justin wright photography

New Blog!!

2011-03-21T12:40:00.001-05:00

My Blog has a new home...
www.justinwrightphoto.com/blog

I have been out of the blogging scene for a few weeks. I apologize, but I've been busy traveling and building a new and improved blog for your viewing experience. I want to say thank you for everyone who keeps up with my work and has encouraged me along the way. The new blog is at:

www.justinwrightphoto.com/blog

Aron's Music Video

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

It's good to be back in Nashville after about two weeks of traveling out west. I'll be blogging more about that trip in the days to come but wanted to share a music video that I shot for my brother Aron on our adventure out west. This is the first music video I have ever shot. It takes a lot more planning than I anticipated. I definitely over shot everything because I knew we wouldn't be going back out to California to reshoot. I took about an hour of footage to create what you see below. For any of you photographers that might care, I shot this with a Nikon d7000 mainly using a 35mm prime lens. Make sure to watch the video in HD.

For Free Downloads of Aron's music click here.

First time at WPPI

2011-03-07T09:59:00.001-06:00

I was gone the past two weeks and it all started because of a little conference called WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) that was held in Sin City, Nevada, aka Las Vegas. WPPI is a combination of a trade show and conference where the best companies come to show their new products and the best photographers in the wedding/portrait business come to share their secrets. The trade show was a bit overwhelming at times with so many products and so many wide-eyed photographers, but I found some great new products and some awesome albums that I may start incorporating into my product line.

I sat in with several speakers but one that really stuck with me is Louis Pang. He is a hilarious and awesome photographer based out of Malaysia. The focus of his talk was Guerilla lighting which basically boils down to being able to use small speed lights to light on the spot with all the different scenarios we encounter in the wedding photography biz. You should check out his blog post on the talk he gave at WPPI.

Getting Up Close - Using a Macro Lens

2011-03-03T21:15:00.000-06:00

Couples spend months and sometimes years picking out all the details for their wedding day. Time, energy, and thought has been spent planning out details as large as the Cathedral for the ceremony and as small as the cuff links of the groom. As a photographer and story teller, I have to be able to capture it all. One of the tools in my bag that helps me do this is my 60mm macro lens. This lens has continuous focus from infinity to life-size, which means it has a focusing ratio of 1:1, which means you can get super duper close to your subject and still focus. I always try to use the couples rings to incorporate some of the decorations and theme into the photograph. Here are some examples:

Photo Title "Love Makes me Sick."

2011-02-10T09:52:00.000-06:00

One of the couples I worked with recently asked me, "Do you ever get tired of the lovey dovey stuff?" I replied, "If I didn't like that stuff I would have to change jobs." Getting to be around couples that are in love is one of the best parts of my job. This lady, however, does not feel the same....

Hannah + Jeremy + The KiddOs

2011-02-08T13:41:00.000-06:00

I don't get to spend a lot of time around kids so I always have a blast when people bring the kids along for their engagement shoots. Hannah and Jeremy are so in love and just a lot of fun to be around. We started the shoot at Steeplechase and then headed downtown for the end of the shoot.

Check out the Blue Steele poses everyone had been working on.

Jill + Logan's Wedding Film

2011-02-03T00:40:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share Jill and Logan's wedding film from the super nice and amazingly creative Jake Morgan at Magnolia Productions. You should watch the video and check out more of his work at http://www.JakeMorganFilms.com

Jill & Logan from Jake Morgan on Vimeo.

Biz + JP - Nashville Engagement Photography

2011-02-02T00:04:00.000-06:00

I had an awesome time spending my Saturday with Biz and JP. I feel like I spent the whole day laughing. I was a little nervous about this shoot at the beginning of the week because it snowed, but we had perfect weather all day long for the shoot. We started shooting at Biz's parents home on Old Hillsboro road and then ventured over to downtown Franklin to take some more photos as the sun was setting. They also brought along their furry friend Cash for a few of the photos.

I'm almost 30, but not yet.

2011-01-27T23:22:00.000-06:00

I'm turning 29 on February 5th. It makes me think about being 30. Which makes me think, "Holy crap, I'm almost 30." It's hard to believe that I have almost been around for 30 years. I still feel like I am 18 or 20 years old and when I shave my face I feel like I'm 16. Considering my family's history with heart problems and my love for candy and delicious fried foods it is safe to assume that my life is probably half over. That thought doesn't depress me, but makes me wonder and dream about how the first half of my life has shaped the second half of my life. How do I want to spend the next 30 years?

I want to love more. I want to laugh more. I want to give value to the things that are truly valuable, and let go of the things that are not.

Jill + Logan - Nashville Wedding 1/14/11

2011-01-25T01:31:00.000-06:00

This couple is close to my heart. Logan and I help lead worship at Ethos and have freelance work parties so we get to spend a healthy amount of time together. I feel so blessed that they are in my life and have loved growing closer to them over the past year. I am so happy for you guys and excited to see how God uses you as a married couple to bless those he puts in your path.

Jill and Logan got hitched at Union Station in downtown Nashville and had the reception at Woodmont Hills Church. I had never been inside of Union Station and had no idea how awesome it was going to be for a wedding. Jill and Logan stayed up super late the night before with their friends decorating the reception site, which totally paid off, but made for a sleepy bride (please reference the first photo). The night was full of laughter, dancing, and an amazing 80's cover band. Thank you for letting me capture such an awesome day.

If you want to experience the awesomeness of free downloads from Jill and Logan's wedding you can go to http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/hartline and if you had your photo taken at the photo booth you can download your photo here: http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/hartlinephotobooth

If you've made it this far you should go one step further and watch this awesome video that Yeah Yeah Creative made for Jill and Logan. I love the idea of couples being able to share their story and it being captured in such a creative way. You have to watch this video...

Logan & Jill=love by design from Yeah Yeah Creative on Vimeo.

Amy + Chris - Nashville Wedding

2011-01-17T13:00:00.000-06:00

You've seen their engagement...

You've seen her Bridal session...

Now check out the wedding of this wonderful, beautiful, and amazing couple...

Amy's Bridal Session

2011-01-11T09:35:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to share these photos for several weeks now and can finally do it now that Amy and Chris have had their amazing wedding. I love doing bridal sessions, and especially like doing them with beautiful and fun brides like Amy. The weather and lighting were perfect on the day we did the shoot. We had overcast skies with a gentle breeze and as the sun began to set it peeked through the clouds and gave us some amazing light to work with. Thanks Andy and Fawn for helping with this shoot and for dragging that couch up the hill.

Ashley + Erik - Nashville Wedding

2011-01-08T08:30:00.001-06:00

I was so excited to be starting off the year with such an awesome couple. Ashley and Erik are so in love and fun to be around which always makes for great photos and a fantastic wedding day. They got married on 1-1-11 at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. Both of them are architects so they have a true appreciation of the Hermitage Hotels design and beauty...even the bathrooms. I was a little surprised at first when they mentioned they wanted to take photos in the bathroom, but I always love it when couples have ideas for photos so I was totally down with a bathroom photo shoot. It made a lot more sense once we walked into the bathroom and I saw the design, color, and details put into it. I hadn't been to the Hermitage since Lacy and I stayed there on our wedding night. It was a beautiful place to have a wedding and I hope I get to shoot there again in the near future. Congrats to you Ashley and Erik!

If you were at the wedding and want to experience the awesomeness of free downloads you can go to: http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/ashleyanderik

It started to rain on us as we were wrapping things up but luckily Max had grabbed an umbrella from the hotel.

This is the famous bathroom.

Ashley and Erik had a really cool guest book where you took a 'polaroid' and stuck it in the book with your message.

Check out these sweet cuff links that she got for Erik. They have the Yale University crest on them.

Published on Weddings Unveiled Blog

2011-01-07T11:25:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to share that one of my weddings is currently featured on Weddings Unveiled. WU is all about representing the beautiful and unique weddings that we have in the South. It's a great place for brides looking for ideas and inspiration. Caitlin and Jared were married at my favorite wedding venue Cedarwood in August. If you are looking for a wedding venue hurry and book a date at Cedarwood before they fill up.

How to Take this Photo

2011-01-05T14:54:00.003-06:00

This shot is from Ashley and Erik's wedding on Saturday. I had a blast hanging out with them at and around the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. The day weather was very typical for a January day...cold and overcast. Overcast skies are great for shooting because you can go anywhere outside and have beautiful, consistent, and diffused light. The only downside to shooting with overcast skies all day is that the light in all your photos will look the same. To remedy this I like to bust out some strobes.

I took this shot with a 17-35mm f/2.8 attached to my Nikon D3s. My camera settings were: ISO 200, f/11, and 1/80 sec. I used an alien bee 1600 shot through a soft box and 1/2 power. Walking up to this photograph I knew that I was going to position Erik against the sky between the two buildings to help frame him and create contrast between him and the sky. I originally had my shutter speed at 1/250 because I was planning on bringing in more of the sky and blacking out the buildings. After my first shot I realized that his tux was bleeding into the black and I missed the unique texture of the buildings, so I slowed down my shutter speed to 1/80 sec to bring the buildings back into the exposure. Here is the lighting setup:

I have the bottom of the softbox lined up with his chin and angled down at about 45 degrees. This helps create contrast by creating shadows on the right side of his face and under his chin.

Here is a photo using the same setup for a group. The Light is on the opposite side in this photo:

Let me know if you have any questions.

Our Little Girl

2010-12-28T09:00:00.002-06:00

Lacy and I don't have any kids yet, but we do have the best dog ever to walk this earth. I don't think I have blogged about molly since we first got here almost a year ago. My sister-in-law found her outside a tire factory in East Nashville. We have been in love ever since.

Here are the photos of our scrawny puppy when we first got her:

And here she is now:

Molly from justin wright on Vimeo.

End Year Resolution

2010-12-26T23:10:00.001-06:00

In college I would occasionally try to write papers a few days before they were due. I was never successful. Something about the time pressure of writing it the night before it was due helped me turn my brain on and crank it out. I'm sure that most of you, like myself, have failed at many New Years resolutions in the past. I actually can't recall any that I have followed through on. I started to wonder if it was because I felt like I had the whole year to do it. This time around I decided I would do a End of the Year Resolution. Before the end of the year, I would start taking some steps to create discipline in my spiritual life. Reading. Writing. Prayer. I love it when God reveals himself in a burning bush or comes to earth as a carpenter, but the reality of my spiritual life has been that God most often reveals himself to me in the small moments of my day. Reading scripture, journalling, and praying reminds me that God is present and active in all parts of my life and provides opportunities for him to reveal himself to me. If you are one of those last-minute-paper-writers like myself you might be interested in using the last few days of the year to make your own End of the Year Resolution.

Family Christmas Card?

2010-12-16T00:04:00.000-06:00

One of my best friends, Patrick, asked me if I would have the honor of taking the photo for his "Family Christmas Card." Patrick is an admissions counselor at Lipscomb and need a photo with his helpers Adam and Chris to send out to all the potential students he works with. Here are the creepy awesome results...

Sillohuttes

2010-12-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

I love shooting silhouettes. They have the ability to create a strong sense of the scene and the emotion of the moment. Here are some of my favorite silhouette shots:

Tenley + Elliot

2010-12-14T02:10:00.003-06:00

I had an awesome time hanging out with Tenley and Elliot several weeks ago. They met at a coffee shop so Tenley thought it would be fun to take photos at Edgehill Studios and I totally agreed. I was excited to finally have a reason to incorporate my mustache mug into a shoot. I love it when couples incorporate meaningful locations and props into the sessions.

Jenn + Adam - Kentucky Wedding

2010-12-02T12:18:00.001-06:00

Jenn and Adam had their beautiful Kentucky Wedding at Jenn's family tobacco farm. I loved all the details of their wedding. This was the last wedding of the year for me and I was happy to spend it with a lot of close friends at the wedding. Jenn had the longest vail I have ever seen which made for some fun photos because it was really windy that day.

Tenley + Elliot - Engagement Sneak Peek

2010-11-24T22:34:00.001-06:00

Madison + Jeremy - Sneak Peek

2010-11-23T21:06:00.001-06:00

More photos on the way soon...

Tokens Show at the Ryman - The Welcome Table

2010-11-22T16:20:00.001-06:00

If you haven't heard about the Tokens Show you are missing out. It is the perfect mix of theology and art, twisted up and brought to you in the form of a live radio show backed by the best musicians in Nashville. Yes, I said the best musicians in Nashville. This show featured Keb' Mo', Cherryholmes, Shane Claiborne, Odessa Settles, the Nashville Choir, Buddy Greene, Tokens Radio Players, and the Tokens house band The Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys. All the proceeds from the show last night went to support Room In the Inn.

Jenn + Adam - Kentucky Wedding Sneak Peek

2010-11-17T14:06:00.001-06:00

More photos coming soon...

Laura + Dustin - Murfreesboro Wedding

2010-11-16T13:22:00.001-06:00

Laura and Dustin got hitched at the beautiful First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro. They had their reception at Stone River Country Club which was awesome because we got to take photos of Laura and Dustin cruising around on Golf Carts and also because I got to work with Becca George again who handles all the amazing receptions they have there.

Megan + Austin - Knoxville Wedding Video

2010-11-11T20:34:00.004-06:00

One of my best friends got married last weekend in Knoxville. You may remember Austin and Megan from there engagement session a few months ago. I didn't want to photograph the wedding so I could enjoy the getting my groove on at the reception and just be there as another guest, and I knew the wedding photos would be awesome because my brother was shooting. A few months ago I bought the Nikon D3s so I decided I put its video capability to use. I've been wanting to film a wedding for a few months so this was the perfect opportunity. There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between photographing and filming a wedding. I really enjoyed it. Luckily, I have been fortunate enough to work with some awesome wedding videographers like Focal Point and Full Frame Cinema so I had some idea of what I should be doing. I wish I'd had a stabilizer to work with, but I didn't, so most of this was shot hand held. This film was edited using iMovie...unfortunately, it's all I have to work with.

Of course I had to take a few photos...

Megan + Austin - Wedding from justin wright on Vimeo.

Shoot Camp Promo Shoot - Behind the Scenes

2010-11-03T23:55:00.001-05:00

Shoot Camp Promo Shoot Teaser from Shoot Camp on Vimeo.

Sarah + David - Nashville Wedding Photography

2010-11-02T08:32:00.001-05:00

Sarah and David were married at one of my favorite churches, Woodmont Christian, where Lacy and I got married almost 2 years ago. The last time I was shooting a wedding there, the power went out, the fire alarms went off, and the local firemen showed up. Luckily, Sarah and David didn't have any of the same issues at their ceremony. The reception was at Durego which is an awesome and fairly new reception site in the heart of Cool Springs. If you are looking for a reception site in that area you need to check it out. The venue is great and the staff is awesome.

Laura + Dustin - Sneak Peek

2010-10-31T12:49:00.001-05:00

Haitian Transportation

2010-10-29T10:08:00.001-05:00

I had the blessing of going to Haiti last week. I've had a shoot almost every day since I got back last Thursday so I haven't had time to post photos. I thought I would try to post a few photos today since I have a little down time. The trip was amazing and I love the people of Haiti, but for now let me just post a few photos attempting to show how chaotic and diverse Haitian transportation can be.

Meredith + Jim - Murfreesboro Engagement Session

2010-10-22T12:01:00.001-05:00

I'm starting to become more familiar with Murfreesboro and really starting to love it. The word on the street is that it is the fastest growing town/city in America. I didn't take the time to validate that statement, but I'm sure you will if you think it's a lie. I met Jim several years ago when we were both going to Lipscomb University. I hadn't seen him in a few years since he graduated so I was excited to get to spend time with him and meet his amazing fiance' Meredith. Meredith and Jim were laughing through the whole session which made my job easy. If you see any photos where they are making serious faces know that it took a very intentional effort. I loved spending time with them and I can't wait to shoot their wedding.

Lisa + Bobby - Nashville Wedding Photography

2010-10-17T18:50:00.001-05:00

I met Lisa and Bobby for the first time at Fido which now seems like it was forever ago. I can't believe October is almost over. I'm blogging from the Hilton Hotel in Miami because tomorrow I am flying out to Haiti for a few days to spend time with some orphans and take some photos. I met Lisa and Bobby through Joe and Rhonda Hendricks who are good friends and great photographers. Rhonda was one of the bridesmaids in the wedding and Joe was already booked so they suggested me to this awesome couple. The ceremony and reception were at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN just off Concord Road. They have a beautiful chapel that was really intimate and felt like it could have been built in the 1700's somewhere in England. After the ceremony ended we headed over towards Steeplechase to take some photos in a magical meadow I found a few weeks ago. I was blessed to work with some awesome Nashville wedding vendors for this wedding. The first is the super fun and super awesome to work with Emily Humphries from Simply Yours Weddings. If you are looking for a wedding planner you should get in touch with Emily. If you are not using a wedding planner, you should, and it should be Emily. The second vendor you need to check out is Hillary Robson from Brocade Designs. She makes amazing floral arrangements. For more photos and for free downloads you can go to http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/robertson

Bobby is an Alabama fan. aka not a UT fan.

Meredith + Jim Sneak peek - Nashville Engagement Photography

2010-10-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

Maybe the sweetest couple ever.

Johnna + Clay - Tennessee Wedding Photography

2010-10-12T14:25:00.001-05:00

Johnna and Clay got married at the beautiful Crown Winery in Humbolt, TN. I got to spend the day with Suzanne and the rest of her awesome team from Sasha Souza Events of TN. If you want to see more photos and download the photos for free go to http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/cunha

Awesome Night at Ethos

2010-10-12T10:23:00.001-05:00

There was a lot of hype around 10-10-10. It definitely lived up to it's expectations with the Spirit moved 5 people to give their lives to Christ at Ethos. I had just gotten back from helping out with Joe Hendricks and friends at the Family Photography Flood Relief event so luckily I had my camera with me.

Johnna + Clay - Sneak Peek

2010-10-06T14:56:00.001-05:00

Johnna and Clay had their ceremony at the a beautiful winery near Jackson, Tn named Crown Winery. I'm always a little anxious about the ceremony venue when I've never been there before but I was happy when I heard the ceremony was at a winery. Johnna's dress was one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. More of these on the way soon...

E-Session Sneak Peek

2010-10-04T13:52:00.001-05:00

I had an awesome time with Rebekah and Chris in Murfreesboro. I'll be posting more photos this week so be on the look out.

Melissa + Josh - Destin, Florida Wedding

2010-10-02T22:25:00.001-05:00

I feel blessed that people ask me to travel to beautiful places and photograph their wedding day. Two weeks ago Max and I went down to Destin, Florida to capture the amazing wedding of Melissa and Josh. This was my second beach wedding and I felt a little crazy being in Cape May, New Jersey one weekend and Destin, Florida the next. The weekend was spent at Seascape Resort and the ceremony was right on the beach. The ceremony was set for sunset which made for some great lighting and we finished family photos just in time to do some shots of Melissa and Josh as the sun was starting to disappear.

To see more photos and enjoy Free Downloads go to: http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/melissaandjosh

Friday Favorite

2010-10-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

I'm going to start sharing some of my favorite things on Fridays.

These are my two favorite girls. Lacy and Molly. I surprised Lacy with an Owl hat from Urban Outfitters when she came home from work. I knew it was destiny when she came home wearing scrubs that perfectly matched the color of the hat.

Suspenders Are Back.

2010-09-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that suspenders have made a comeback. I don't dress up very often accept for when I photograph weddings, so I guess I dress up about once a week, but anyways...when I do dress up I'm glad that I can wear suspenders. If you want to join the suspender revitalization I recommend you go to Urban Outfitters and get you some.

Wedding Photography is like a Permanent Haircut.

2010-09-29T06:10:00.001-05:00

I got my haircut today so I thought I would share an analogy I've had in the back of mind for few weeks.

Imagine that you have to get a hair cut in 6 months and this is going to be the last haircut you ever receive. Your hair will forever be in the shape and length of this last haircut. It is a permanent haircut. There are no second chances. You have one shot to get it right or you will spend the rest of your life dreading looking at yourself in the mirror.

Who would you choose to cut your hair?
How much would you be willing to pay for a good haircut?
How would you find the right person for your big day?

I would choose Barby....

...and here a few of the reasons why:
- My mom referred her to me because they work at Studio One Twenty together.
- She is a trained professional with years of experience.
- She asks me how I want my hair cut, listens, and does an amazing job.
- She has cut my hair before and I loved the result.
- I enjoy the time we have spent together. (I want my last haircut experience to be enjoyable.)

Could my Uncle Bob that cuts hair for fun and has really nice scissors give me my last haircut. Yes. And he would probably even do it for free. But, do I really want to trust Uncle Bob with the last haircut I will ever receive? No.

Enough with the analogy.

About once a month I get an email from a recent bride saying something like this: "I really wish we had chosen you to shoot our wedding. We decided to use an inexpensive photographer and totally regret it. Now we are stuck with awful photos from our special day."

If you value your wedding photographs, then make photography a priority. Here are some tips for finding the right photographer for you wedding day:

- Find a photographer that creates art you believe in.

- Meet for coffee or lunch to make sure you guys click. Your wedding photographer is going to be with you All Day Long. If you don't like your wedding photographer it is going to be a very long and annoying day.

- Ask for referrals from past clients.

- Ask to see a wedding from start to finish. It's easy to shoot a wedding and get 1 good photo out of 2,000. Make sure you are seeing a complete wedding day.

- Do an engagement shoot. This will let you see how the photographer works and let you see their work first hand.

Thanks for being part of my random analogy. If you need a haircut you should go see Barby at Studio One Twenty in Cool Springs by Office Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond. The beautiful lady that greets you as you come in will be my Mom. She will have candy for you. Sometimes she hides the good stuff under her desk so make sure you ask for it. All the Salon photos were taken by my brother, Aron Wright.

My First Wedding.

2010-09-27T15:32:00.001-05:00

I often get asked, "How did you get started shooting weddings?"

Here is a small glimpse into my wedding photography journey. This is the first wedding at which I was asked to take photos. I was most definitely not the main photographer, but was asked by the groom's family to be the unofficial second shooter. This was wedding was when I learned that I really enjoyed shooting weddings and started to create a wedding photography portfolio. At the time I thought these photos were super awesome. There are many things I did in post-processing that I would never do now. I'm showing these for those photographers that feel frustrated with their work and aren't at a place where they can take the photos they see in their head. If you invest in yourself, your photography education, and your art, you will get where you want to be.

The above photo was the front side of my first business card.

Kate + Will - Jersey Shore Wedding Part 2

2010-09-24T13:01:00.001-05:00

If you ever get the chance you need to go to Cape May, New Jersey. I wish Max and I had more time to explore this cool East Coast beach town. Kate and Will were super laid back and I had a lot of fun spending the day with them and their families. This was the first beach wedding I have shot. We woke up to rain, but luckily it cleared up and we had overcast skies the rest of the day which made for some awesome photos. The skies you see in the photos are totally natural and not photoshop enhanced. The reception was at the Southern Mansion, which according to the Manager, is haunted. I'm glad that we had a room at a different hotel.

If you would like to see more photos and experience the awesomeness of free downloads go to:
http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/kateandwill

You know a bride is laid back when she is willing to walk out onto slippery rocks in her wedding dress before the ceremony. I think it was worth it though.

Thanks for an amazing Jersey Shore experience.

Kate + Will - Jersey Shore Wedding Part 1

2010-09-23T15:32:00.002-05:00

Two Weekends ago I had the opportunity to go to Jersey Shore to photograph a wedding and meet a lot of amazing people. I was hoping that The Situation and his posse would be making an appearance at the wedding but no such thing took place. The people I spent the weekend with were basically the complete opposite of the Jersey Shore we have all come to love to hate and love again.

If you're wondering why all the flowers in this wedding are so beautiful it's because Kate and Will are both into horticulture and own a landscape design business in New York. We started the day at Kate's parents house where the ladies were making all the bouquets, boutonnieres, and floral decorations. Then we went down to the beach house the guys were staying at to do some shots of Will.

More photos like this coming soon...

How to Take This Photo...

2010-09-22T16:56:00.001-05:00

I've been getting a lot of emails asking for more blogs showing lighting diagrams. This shot is from Laura and Ted's wedding in Chattanooga a few weeks ago. I loved the architecture and potential I saw for this photo, but the natural lighting alone didn't get the dramatic effect I was looking for.

What you cannot see in this photo is my assistant, Andy, risking his life by hanging out the other archway to the right of the couple with an SB-800 at full power shot through an umbrella. We were shooting around 1:30pm so it was really bright outside. I immediately set my ISO to 250 and my shutter speed to 1/250th of a second (the fastest sync speed). From there I adjusted my aperture to get the look I wanted and ended up shooting at f/7.1. Here is the lighting diagram...

Kate + Will - Jersey Wedding Sneak Peek

2010-09-20T14:42:00.001-05:00

Laura + Ted - Chattanooga Wedding Photography

2010-09-15T00:19:00.001-05:00

I really love Chattanooga. Lacy and I went down to spend the weekend at a Bed and Breakfast three weeks ago and the weekend after that I went back to shoot Laura and Ted's wedding. The wedding went down at the beautiful Tennessee River Place. I really loved getting to spend the day with Laura and Ted. They were both so laid back about everything and Ted was cracking jokes the whole time. If you want the full experience of the wedding day you can scroll down to my previous post and watch the Photo Story I made for them. If you would like to see all the photos and download some of your favorites you can go to http://prints.justinwrightphoto.com/lauraandted.

Laura + Ted - Photo Story

2010-09-10T13:33:00.001-05:00

I had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful wedding in Chattanooga this weekend. The bride, Laura, is the sister of a good friend of mine. This is the second wedding I have shot with my Nikon D3s so I tried to capture some video. I really think this is the direction that the wedding photography industry is heading...combining photography and video. I still have some training to do with shooting video but was pretty happy with the result. Check back to the blog soon for a link to the photos. Let me know what you think of the Photo/Video combination.

Laura + Ted from justin wright on Vimeo.

Kaitlin + Jared - Nashville Wedding Photography

2010-09-02T18:21:00.001-05:00

Kaitlin and Jared are such an awesome couple. They were so laid back at the wedding and are totally in love which is a great combination for getting great photos. Not to mention they had their wedding at my favorite Nashville wedding venue, Historic Cedarwood, on a perfect sunny day. I also got to spend the day with Jon and Kelsey from Focal Point Cinematic. Make sure to check out the trailer below before you scroll down to the photos. I love using photography to tell the wedding day story. What I love about Jon and Kelsey's work is that they are not only documenting the day, but they are making a beautiful film that captures the heart of the wedding day and tells a story...and they are awesome to work with. Here they are working their magic...

Jared & Kaitlin :: Wedding Trailer from FocalPoint Cinematic Weddings on Vimeo.

Rachel and Byron - Nashville Engagement Session

2010-09-01T14:51:00.001-05:00

Rachel and Byron are two of the greatest people I know. Rachel has been best friends with my wife Lacy since they came out of the womb. I always got a little nervous when Rachel went on dates because I understood that whoever she ended up marrying would be in my life whether I wanted them to be or not. Luckily, she found a winner for us all. We started out at Radnor Lake and then headed downtown as the sun was disappearing and snuck up on a roof top. I would tell you which rooftop but I don't want any of you other photographers stealing my location and causing them to beef up security.

Rooftop Shoot

2010-08-30T22:58:00.002-05:00

I love it when couples have access to awesome locations....

Jessie + Michael

2010-08-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

I can't Sleep + Monkey Ink

2010-08-24T00:20:00.000-05:00

It's late and I can't sleep. I'm hoping that this glass of red wine will calm my brain and let me think of nothing. In the mean time I wanted to share a photo from a shoot Sunday night. This is the very talented and super cool Alicia and Drew of Monkey Ink Design. They are launching a new website and need a photo of themselves. This was not the type of photos that we discussed taking, but they told me they were willing to be guinea pigs if I had any ideas that I had been wanting to try out. I'm not really sure what inspired this shot, but it popped into my head when I knew I had two people to experiment with. What do you think they are pulling on the other end of that there string?

Jill + Logan - Nashville Engagement Photography

2010-08-23T14:57:00.001-05:00

This may have been the 'funnest' engagement session ever. Jill and Logan are good friends and both talented graphic artists. Logan and I also get to hang out when we help lead worship at Ethos. We grabbed coffee several months ago to hang out and throw around some ideas about locations/themes for the engagement session. They wanted something different. I always love it when couples play a part in the creative process of the shoot and have fun with locations. After talking about everything from sidewalk chalk to coke bottles and picnics we finally landed on 1) a Carnival and 2) an old warehouse with wooden beams. Here is the result:

Jessie and Adam - Wedding Sneak Peek

2010-08-21T11:38:00.000-05:00

I was blessed to be part of a beautiful and intimate wedding in Abingdon, Virginia last weekend. Here are just a few photos from this awesome couple's wedding...

Free Wedding Photography Competition

2010-08-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

Free Wedding Photography from justin wright on Vimeo.

Rules and Regulations:

- Videos should be hosted on YouTube or Vimeo
- Email videos to justinwrightphoto@gmail.com with Couple's first and last names.
- Videos will be accepted from today until Thursday, August 26th.
- Videos should be 30 seconds or less
- Voting will be held Friday, August 27th - Monday, August 30th
- The video with the most comments on Justin Wright Photography's Blog will be the winner
- Comments must include commenters name and email to count as a vote.
- If you have already booked me for your wedding you cannot win the contest. Sorry.
- If I am already booked on your wedding date you will win a free photo session.
- If you cheat by posting comments from fake internet people Jesus will be very sad.
- Free Wedding Photography does not include travel costs.
- The winner will receive 10 hours of photographic coverage on their wedding day and printing rights to the images captured on their wedding day.