The Courtyard on St. James Place: May 2006 Archives

Not for a moment do I take for granted the fact that my skills as a photographer have allowed me to travel the world. But recently, I have been asked repeatedly if I have shot at a very popular Houston location, The Courtyard on St. James Place. Surprisingly enough, I had never shot there until this month, and I was kind of embarrassed by this fact. So, I am more than happy to now say that I have shot there two times. Both shoots were this month, and I have one more wedding there this month as well.

So I wanted to share some portraits from the first two weddings, and I think that you can tell from these images that I can find a plethora (I love that word, and I so rarely get to use it) of photographic arrangements to photograph my clients there. As you can see I am able to achieve a variety of different looks, all of which show off my unique style. The first image is a very traditional shot, but I have incorporated a large amount of shadow in the image to draw the viewer to the face of the subject. Then I have two images on the balcony that without much effort I was able to create two Cinematic Moments. And the fourth image I wanted to break all of the rules. The lighting is very dramatic coming from straight over head, and I have my subject facing straight toward the camera, which 9 times out of 10 is a no no, but in this case I feel it shows off her figure very nicely. Notice that the back of the bride's left hand is facing the viewer. As a rule you should never show the top of a womans hand in a portrait, but I feel by placing her hand on her front and extending the fingers the image takes on a bit more of a commercial feel, plus we get a better view of the wedding ring. And finally I have placed the subject in the bottom right of the composition for extra punch.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about the facility. The weddings are coordinated by 4 catering directors, Hedi, Katie, Maria, and Deanna, and from what I can tell they run a tight ship. These four women have a staff and a facility that runs like clockwork, which makes for a more pleasant experience for everyone. The food has been fabulous, and the staff more than courteous. The facility has enough areas to accommodate two outdoor weddings and two indoor receptions, and my guess is that these areas can be combined if you have a really large wedding planned.

At any rate, all I can say is that I am looking forward to shooting there later this month. I will make sure to post those images as well.

Aric
Houston Wedding Photographer

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