in the grooms life as well. I recently have been focusing more on photographing the groom and him getting ready. I will admit a lot more preparation goes into the bride getting ready yet there are still great opportunities to photograph the groom and “his guys” prior to the ceremony. This past weekend Shalisha and Justin scheduled their photography to include plenty of time before the ceremony to capture those getting ready moments for both the bride and groom. Having two photographers can help this process and reduce the time needed before hand as one photographer can be with the “guys” and another with the “girls”. If the bride, groom and their respective attendants are getting ready in separate locations two photographers are a must. This past Sunday I was photographing solo and thus the bride and groom allowed me additional time, in addition they were getting ready, married and celebrating in one location. The mood in the “guys” vs “girls” rooms varied, both rooms held the air of excitement however the girls room had more of a time is passing to quickly vibe whereas the guys vibe was more “we have plenty of time”. A few gentle nudges (and help from mother of the groom) got them moving so we could get pictures of them prior to the ceremony. Photographing men and women can be very different, I joke that women intuitively know how they look best and only need a few tweaks to their “poses” the guys on the other hand often see a camera and freeze. I try and spend a few minutes with the groom and groomsmen joking and hanging out before taking pictures. Every party has the “comedian” who is easy to spot, I often employ him to help me keep the groom laughing during photo sessions. Most of the time not only does he keep the groom laughing I too am often laughing so hard my sides hurt. I try and capture natural engaging expressions that show the grooms personality rather then faked smiles that can often look forced. Here are some recent images of Justin.
With this posting I find myself enveloped in the 21st century and the world of blogging. 
Only slightly intimidated I found myself asking the “younger” crowd to explain this blogging phenomenon and more importantly what one gets out of it. Setting aside the professional recognition and free “advertising” I was advised that blogging can be an almost cathartic experience; accomplishments both big and small can be celebrated, tears can be shed, joy expressed and frustrations vented. Seems like a lot to put on one task however I am up to the challenge.
I am one of the few who wakes up each morning looking forward to the day. This includes workdays as well as those things the corporate world calls “days off” or “weekends”. As a small business owner I have chosen to pursue my passion for photography. I founded and own Lux Photography based in Sterling Virginia. Lux began when at 15 I found myself doing freelance photography for the local county community center. After completing several assignments I realized I was in business and needed a name. Thank goodness for mentors or their would be yet another F-Stop Photography business. After several weeks of contemplation, and yes one can be contemplative at 15 (at least in ones own mind…) I came up with Lux which is Latin for light. Since photography is based on light and image capture I felt it fitting. With that Lux was born.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with Lux and life in general in my newly created blog.
Thanks for this article. I’m going to be photographing a groom tomorrow. This created the initiative.
You’re welcome, that’s awesome. Have fun! I find myself enjoying the challenge to find appealing, attractive, creative and fun photographs of the grooms.