Steve Maller Photography

My dear friends Gary and Liz got engaged last night in the old fashioned way, with a modern, rock ‘n roll twist. See below for the technical nitty gritty!

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Here are some technical details on what I had to do. I originally planned to film this with two cameras from the sound booth. I was going to use a Canon HG10 HD camcorder for a wide shot, and use my 5D Mark II with my 70-200/2.8 for a closeup (it’s a small club). But when I got there, I faced a couple of complications. First of all, the club was so dark that my HG10 (which is pretty decent WRT sensitivity) could barely register a picture. Focus was hunting badly, too. Secondly (and more seriously), I quickly realized that once the crowd filled in the floor in front of the stage, my cameras in the back of the hall would be useless, especially when Gary got down on one knee, as we planned for him to do.

So I had to think fast, and here’s what I did.

My Beacktek XLR adapter which was originally on the 5D Mark II with my Sennheiser shotgun and a feed from the mixing board was switched over to the HG10 where it would simply record the audio, knowing that the video was going to be all but useless.

And as for the 5D Mark II, I decided I was going to have to charge the stage with a wide-angle lens and take my chances at super high ISO on built-in mic, and sync the audio later. I wish I had a second Beachtek box, but this is the first time I saw the value in that. Anyway, I used the 16-35/2.8 even though I would have preferred my 35/1.4 because I was worried the 35mm end wouldn’t be wide enough if I was right at the front of the stage. I pre-set the camera on Manual with 1/30, f2.8 and ISO 6400. Like I said, it was super dark. Fortunately, as you can see from the resulting video, it basically worked. The first 30 seconds or so of video are super jumpy because I was literally knocking people out of my way to get to the stage. I was originally told the proposal would be before their encore, but as the show started I was told it would be in the middle of the set, and by then people were already smashed up against the stage 20 or so deep. Sigh.

My last challenge was syncing the audio from the two sources, but g-d bless PluralEyes. That was simple (after I retimed the 29.97 audio from the HG10 to match the 30fps from the 5D Mark II).

I’m quite pleased with how this came out, despite all the shortcomings and challenges. It was a magic moment, and I’d say I managed to bring it home in one piece. Actually in several pieces, but I put Humpty Dumpty together again in Final Cut Pro.

Kim’s parents invited me to tell the story of Kim’s wedding to her long-time sweetheart Greg. It was a magnificent day at their family home in Hillsborough, and I was absolutely tickled to be a part of the festivities.

A special shout out to Samantha Bryer of Weir & Associates, one of my very favorite event partners. As you can see in these photographs, they have a fantastic aesthetic, and have the most delicious meals.

After a long courtship, Lisa and John finally tied the knot the other day in San Francisco. Lisa’s cousin Jeanette (by way of our mutual friend Diane) introduced us, and there was immediate chemistry. Lisa professed to be very camera-shy, and didn’t even want to hire a “real” photographer. I assured her that I work very discretely and that she needn’t be worried. I could tell she was only marginally convinced. But on her wedding day, I was able to help with all sorts of things, including locating the elusive bobby pins to hold her veil on. And Lisa was absolutely radiant. We had so much fun doing photos. John and all the rest of their families and friends were equally wonderful, and I’m still buzzing from the exciting day we all shared on Forbes Island.

(or as they’re known to their friends and family, “Adison”)

I had the privilege to go all the way to Atlanta, Georgia this weekend to photograph the wedding of two awesome kids, Alison and Adam. They were guests at Kristy and Holt’s wedding up in Michigan City, Indiana (which I photographed a few months ago) and apparently they liked what I did. =)

It was a beautiful summer day in Atlanta, and there was a full complement of parents, siblings, lots of family and close friends in attendance. Even a few folks from California (besides me!). Alison was stunning in a really magnificent gown, and Adam totally “lost it” when he saw her for the first time in it (that’s always a great photographic moment). I entertained the assembled with one of my exclusive “live slideshows”, which is always a crowd favorite. So, despite having seen all these photos live at the reception, I thought I’d take a few dozen of my favorites and toss ’em up here for everybody to enjoy. Thanks, kids, and have a wonderful adventure in the land of smiles!

I am back from Indiana, where we married off Kristy and Holt. It was a delightful affair, and I am honored to have been asked to preserve this most special of days. I am sorting through hundreds of beautiful photographs, but I put together a short slideshow of the first half of the wedding as a preview of coming attractions. Enjoy!

Lileth and Matt are now officially “husband and wife”, at least in the sovereign nation of Costa Rica! Their big day was so exciting, full of real emotion and heartfelt love.

But far be it for this couple to do things in a conventional fashion. No sooner than I took the family photos and snapped this fun shot of them with Doreen and me, Lileth looked at me with a mischievous grin and I knew just what she wanted. I said “let’s do it!”

Going back several months, I had told Lileth about one of the fun new trends in high-end wedding photography: the “trash the dress” session. It’s up to each couple and their photographer how they want to interpret this. I have seen some creative and inspiring work in this genre. So Lileth and Matt were gung ho to do it. But we had a logistical complication because Doreen and I were scheduled to fly home early the next morning, and it didn’t seem “right” to do a TTD session back in San Francisco. So Lileth and I made it happen right there on the beach…

Matt hoisted her up and promptly waded off into the gentle surf of our private beach, much to the mixed horror and amusement of the assembled friends and family. What followed is a sequence of events which not a single person in attendance will ever forget. Before they were done, Lileth had made at least one successful boogie board ride and they had recruited (some less willingly than others!) at least a half dozen friends. Here are some of the most entertaining photographs.

Congratulations, kids!

We’re leaving tonight for Costa Rica to photograph Lileth and Matt’s wedding in Manuel Antonio. I’m sure this is going to be an amazing, beautiful adventure. I’m told the biggest danger there (crime-wise) is that the local monkeys might take too much of an interest in my camera equipment and could run off with bits of it!

Saturday evening I leave for Costa Rica to photograph my first Destination Wedding. Congrats in advance to Lileth and Matt!

The last (and only) time I was in Costa Rica was in April 2000 with my family. Here’s a photo from a long, long time ago of some familiar characters.

I not only enjoy photographing weddings and other special family events, but preserving them on video, too. Here’s a short excerpt showing not only a sense of the intimacy we can achieve, but the quality of the audio, too. And those giggles…is Beth happy, or what?

Beth and Adam’s big day started early in the morning on the 17th floor of the San Francisco Hyatt Regency…