into the Secret Garden area where Scott has been patiently waiting:



I love this contemplative image of Scott as he waits while his bride approaches:



And the smile on Katie's face as she first spots her man:



The pure joy on Scott's face as Katie calls his name and he turns to see her:



Checking her out and giving his obvious approval:



Stepping back - this is what we saw - the "big picture" so to speak:







We let Scott and Katie enjoy each other's company for several minutes without interruption so that they could just soak each other in. And then we moved on to the Formals (getting pictures of the two of them together). Please enjoy the rest of the images, thanks for visiting! :)



























Doesn't Katie just look like she belongs on the cover of a Bridal Magazine?



Don't they BOTH look like they belong there?

Jake and Carissa's "First Look"

What is the "First Look"? It's that first moment when the groom sees his lovely bride in her wedding dress. It's that moment that his heart skips a beat as he realizes it's really happening. It's that moment of confirmation that she sees in his eyes his deep felt love for her. It's that magical moment when the wedding truly begins.

Why do a First Look session?

• Because it allows us to capture that rare moment in its entirety. When the bride is walking down the aisle, there is a huge distance between the two. No single picture can really capture what is going on at that moment.
• Because it allows the groom to see you up close at the moment of the First Look (again, referencing the distance of seeing you from the other end of the aisle). Up close and personal, he can look into your eyes, he can exam the details in the dress, he can fully "take her in" in that moment.
• Because the quality of the images will be so much better when they can be done at the "right time of day", in a "scenic location" and "without wedding day rush".
• Because without the rush of the ceremony and the crowds that follow we can spend more time photographing you and your fiancée. I can't count the number of times that pictures of the newlywed couple have been "short changed" because they ran out of time. They started late. The ceremony ran over. They had to have family pictures. And meanwhile the guests are all getting antsy waiting for them, so they decide to bail early on the pictures of themselves - the MOST IMPORTANT pictures - because they'd rather get back to their guests. Doing these pictures on a day other than wedding day (or even in the morning or even just a few hours before the ceremony) takes the rush out of the problem.
• Because if you do the First Look at least a week before the wedding then you can put pictures up at the reception for all to see.

This particular session happened to be my very first "First Look" session. There were 2 other photographers there, which means a complete set (from all angles) of that "First Look" will require bringing together all of the images.  But for now, I wanted to share the images from my point of view.

After planning out how the First Look would take place, it was my job to keep Jake (the groom) busy while Carissa (the bride) finished getting ready and hid herself out of view of the groom.

After a short delay, I took Jake outside where the planned meeting was to take place. To help him relax and avoid thinking too much ahead of the game ... I told him we would have him wait there for a bit while we (the photographers) took a few pictures of him.



The path that you can see behind him is where Carissa would make her appearance. We have him purposely facing away just long enough for her to begin her approach. And then ..........



... the magic happens:





Jake and Carissa are so in love with each other. They were as if in their own little world...















The rest of Jake and Carissa's wedding pictures will be online soon here:
http://www.dterryphotography.com/JacobAndCarissa

I hope you'll consider the possibility of doing a "First Look" session on your wedding day.