October 5th, 2013 vintage themed wedding and beach ceremony in Delray Beach, Florida by Couture Bridal Photography

              Couture Bridal Photography wedding Delray Beach, Florida October 2013

   I was contacted to photograph a vintage themed beach wedding in Delray Beach, Florida. The bride had found me, Couture Bridal Photography (Alfredo Valentine) during a google search and loved my photography. I consulted with her and the soon to be groom and she explained to me how she wished to make her wedding and wedding photo's have a vintage old world feel.

Bride with Sliding door and window light from right rear

   On the wedding day the bride chose to hire me for the whole day to capture her transformation with make up hair and dress. I met with the bride to be at her hotel room and arranged the room for the best possible lighting which at the time was window light coming from a west slide glass window. I love window light for its soft, yet dramatic qualities. The light complemented the brides complexion and added depth to the images.

Bride sliding glass door behind her

Window light creates shadows and depth. The Bride looks amazing

The goal was to photograph the groom as well, but he chose at the last minute to stay in Plantation, Florida, so I wasn't able to capture images of him getting ready for his big wedding day. I continued to spend time with the bride and capture various details such as the rings, dress and shoes.

Rings Photographed using a macro lens

Another image of the rings on a mirror using a macro lens

The dress in front of the window to show the dress details

    I photographed the rings on various surfaces to give the bride photo options for her GraphiStudio photo book she had already decided she would purchase. The dress was placed in front of the window and I over exposed the image, so that in post production, I could bring back the dress details. The bride loved the creativity I used to show how beautiful her vintage styled dress was.

   When the brides make up was done we then took to the lobby of the Marriott Hotel Delray Beach for some fun photos and the challenge was to give the images a vintage feel. I explained to the bride that she had to try and feel like she was in the 30's and 40's when she posed. I also directed her and I used off camera flash and various window light for the images throughout the lobby on the way to the  beach ceremony.

Lobby image Marriott

Marriott Delray Beach

Marriott Delray Beach

Lobby Marriott Delray Beach

Lobby Marriott Delray Beach

Main entrance driveway Delray Marriott

Drive way Marriott Delray Beach

Lobby Bar Delray Beach Marriott

Lobby Bar Delray Beach Marriott


On the way to the Beach ceremony with the Bride the groom made his appearance. It didn't leave me much time to photography him in great detail, but I photographed what I could to make sure he made an appearance in the couples GraphiStudio Album.

Groom in lobby of Marriott Delray Beach, FL

The wedding ceremony and reception photography by Alfredo Valentine, Principal Photographer and Owner of Couture Bridal Photography can be viewed at www.CoutureBridalPhotography.com or www.Facebook.Com/CoutureBridalPhotography


Couture Bridal Photography is available for engagement and wedding photography throughout the United States with special rates for Puerto Rico and New York City.

The hardships of starting a photography business

   I am Alfredo V. Im an avid photographer and have been for 20 plus years. Im 2009 I decided to turn my passion into a business. I never new a photography business would be so hard to start. I launched a website, I posted pictures, and I used craigslist as a way to advertise inexpensively. I've also done many a free photo shoot to build my portfolio. What I have found is through time and SEO, the business will slowly take shape. Ive met many people willing to help and as well as a few people with equipment and the ability to add to my product, such as a videographer.
   Im going to be sharing my experiences and pictures in my blog as a way to motivate others who wish to get into the photography business. It is definitely a challenge, but with time your business will succeed. I will be posting how I've managed to get my business Couture Bridal Photography, off the ground and share the tips and tricks I've used to attract customers, get great equipment, and take better photos. Photography is something that you really cant master, there is always something to learn and always a better or different way to do things. I hope that my insight will help you create or better your business. I also think that this may apply to various other businesses.

So here we go.
To better improve the types of images I get and to further increase my knowledge or give me ideas, I began educating myself with different types of lighting I might encounter at a wedding. Ive also found photographers, I wish to emulate and create my own style with. I have found 3 photographers who I find are incredibly talented and which I can learn from. I have found the Jerry Ghionis, Syl Arena, and Cliff Moutner are epic wedding photographers, each with there own styles. I found they have done seminars for various photography businesses and they are posted online. So here are the links if your interested.

Jerry Ghionis - In camera Artistry: Using any Light source
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2nNxaBA6ss

Syl Arena- Getting the most out of Canon Speed lights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5byuHJ9uBns

Cliff Moutner- Shooting around the clock 3 12 noon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A17wFD_0So

Ill be posting more, but I hope that this helps anyone by leading in the right direction.
Please feel free to Like my Facebook page.
Couture Bridal Photography
and visit my website.
LauderdalePhotography.Com
 I will leave you with a random Photo I took on Monday just walking around.

Homeless Man LauderdalePhotography.Com
Couture Bridal Photography