Becki Dickinson :: The Photographer Blog » Becki

Aquila and Aaron – Wedding at Castle McCulloch

Becki — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:49:59 +0000

So it’s August and you’d expect it to be hot, hot, hot. But we were BLESSED with cooler temperatures on the day of Aquila and Aaron’s wedding. It was a beautiful day at Castle McCulloch with the ceremony performed under the tent and reception in the Crystal Gardens. Create A Cake provided the catering and decorations and as always with them, service was exemplary.

Here are a few images from Aquila and Aaron’s wedding and reception. We wish you both all the best!

To see the rest, click below

Brides on Tour Show

Becki — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:31:53 +0000

I am proud to announce I will be an exhibitor in the Brides on Tour Show this coming October 3rd.

Brides On Tour is an exclusive bridal tour designed to bring together sophisticated Triad area brides, unique wedding venues, and top-quality wedding industry professionals with a focus on individual attention for each guest. What sets Brides On Tour apart from the traditional bridal show is that the brides will be divided into small groups with a tour guide, transported by coaches, and in the span of one day they will be able to visit 5 unique locations, be exposed to 30-40 of the Triad best wedding professionals and have fun in the process.

Join us on October 3, 2010 for the ultimate bridal tour getaway.
The inaugural Brides On Tour will feature five Triad area venues. Doors will open at Magnolia Manorat 8:30 am on October 3, 2010, and the first coaches will begin departing by 9:45 for the next venues.

We’ll finish our day with a brides’ mixer at Willow Oaks Plantation. Enjoy live music and a chance to win the Grand Prize giveaway of two round-trip tickets within the US and Caribbean*, courtesy of our Platinum Sponsor, A Way To Go Travel!

Travel on our comfortable coaches to five venues, where you’ll be a special guest at receptions showcasing the latest trends in dining and décor.
Learn with our experienced event planners through small-group tours and Q&A sessions.
Come home with fresh new ideas to make your special day unforgettable. And a swag bag full of samples, giveaways and discounts worth more than $200.

* Blackout dates and certain restrictions apply. Winner responsible for taxes and fees.

Cover Shoot for Triad Weddings Magazine at the Historical Carolina Theatre

Becki — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:24:53 +0000

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the cover for the Fall/Winter issue for TriadWeddings Magazine at the Historical Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro last month. Since the magazine has now been released, I think it’s a good time to post a few photos from the shoot. Flowers provided by the incomparable Wayne Hurst of Floral Vision Design Studio. Hair and makeup by Updo’s.

So brides to be, if you’re looking for something different, be sure to put the Carolina Theatre on your list of venues to visit. Ask about seeing your names in the Marquee.

Maegan & Jeff – Greensboro Wedding, Reception at Bryan Park

Becki — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:19:57 +0000

Maegan & Jeff were married at a lovely ceremony at Finch Chapel on the campus of Greensboro College. It was another hot day but everything was beautiful. The ceremony was followed by the reception at Bryan Park. Here are a few of our favorite images from the day.

A Greensboro Wedding ~ Melanie & David

Becki — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:35:26 +0000

Melanie and David were married July 3rd at Christ United Methodist Church followed by a reception at Starmount Country Club.

I arrived early afternoon to get a few detail shots and some posed group shots. David’s gift to his groomsmen were official NFL jerseys ( team and player of their choice). What a fun group as they decided to take a few “formals” while playing football.
Melanie looked absolutely stunning in her gown as she was escorted down the aisle by a very proud dad. I wish I had the writing skills to describe what an elegant and classic vision she is.

With that in mind, I felt compelled to process David and Melanie’s post in a vintage tone. I just thought it suited the feel of the day.

Congratulations the two of you. I want to thank you and your families for allowing me to be a part of your day.

PS Post on “Doctor Dave” coming soon. Hope to reflect his personality. Sometimes the groom gets to get airtime ya know?

For Photographers: Pocket Wizard, Off Camera Flash

Becki — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:08:33 +0000

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank goodness because my ability to write down my thoughts and ideas is never all that great. So here are a few examples of photos taken with and without off camera flash.

First is the cake. Now we’ve all seen beautifully crafted wedding cakes, most often shoved in a corner somewhere and all we can do is stand back and take a snapshot. I don’t know about you but one of my wedding day nightmares involves me, a camera and a cake somehow getting smashed. Trust me, I’m going to be extremely careful.

Cake shot normal mode:

Cake with off camera flash placed behind the cake:

Another example can be seen in the photos of the dress details:

Some may prefer the flatter lighting. I personally like the more dramatic lighting I can achieve with my flash positioned off camera. But that’s a personal preference. Just remember to not exceed flash sync speed as I did on the first dress shot (see dark band on right side of image). It’s an easy thing to overlook.

Until next time..peace out!
Becki

For Photographers: Pocket Wizards and Off Camera Lighting

Becki — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:51:26 +0000

I’m a big fan of other photographers work incorporating off camera lighting. Washed out photos appeal to me on some level but the ones that are dramatically lighted while leaving a part of the image a mystery make me stop and stay awhile. In my pursue of mastering (as if anybody can ever “master” lighting) I have studied with Neil van Niekirk and Zach Arias, read numerous articles and books ( Joe McNally), and scoured the internet for inspiration (Stobist Blog). I’m had failures and I’ve had some successes. Here’s the beginning of my journey:

Last year I put a while shooting Becky and Patrick’s wedding down in Charlotte North Carolina, I put a hot shoe flash on a monopod, fired by pocket wizards. Judy walked around holding it above everybody’s heads and I snapped away. What I saw in camera excited me and I knew I was on to something special but had much to learn.

I was struggling with misfires, struggling with shadows and wasn’t sure how to create the images I envisioned. Flash power, flash zoom, on camera flash settings, subject placement relative to camera, camera settings, subject placement relative to light source are all variables that can be manipulated to produce various effects. It’s almost overwhelming the number of options available. And I had a lot to learn but I can’t express just how determined I was to start producing the kind of images only off camera lighting can bring about.

More to come in the following weeks…

Greensboro North Carolina Engagement Session- Jaimee and Wes

Becki — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:03:56 +0000

Jaimee contacted me last week with a last minute request to shoot an engagement session for her and her fiance, Wes. Wes is currently living in Texas awaiting deployment to Afghanistan but was going to be in town for a quick visit over the Fourth of July weekend. I knew how important it would be to figure out a time for us to do the shoot in between weddings, 4th of July festivities and Wes’ schedule. And I am so privileged to have had the opportunity to meet and photograph the two of them. Jaimee is not only beautiful and brilliant and super sweet but also a graduate of my alma mater, Mississippi State. Wes is way cool, a graduate of West Point and a helicopter pilot with the US Army and Handsome and SWEET!

Here are a few of my favorite images we took for the engagement session:

I think this is one of my favorites. I love the look in Jaimee’s eyes.

Note to photographers: Flash on lightstand, manual power dialed down, camera right, zoomed in.

I wish you two the very best of everything and hope the next year flies by and your wedding next year in South Carolina is the stuff of dreams.
PS. GO DAWGS!

When it Crashes Down

Becki — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:06:20 +0000

DJ says “watch out for the chandelier”. Here is a series bouquet toss shots from Laura and Andrew’s wedding last weekend. This series would not be possible without the use of off camera flash on light stands due to recycle time. I love the look on everybody’s faces.

North Carolina Wedding Photography at the Hayloft- Sara & James

Becki — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:48:21 +0000

Sara & James were married at the Hayloft on May 30th. The setting suited these to Veterinarians perfectly. And as you can tell from the photos, even though the temperature was high, the party never stopped.