Weddings | Derek Olson Photography | Commercial & Portrait Photographer

North Carolina Wedding – Black and White Photography

June 21, 2011 • Weddings • by Derek

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything wedding related, which is odd since that’s what a lot of my time is dedicated too. I’ve fallen back in love with black and white photography lately so figured I’d post all monochromatic (five-syllable Andrew Bird way of saying it) shots mainly in the photojournalist style. Moments like these define a wedding for me, and as much as I love color, stripping it away often leaves nothing but that pure emotion. Not every photo looks great in b+w, and I notice while editing that b+w can potentially make a decent photo look kind of … boring. I don’t typically shoot with the intention of making a photo b+w, but sometimes while shooting I’ll know on the spot what will make a good monochromatic image. And sometimes I’m wrong because my first name is not Ansel.

So here are some of my favorite images from Jen and Phil’s recent wedding in North Carolina.

Bride gets ready

Groom reflection Ceremony site NC wedding Bride Moment between bride and groom Child at wedding black and white portrait NC wedding photojournalist Saturday Night Fever Creative wedding photography

Anniversary Photo Shoot

June 7, 2010 • Photography, Weddings • by Derek

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Recently I had the pleasure of photographing an anniversary shoot for wedding blogger Mountainside Bride.

Unfortunately, her wedding photographs are ruined from her wedding day. Huh? That’s right, even in this digital age when “anyone can take a picture,” photos can be irreversibly ruined. Being a wedding photographer is more difficult than some might think. The bottom line is that Mountainside Bride is against hiring an amateur to photograph your wedding. Of course I feel bad for her and hate that her crusade against amateur wedding photography was at the cost of her actual wedding day photos. I did a one year anniversary shoot with her and it meant a lot that she said the shoot was healing to her.

“While I can never go back in time and redo my wedding photos, this is the next best thing.” ~Mountainside Bride

She posted some Asheville wedding photos and my Grove Arcade photo on The Bride’s Book blog recently. Neat!

Here is one of my favorite shots from the anniversary shoot at the Arboretum in Asheville, NC.

Wedding anniversary photo shoot at The Arboretum

Brides: Make sure you hire a professional photographer for your wedding. And if you are getting married in Asheville we recommend hiring a local photographer… preferably us :)

Wedding at Biltmore Estate on April 10, 2010

April 13, 2010 • Asheville, Photography, Weddings • by Derek

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On Saturday Amy and Justin’s wedding was at the Biltmore Estate. This is a photo I took during our portrait session with the couple. Biltmore Estate is celebrating its Festival of Flower’s 25th year, so needless to say: a lot of people were there on this April day. If I weren’t shooting a wedding on Saturday I’d probably have been there anyway! I purchased a yearly pass to Biltmore Estate and if they were paying me, I’d suggest you buy one too. Ok, fine… it is totally worth it especially if you live in Asheville…

Portrait of bride and groom at Biltmore Estate

The Wedding Photographer

February 11, 2010 • Weddings • by Derek

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There is something intriguing about taking pictures of a photographer. This sweet lady was holstering a little 35mm camera during the ceremony while I was using the big guns (Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 80-400mm lens). At one point I was right next to her and she leaned over and whispered “I’ll take one of each” – that is, a print of each photo I was taking.

You might think I would be intimidating with my fancy-schmancy camera gear, but truth is I was saying “excuse me” and trying to stay out of her way.

This photo was taken during the reception while she was taking pictures with the disposable cameras that the wedding couple dispersed on the tables. Now that’s what I call a wedding photographer!

Camera / lens info : Nikon D700 with Nikkor 24mm f/2.8

Asheville, NC wedding

Children in Wedding Photos – Ceremony at Biltmore Estate

December 9, 2009 • Weddings • by Derek

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Children are always a trip to photograph, whether it’s photojournalistic or portraiture.

Here is a photo I snapped off just before a wedding ceremony at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. There are several locations on the Biltmore Estate grounds where weddings take place; this particular wedding was at the Deerpark.

When photographing children I usually get the camera at their eye level. This isn’t always the case, it just depends which lens I’m using and what look or mood I’m going for in the photo. Here it was all about the kids expressions so I felt it was necessary to get on their level. The lighting is all natural, as the flash would have ruined the ambiance of the space. Also firing a flash would have blown my cover if I had needed to retake the shot.

Photojournalistic photo at a Biltmore Estate wedding

Camera / lens info : Nikon D700 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens (1600 ISO)

Sunset at High Hampton Inn Wedding in Cashiers, NC

November 25, 2009 • Weddings • by Derek

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This photo is from a wedding in October at High Hampton Inn in Cashiers, North Carolina. The whole day, up to this point, it was overcast and threatening to rain. Thankfully it never rained and the cloudy atmosphere was quite pleasant and provided a nice diffused light for photos of the ceremony. Right after the ceremony the sky surprised us and turned an amazing hue of pink, red, and orange; I took several different portraits of April and Jeff during this surreal sunset. This shot is my favorite of the bunch.