I took this bridal portrait in the lobby of the Fontainebleau hotel. As a photographer who has photographed hundreds of wedding in South Florida I learned a long time ago to arrive extra early and spend lots if extra time exploring the venue for unique photography locations. Even when I shoot at a hotel where I have been before I still do a location search before I head up the to bridal suite. I have found that even at a hotel your photographer is familiar with the lighting could be different, the hotel may have made some changes to its decor. I also feel that, I'm different, there are times when I walk through a hotel that I have worked at many times before and suddenly I notice something different, maybe it's a different angle, maybe I'm inspired to shoot something different. In addition the photographer in me wants to produce pictures that are unique.
One of my favorite South Florida wedding venues is the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, not only because of the venue's fabulous location but also because of all the photographic opportunities the hotel provides. Every area of the Fontainebleau offers a place to make a great interesting and unique wedding photo. The hotel sits directly on the beach and has several unique pools. The landscaping around the hotel is awesome as well. If you are recently engaged and planning a wedding or even an elopement in South Florida, then a visit to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach is in order.
I created this photo, and I say created, because in order to achieve my vision some photoshop work was in order. I believe that being a photographer in today's environment requires the ability to retouch and manipulate images in order to achieve the photographers vision of the finished image. Having a complete understanding of what can be created in a photo allows the photographer the luxury of looking at a location, imagining what a finished photo would look like, and creating the finished photograph.
This photo was taken in the Fontianebleau's lobby in front of LIV nightclub. When I saw this location I felt that the purple frosted lighting and the mirrored wall wound make a perfect place the a posed bridal shot. Even though I love the look of this location some changes had to be made. First the purple frosted lit wall strips were not uniform and some parts of the lighting was brighter or other parts were too dark. While they looked great to the human eye, in a photo the flaws would be very noticeable, fixing this required photoshop work. In addition the ceiling of the Fontainebleau's lobby has various light fixtures which showed up as all kinds of hot spots and reflections on the floor, another photoshop fix was required here. In addition some face retouch was required because the hotel lighting created some shadows and highlights. However, in the end I love this shot!
When a wedding couple hires us they do so based on seeing the photos on our website and sample albums. Because of this all of our finished photos get retouching. Because of factors that are out of any photographers control almost all photos require some form of retouch. The reality of people photography means that often people get shinny skin, some people have deeper eye sockets, or some have harder lines that may need to be softened. Even the models that are seen in magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Cosmopolitan, have retouch. The mark of a great retoucher is the ability to retouch photos without the photos looking retouched. In order to achieve this I use a technique called frequency separation retouching. It takes much more time to retouch this way, but the results are well worth the effort.
If you are getting married in South Florida and looking for a wedding photographer, I would love to talk with you. I have been a wedding photographer for over 25 years, so I would say I have some experience in the area of wedding photography. I'm based on Boynton Beach, which is just North of Boca Raton. This means that I cover the entire South Florida area. If you are planning a wedding or elopement in at a place like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach or or the Eden Roc or the Palms Hotel, I have worked at all these places. In addition I've also photographed weddings in Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and the Florida Keys.
If you are looking for photos from a certain South Florida wedding venue feel free to reach out to me and ask for venue photos. I have photos from weddings I have shot at almost every South Florida venue. Also, feel free to browse my photo galleries and blog posts.
I could be reached at (561) 737-5561. I would love to hear from you!
Jeff
Location: 4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140.
