Erika and Charley's Awesome Reception Ambience

One of the things that couples work the hardest to create, is the ambience of their wedding reception. We had the pleasure of documenting Erika and Charley's awesome reception ambience tonight at the Edson Hill Manor in Stowe, Vermont.

Among the elements which made their reception ambience so special were the little black hurricane lamps hung from colorful ribbons above the stone wall along the edge of the dance floor.

Ironically, the weather forecast had called for scary thunderstorms and even hail, but the ceremony was held out doors in gloriously warm, classic summer weather. Even the cocktail party and group portraits were staged outdoors, although gathering clouds foreshadowed a light rain which began the second we wrapped up the staged photos. Shortly after the reception began, under the big tent on the patio, a straight-line wind rattled the rigging and a massive lightning show and downpour followed. The power went out during dinner, and we all ate by candlelight!

Luckily the power came back just in time for the band to play several sets of great dance music! Live music was provided by Shakedown, a six piece band based in Burlington, Vermont. The band had a really cool stand of lights placed on the side of the dance floor which provided some disco effects and a spotlight for dramatic effects.

We feel that when photographing a reception it is important to first "do no harm" to the often dark and romantic atmosphere. Some photographers will actually bring studio lights, set them up in the corners and light up the room with a wireless remote every time they take a photo. Still others will go ahead and turn up the room lights, just so they can take their pictures. We flat refuse to do either of these. Why? Simply because it impairs the atmosphere the bride and groom worked so hard to create. What we do is to shoot with the fastest glass that money can buy. We have several lenses in the f1.2 and f1.4 range and we shoot with full frame Canon CMOS sensors with remarkable low-light sensitivity, allowing us to shoot at 1600 and even 3200 ISO. Take a look at the shots below, all taken in the existing light, none with the assistance of flash or studio strobes.