How I Work

Over the past three years I have photographed weddings and receptions in exquisite, exclusive locations such as the Biltmore Estate's DeerPark, the Grove Park Inn, Biltmore Forest Country Club and Richmond Hill Inn, as well as in very rustic, secluded outdoor settings such as the Hawk & Ivy, Woodfield Inn, and The Cliffs at Glassy, among others. Whatever your taste or style, be confident that I approach each wedding as a "story" worthy of wonder, respect, and professionalism.

In addition to my candid approach, I also enjoy making use of a range of formal portraiture styles. We can schedule a portrait session at any time prior or after your ceremony. Portraits can be as traditional or as funky as you wish. The possibilities are endless in terms of where we photograph (in studio or on location) and how you want your final portraits printed and displayed. I will be happy to discuss with you the many different types of film, photographic processes (cross-processing, polaroid transfers, hand-coloring), styles, and display options at our disposal.

During the wedding day I attempt to photograph the important posed shots of the family and wedding party in a simple and painless way that does not disrupt the natural flow of events. I will be happy to discuss with you my thoughts on organizing a "shoot schedule" that will allow for ample time to get all the posed shots in as effortless a manner as possible with minimal intrusions. As much as I relish capturing those one-of-a-kind spontaneous moments, and as much as you may prefer those candid moments as well, I do think the posed family shots are very important since the wedding day is often a "family reunion" of sorts and is an ideal time to record for "posterity" your extended families and friends.

I often get questions about what type of equipment I use to photograph weddings and portraits. Because of my "photojournalistic" style I rely heavily on my 35mm Canon EOS camera system.

I use an assortment of Canon's best lenses, from wide angle to very fast telephoto and fixed lenses. Due to their exceptional quality and speed, I am able to capture many moments using the existing ambient light. When necessary or desired, I blend my "on-camera" flash and portable strobes with the ambient light, to achieve various effects (whether it's conveying a sense of motion by allowing certain parts of the image to blur or allowing the background to go totally dark so that the subject becomes the primary focus of the photo).

I also use a Mamiya 645 medium format camera, mostly for individual and group portraits that will be in all likelihood be enlarged larger than 8x10 on final reproduction. Additionally, I occassionally use a 4x5 view camera for not only portraits, but for beautiful interiors and food or flowers. And finally, I always bring my Holga, a plastic Russian camera, that yields a playful, arty look on medium format film.

My standard practice is to shoot about 50% b&w and 50% color for weddings. I am happy to accomodate individual preferences that vary from that formula. One common request is to use color film for the more traditional posed shots of family, and devote most of the remaining coverage to black & white.

I use three album companies at this point but am always open to other album alternatives. For my more traditional wedding albums I use Renaissance's finest "Milano" albums. For a more contemporary, "fine-art" look I use ArtZ's coffee table box or book and individually dry mount each custom print. And finally, I will be offering White Glove albums for an alternative to traditional photographs. White Glove albums are digitally printed with archival inks on watercolor paper and are custom-bound into book form. Feel free to arrange an appointment to see samples from each of these fine album companies.

Feel free to contact me at any time with questions or to schedule a portfolio review, portrait session, or to book your wedding or special event. Thank you.

Michael
(828) 236-1245
mike@oppenheimphoto.com