Weddings and roadtrips and gigs and snow

Calvin and Carmela's wedding in Las Vegas.
(Will redo this slideshow at some point. Have used YouTube's licensed music, but it doesn't match the number of slides, etc. I'll also post some more photos of each wedding eventually.)

This was the third wedding I photographed abroad (the others were in Bornholm and San Sebastian). But my first one with Elvis doing the ceremony! 

Unfortunately the chapel used their own photographer for the ceremony, and I only had 10-15mins afterwards before it got dark. So photo opportunites with the couple were very limited.
The whole experience was fantastic and great fun, but - from a photography point of view - although it was an incredible opportunity and privilege to shoot - it was a very steep learning curve indeed. Once we got to Vegas, all the research and preparation I'd done, didn't make any difference whatsoever. Nothing was as I'd imagined it. You could say: wedding in Vegas, $500; lessons learned, priceless!
The most important lesson, I think, was that the more you plan, the less you go with your instincts. I've always followed my gut, but because I did a lot of research for this wedding (I couldn't visit the venue beforehand, so imagined shots/scenarios, etc.) I was much too concerned with getting the shots I imagined.  My mind was perhaps so occupied with what I thought I should do, that I'm now left with the feeling I may have missed shots because I wasn't 'seeing' other things. I'm sure that doesn't make a lot of sense, and maybe it wasn't even the case at all, but it was a hugely important (sort of) thing to realise. An equally important lesson was that I wouldn't always be in a situation where I can stand back and let things happen naturally (as I tend to do). Sometimes, I've realised (especially when surrounded by 100s of tourists), I will have to give more direction. Not something that I feel entirely comfortable with. But it has to be done. And I wish I knew that beforehand.
Also: do not get in the limo without champagne (it's a very thirsty business); take comfortable shoes (you'll never find a cab when you're looking for one); and take a bouncer and/or stun gun to deal with those pesky tourists.

Road trip from Las Vegas to San Francisco.
After the wedding in Vegas, we had six days to get to San Francisco. After a quick helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon, we drove to Yosemite via the magnificent Death Valley National Park. We stayed in Yosemite's Housekeeping Camp for two nights (where, unlike our neighbours, we didn't have to chase any bears away from our tent). Then we drove south-west towards San Luis Obispo, where we spent a night at the Madonna Inn. The next day, we drove north along the Pacific Highway, stayed in Carmel for a night, and spent the next two days in San Francisco. In Vegas, we saw lots of fake teeth, noses and boobs. In Death Valley we didn't see much at all. In Yosemite, everyone was so chilled out, they seemed practically stoned. In Carmel, everyone was retired and had a dog. And in San Francisco, everyone was super friendly. Almost suspiciously so. I'm definitely not used to big cities being like that. It was fantastic. And one of the few cities in the world (apart from Cape Town) where I can see myself living. 
Of course, the whole trip was waaaay too short. It took me a week to get over the jet-lag, but much longer to get back into the London way of life. I felt very much at home in America, and will definitely do another road trip next year. Possibly again in the Southwest. If anybody needs a roadtrip- or elopement photographer, give me a shout!

Musée Mécanique at the Borderline.
I didn't know this band until Kath asked me to go along when she reviewed them for Glasswerk. I was mesmerised. Lovely music, and lovely guys. And they live in Portland, Oregon. I have this thing about Portland. Not sure why - but I always seem to bump into people from Portland: On the road trip, I was telling my friends about my thing for Portland. Five minutes later we met a couple from there (who said they grew up in Portland, and would never leave). A few days later, in San Francisco, we met a local who gave us some tips for things to do. We ended up in The Hemlock one evening, where we saw a band called Yeltsin. Started chatting to them, and they were from Portland as well. And then, a few nights later, we saw Musée Mécanique in London. Maybe beardy weirdys just tend to hang out at the same places. But I've entered the Green Card Lottery just in case!

Snowvember and December in London.
We've been spoilt with the white stuff this year. A couple of weeks ago we had lots of snow on the Friday, which meant that, instead of struggling to get to work on time, I could go to the city to take some photos. Unfortunately most of it had melted by the time I got up. At the Houses of Parliament, I took some photos of a man playing in the snow with his kids. After a while I realised it's the Speaker. Later in the afternoon, I was wasting time in a coffee shop before meeting friends. Just as I was wondering if anybody would actually be interested in the pics, and considering who I could ask, a man near me got up to leave. Five minutes later I realised it was a press photographer whose blog I follow. Who would know better! So I emailed him to ask, and he confirmed my suspicion that the photos are basically worthless. Which was almost a relief, as I felt a bit uncomfortable taking them in the first place. Quite surreal, though, recognising someone who you sort of know online.

James and The Pigeon Detectives, at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo.
Second time I got to shoot James - one of my favourite bands of all time.
The first photo pass was for Brixton Academy, in 2008 - an unbelievable experience. Mainly because it was beyond my own imagination. When you grow up in a really small town in South Africa, you just don't tend to picture yourself in the photo pit at Brixton Academy, shooting one of your favourite bands. So I really love this photo my friend Steven took of me taking a photo (or trying to) of Tim Booth. Back in 2008, I had a D40 and a 50mm lens, which I had to manually focus. I lost a lot of shots, but was relatively pleased with the few which were in focus. During our three-song allowance, I was quite happy, in fact, to just enjoy the whole experience. Getting a few good shots was a bonus. A few months later I got an email from the guitarist, Larry Gott, saying he liked the photos of him with his new white guitar because he didn't have any yet. So ... ahem ... how cool is that!

Almost exactly two years later, I reviewed their Hammersmith gig for Glasswerk.
Another unbelievable experience. I didn't think I'd enjoy Hammersmith as much as Brixton Academy (it's a seated venue), but it was fantastic. Afterwards, I looked for footage of the gig on YouTube (when I'm taking photos, I'm not concentrating on the setlist - so needed help with the review). I found a playlist which had videos of the whole concert, apart from two songs. What luck! I watched the gig again, and then emailed the guy who took the videos, saying that - judging from his angle - I might have a photo of him with Tim Booth. And so it was. He then looked at my other photos, and it turned out that we were both in Paris for the final stage of the Tour de France earlier this year, standing on opposite sides of the road near the Rue de Rivoli. Initially, I was standing more or less in their exact spot, but moved across the road just before they closed it.

Olympia and Jakub at Newbury Manor Hotel. 
(Will post more photos eventually, and will redo the slideshow at some point, as I had to use YouTube's licensed music, and it doesn't fit the number of slides.)
Basically, I don't know why people get married in summer when they can get married in autumn! I really don't.