A distinct pleasure.

[cdifoto]

I had a rare opportunity to shadow the great Jamison Wexler yesterday. I didn't join him at the hip and actually use his setups (formals, etc). In fact I shot no formals at all, and simply picked off candids and alternate ceremony angles.

It was great to finally meet him and just watch him go. He's a true pro and very, very efficient. I spent more time with my camera beside me just observing than shooting. I learned a lot that way.

But, having said that, here are a few cherry picked images from the day. This is just quick post, certainly not finalized.

[cdifoto]

And of course, a couple of the Man in action.

Check out the Combat Vest!

[Jim G]

Nice vest... he doesn't use a grip, though? I would have thought it'd be darn useful for weddings especially with a lot of verticals...

Those last two shots of the couple are my favourites of the lot.. both nice moments.

[cdifoto]

Yeah I loved that vest. It fits EVERYTHING...including the 70-200 IS! I gotta get me one...

He goes gripless for a couple reasons. First, his bracket is the same Strobo CameraFlip I sold when I got my 1D, because it won't fit gripped cameras. Second, the weight. And third, he moves around so much not only walking/positioning but also flipping the camera every which way, it's kinda pointless. I didn't shoot nearly as much as he did, and even I seldom used the grip button (despite being integrated). It's just faster to maintain your hand position and flip the camera. I'm sure he has other reasons too...BP-511s last forever in the 5Ds so juice isn't an issue. Plus those grips are a significant added expense. I recently acquired one for my 10D but only because it was dirt cheap.

Thanks for the comments.

[liza]

Nice goin' there, Donny! These just further reinforce my belief that I need to replace my gear with 1 series bodies.

Glad to hear that this was such a good experience for you.

[cdifoto]

Originally Posted by liza

Nice goin' there, Donny! These just further reinforce my belief that I need to replace my gear with 1 series bodies.

Glad to hear that this was such a good experience for you.

Nah, it's pure dumb luck Liza. Jamie kicks my arse with "lowly" 5Ds.

More seriously, I had more troubles with AF lock indoors and under the tent with my 1D MII than he did with his 5Ds...although I was using the outer AF points almost exclusively. I'm not sure which ones he was using. It's an inferior AF system in lower light situations.

[liza]

Really? Hmmm....

IM me so we can talk about this further.

[Grace]

nice pics!! looks like a lovely ceremony and a great couple! Jamie makes the vest not look as dorky as Id thought!

[Mark_48]

Nice images Don !! I'll be disappointed if Jamie didn't get a couple of shots of you in action. Quite a road trip for you to sort of be a second shooter, but I reckon it was all worth it.

[cdifoto]

Originally Posted by kathy.patterson

nice pics!! looks like a lovely ceremony and a great couple! Jamie makes the vest not look as dorky as Id thought!

Yeah they were great. Probably 2 of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

Originally Posted by Mark_48

Nice images Don !! I'll be disappointed if Jamie didn't get a couple of shots of you in action. Quite a road trip for you to sort of be a second shooter, but I reckon it was all worth it.

Thanks Mark. I think he did pluck me a couple times. I saw his lens aimed in my direction at least once. I wasn't actually shooting when I noticed it. Hopefully he got me lookin' cool and not lazy. It was more of a road trip for him than me. He was down my way (sorta). I drove about an hour and a half pretty much straight north.

[italianfemmy]

Very nice work. I am glad you had fun with Jamie. His work is amazing, I am sure it was a pleasure to work with him.

[jamiewexler]

Just home after the long drive from central PA. I'm the one that had the pleasure of working with THE Don H. Don and I go way back from the DCRP forums to here. I think he might have been around when I bought my first DSLR, and he was definitely there when I shot my first wedding. After thousands of online conversations, it was really cool to meet him in person...and he even let me put a couple of clicks on his Mk II.

Anyway here's one of Don scoping out his next masterpiece:


And a couple of him in action (notice the ninja stealth shooting skills)




Great stuff Don!

[Grace]

you guys are sooo sweet! how mushy bleh!

I'm suprised anyone got married with you two hotties in the house!

[LeesaB]

How cool...I love the jacket...the gear...WOW...

I like the pics alot...

One thing I did notice...that my last couple did almost the entire time..was I felt they were watching me more then I was them...almost every picture..eye contact...UGH...talk about trying to run stealth...

I love the shots when they are NOT looking at you, to see "did she get that" but enjoying the moment and you GET IT...Those are the shots I see above..

Great job..

I need a cool black vest...

I did just however purchase the jessica claire bag...coming in on July 6th..THAT's friday...

[italianfemmy]

Don, you look a lot different than I imagined. you look like such a sweet guy. awww. The glare on your glasses in that pic made me wonder though.. how do you avoid getting a glare from someones glasses in pics?