Robin and Jill's Oahu Wedding
Very rarely does it flood in this portion of the beach, but when it does, it makes for great photos
THE PERFECT MATCH
The Hawaii Wedding of Robin and Jill
I remember when Robin and Jill's had inquired about my services as it was rather unique. For some reason, we had a whirlwind of strong gust that blew through my neighborhood, blowing roofs off houses and toppling gigantic decade old trees. I took a picture next to one of these trees and posted that picture on my blog. A few hours later, Jill called me. She had seen my picture next to the tree, and realized that it was taken in the same neighborhood at a house that she and Robin were staying at. In fact, after a few minutes of talking on the phone, we both realized that she was staying at a house that was literally a few minutes walk away from me! So I told her that I could meet here in a few minutes, and in literally "in a few minutes" I was in her living room with Robin, answering their wedding inquiry. Now that's a first!
The perfect match
Robin and Jill are my ideal wedding couple. They are laid back like myself, fun to talk to about anything, and as for their wedding plans, they just wanted things nice, romantic, but more importantly, simple. After meeting them for the first time to talk about their wedding plans, I knew that not only that I had booked their services, but I had also made new friends.
So just how did these two meet? How was their first date? And how did Robin propose to Jill? I'd love to tell you, but I think it's better if they told you themselves. Here is their love story, in their own words.
So just how did these two meet? How was their first date? And how did Robin propose to Jill? I'd love to tell you, but I think it's better if they told you themselves. Here is their love story, in their own words.
How we met:
We met through an Internet dating service about 7 1/2 years ago. After a few dates we were spending most of our time together, and within a few months we both knew we had something special. After two years of dating, we moved in together and then shortly after our 5 year anniversary, Robin proposed.
The Proposal:
Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. (Treasure being a loose term for whatever items a geocacher places in a geocache, such as key chains and bottle openers.) A geocacher can place a geocache anywhere in the world, pinpoint its location (coordinates) using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache and discover it's "treasures". Most of the fun is in the challenge of locating the geocache rather than any real treasures to be found. It's a hobby that gets people outdoors and sometimes takes them to places they might not otherwise visit. The geocache can be most anything such as small Tupperware type containers up to military ammo cans.
Robin took Jill out to find a geocache located on an overlook near their home in Camas. Once they located the geocache under a rock, Robin picked it up and quickly stuck Jill's ring inside the small plastic container when she wasn't looking. He then gave it to Jill so she could look to see what kind of "treasures" she might find. She was expecting cheap trinkets in the geocache and was quite surprised to find her engagement ring.
Since then we have located geocaches together in Hawaii, the US mainland and Australia.
This is Robin
Robin's comments:
When I met Jill, I was immediately attracted to her. It was her pretty blue eyes, cute smile and the way she looked in a pair of jeans. I had no chance. I was pretty much hooked from the start. I remember thinking that she was a good mix of classy woman and the girl next door. She even drove a Jeep, what more could a guy ask for? Her easy going personality quickly won me over and I knew I'd found a keeper. She has always been appreciative of the things I do for her and has been very giving in return. Since we've met we've enjoyed many fun adventures together and I always look forward to the next one with her.
And this is Jill
Jill's comments:
I was attracted to Robin from the get go. Even before we met, I enjoyed our conversations on the phone and our daily emails back and forth. He picked me up for our first date in his Jeep Wrangler. I remember he was wearing jeans, boots and a short-sleeved black T-shirt that showed his muscular arms....very sexy! He was quite the gentleman opening doors for me and going to get the Jeep after dinner so I didn't have to walk in the rain. From that point on, his charm and caring personality made me fall in love with him. He has a good heart and treats people well. He's cute, has a good sense of humor, a pretty smile, and a sexy body.
Robin, doing some insane things in his jeep. INSANE!
Hobbies:
We enjoy various outdoor activities. One of them being 4-wheeling in our Jeep. We usually make a week long trip each summer to places such as the Rubicon trail in California and numerous trails around Moab Utah. We also go often to trails closer to home such as the Browns camp area in the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon.
Robin, doing some insane things in his jeep. INSANE!
Hobbies:
We enjoy various outdoor activities. One of them being 4-wheeling in our Jeep. We usually make a week long trip each summer to places such as the Rubicon trail in California and numerous trails around Moab Utah. We also go often to trails closer to home such as the Browns camp area in the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon.
Now that's secluded
And that's dramatic
Robin makes a move
So I'll take it over from here. Robin and Jill had inquired about my services two years before they tied the knot in Oahu. Now that's planning ahead. Those two years though, flew by pretty quickly. I'm not sure if the world was spinning faster, or time flew by faster because I just seemed to be sleeping in more, but when their wedding day came, it literally seemed as though they had just booked the month before.
Reverend Elias Parker performed his usual Hawaiian ceremony, and everything couldn't had been more perfect...including the weather.
Reverend Elias Parker performed his usual Hawaiian ceremony, and everything couldn't had been more perfect...including the weather.
This is actually a lot harder to take than it looks....
Okay, I wanted to dive into a little photography technical jargon here and describe how I took the shot above. For starters, let me say that I did use a flash for this shot, and fired it at 100 percent, directly at Robin and Jill. As you notice, Robin's dress still retains detail, and their faces are not washed out. This is purely because I shot on film. I would have a lot harder time firing a full flash at a white dress if I were using digital equipment.
The sun looks as though it's a star because the f-stop on the shot is pretty much as close to closed as you can get...f22. Doing so always turns any light into a star. Yup, you don't need to use a star filter to create star effects! The shutter speed on her is probably 1/250. Correct exposure for the sand and the palm trees for this shot is 1/250 f-11, but I shot it at 1/250 f-22, meaning I underexposed the background by 2-stops, meaning in laymen terms, it's 2 shades darker than what you would see in person. Correct exposure for the sky is around 1/250 f-16, so that means that sky is about 1 shade darker than what you would see in person. This is why the palm tress in the background are a little black, the water is dramatically dark, and sky a darker blue. Robin and Jill are properly exposed from the flash. All of this math was done in my head, when I took this shot. Remember, unlike digital photographers, I have no preview screen, so I had to literally envision through mathematical equations how that shot would look. Crazy huh!
The sun looks as though it's a star because the f-stop on the shot is pretty much as close to closed as you can get...f22. Doing so always turns any light into a star. Yup, you don't need to use a star filter to create star effects! The shutter speed on her is probably 1/250. Correct exposure for the sand and the palm trees for this shot is 1/250 f-11, but I shot it at 1/250 f-22, meaning I underexposed the background by 2-stops, meaning in laymen terms, it's 2 shades darker than what you would see in person. Correct exposure for the sky is around 1/250 f-16, so that means that sky is about 1 shade darker than what you would see in person. This is why the palm tress in the background are a little black, the water is dramatically dark, and sky a darker blue. Robin and Jill are properly exposed from the flash. All of this math was done in my head, when I took this shot. Remember, unlike digital photographers, I have no preview screen, so I had to literally envision through mathematical equations how that shot would look. Crazy huh!
Just married
I like this one
Another great example of how a strong flash can over power the sun.
If you notice, Robin and Jill are actually standing in their own shadows, yet they are properly exposed
And the sunset shot
From here, I'm going to give the mic back to Robin and Jill. They actually wrote some pretty nice stuff:
How we found Steve:
About 2 years ago, Robin and I met a wedding coordinator on the island of Oahu while visiting relatives for the holiday. When we asked about the photographer, we were given many different answers. First, they said they didn't always know who they were going to use, second they would have to get permission for us to view their work, and third they didn't always know who they were going to use until sometimes a week before the wedding! This was crazy! So we went back to our relative's house and started searching on the internet again.
Robin's sister-in-law found Steve's website so we started looking at photos from his previous weddings and reading his blog. We loved his photos so we decided to call him. Come to find out that he lived in the same neighborhood as our relatives! It was meant to be! So Steve was kind enough to walk down and meet us. As soon as we started talking with him and looking at more of his work, we knew right away we were going to use him!
Wow, my ego is just huge right now...
Awee....isn't that nice? And Robin and Jill didn't think I was creepy! You know, I hate to say this, but Robin and Jill's questionable experience with their 1st planner is not uncommon. Many wedding planners you find on the Internet do not offer honest and prompt customer service. Not all are like this, but most. Moreover, when it comes to wedding photography, or videography, they basically down right suck. And most of them can never guarantee that the great photographer who shot the pictures on their website will be available for your wedding. Wow, am I blunt... Yeah, but it's true. It frustrates the hell out of me because these companies, my competitors, could be providing "that much" better service, if they just tried.
All joking aside, I have to say, Robin and Jill could not have been more perfectly matched for each other. I realize that many of my couples meet over the internet, but I think I'm figuring out why.
Keep me in mind when you go for 4-wheeling and stay in touch. Next time you're in Hawaii, I'll take you folks out to dinner.
Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Report
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com
How we found Steve:
About 2 years ago, Robin and I met a wedding coordinator on the island of Oahu while visiting relatives for the holiday. When we asked about the photographer, we were given many different answers. First, they said they didn't always know who they were going to use, second they would have to get permission for us to view their work, and third they didn't always know who they were going to use until sometimes a week before the wedding! This was crazy! So we went back to our relative's house and started searching on the internet again.
Robin's sister-in-law found Steve's website so we started looking at photos from his previous weddings and reading his blog. We loved his photos so we decided to call him. Come to find out that he lived in the same neighborhood as our relatives! It was meant to be! So Steve was kind enough to walk down and meet us. As soon as we started talking with him and looking at more of his work, we knew right away we were going to use him!
Wow, my ego is just huge right now...
Awee....isn't that nice? And Robin and Jill didn't think I was creepy! You know, I hate to say this, but Robin and Jill's questionable experience with their 1st planner is not uncommon. Many wedding planners you find on the Internet do not offer honest and prompt customer service. Not all are like this, but most. Moreover, when it comes to wedding photography, or videography, they basically down right suck. And most of them can never guarantee that the great photographer who shot the pictures on their website will be available for your wedding. Wow, am I blunt... Yeah, but it's true. It frustrates the hell out of me because these companies, my competitors, could be providing "that much" better service, if they just tried.
All joking aside, I have to say, Robin and Jill could not have been more perfectly matched for each other. I realize that many of my couples meet over the internet, but I think I'm figuring out why.
Keep me in mind when you go for 4-wheeling and stay in touch. Next time you're in Hawaii, I'll take you folks out to dinner.
Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Report
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com
posted by Steve Young @ 9:45 AM
2 Comments:
At Sunday, November 08, 2009,
Groom Speech said…
Great work as usual Steve, really impressed.
John
At Tuesday, November 10, 2009,
wedowedding4you said…
This is really a very wonderful photograph . . .
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