Dustin Francis Photography

Last month I had the privilege of photographing three weddings with two of my friends, which is always lots of fun and uber inspiring due to how awesome both ladies are!  Jackie and Nicole, if you’re reading this, that previous statement was totally sincere and I thank you for thinking of me to come along and rock out with the two of you…you are awesome!  On the 10th of October, I was with Jackie of Jackie Blair Photography to photograph Michelle and Brandon’s wedding at the Glen Oaks Country Club in Farmington Hills.  It was truly some of the best light I have ever seen and it was so nice to be shooting.  Michelle and Brandon were so laid back and genuine and it made the day all that much better.  I changed my second shooter approach starting with this wedding.

I used to photograph a wedding like I was the primary even if I was second shooting and I would always feel like I was missing something, because I wasn’t able to get all the shots I would normally like to.  DUH!  I don’t know why I was doing that.  Second shooting is to support and more importantly, compliment the other photographer.  So with Michelle and Brandon’s awesome wedding, I did just that and I’m now happy to say, there were tons of shots I didn’t get…Jackie got them!  I love seconding even more now and I love even more to be able to truly help out and compliment the other photographer and their style and vision.  With Jackie, I mostly kept a long lens on, as she was shooting with and wider lens…it was so much fun!  She did her thing and I captured different angles and slightly different moments of roughly the same thing.  I really dig this, because they are still her shots, I just took them for her.  Anyway, I had to mention my little epiphany, because it really gave me a little kick in the pants inspiration-wise and since I love to help people out, it filled that void as well.

Before we get on with the pics, I want to thank Michelle and Brandon for letting me be there to held document their day and I wish the two of you all the best…you are SO cute together!  I hope you enjoy my contribution to telling the story of your day!

The fellas and I took a little stroll down the street to relax a bit…

The beautiful Michelle…

Not sure about this one, but it’s definitely cute!

Love these moments…

A little inside moodiness…

This light was so creamy and delicious…

Love em all!

Some real moments…

This image makes me laugh!  I was editing Melina and Jonathan’s wedding pics and I came across this one and I just started laughing!  They made their exit and had some coins tossed at them.  Jonathan bent down and picked up a penny and made one of his ‘Jonathan faces’ and Melina started cracking up…I love it!  Thanks for the amusement your two.

 

You might remember Zayna and Rani from the super sweet Chicago engagement session…well their wedding was nothing short of super sweet either!  Zayna and Rani tied the knot on the 27th of September at the St. George Church of Troy and let me tell you, it was one heck of a celebration!  I started the day off at Zayna’s parents house and was greeted with open arms when I arrived.  I got to have some awesome Turkish coffee…twice and a bunch of other yumtastic food before photographing the bride getting ready.  I love the getting ready process and it was great to have all of the ladies surrounding Zayna while she was getting ready.  The bridesmaids had matching tops with nicknames on the back which was of course super cute.  Everything about the day was so much fun…it really was the epitome of a celebration as every part of the day, there was dancing and singing by all that were around.  The band was truly stellar and did nothing but add to the energy and atmosphere of the celebration!  I honestly find it hard to explain…like love, it’s one of those things you have to experience to fully understand.  I felt so blessed to have been the one to document their day and party my socks of with the rest of the 500 people that were there.  This was truly a day to remember and while remain close to my heart for some time to come.  ENJOY!!!

 

Zayna’s first peek at the Guestbook.

Turkish coffee, which I believe is also know as yummy goodness…

 

The magnificent dress, huge bouquet and shoesies.

Makeup!

The dazzling bridesmaids with their personalized shirts just for the big day.

And Zayna’s appropriate shirt!

The eyes!

The lashes!

It’s the traditional ladies in the jacuzzi shot…?  Gina, Ameera, Christina, Olivia, Natalie, Zayna, and Cara.

Say it with me now…”BLING!!!”

What to wear?

Zayna even looks smokin’ chatting on the phone.

WOW!!!

These images speak for themselves!

Father of the bride and maid of honor and sister of the bride, Ameera.

Making those lips shimmer.

Lets get this party started!

She’s ready…

The groom waiting for the guests.

The ring bearer and flower girl….in no rush at all…

Here she comes…

It’s official!

The bridal party taking a nice stroll downtown Birmingham.

My favorite!!! I have a 12×18 of this on metallic paper and it rocks, but needs to be bigger.  Can we say 20×30?!?  Seriously you should see the impact of this print as a 20×30 printed on metallic paper mounted on 1 1/2″ gator foam…TRULY AW INSPIRING!!!

 

Fellas…

Ladies…

Nothing can come between Zayna and Rani…well almost nothing…

Boy will be boys.  How may bugs can you catch in your mouth?

Some people were taking their bear for a walk and it stopped to say hello to Rani, or maybe just to see if he smelled delicious.

Seriously….HOTT!!

The bouquets were yummy!

When you put these two together…

You get this!

The entrance…kind of like a red carpet event…does that mean I am now paparazzi?

Hmmmm…I wonder if anyone is having a good time?

Zayna can dance and she is smokin’ when she does!

You can always count on a few good laughs during speech’s.

I think this cake belongs in a magazine.

I heard it was delicious!

Father and daughter making good use of the dance floor.

The newlyweds dance was so much fun.  The closest thing it reminded me of was the dancing from Cindarella and Sleeping Beauty…which I am happy now is out of the vault.

Tijlai with Zayna’s moms…

Rani holding while Zayna stomps out the flames.

The place was filled with beautiful people having the time of their lives…I know I was!

Hotties Natalie and Cara gettin’ down!

B-E-A UTIFUL!

Yes, I posted 4 pics of this couple, but they were tearing it up and were so incredibly HOTT doing so.  Dear Crazy HOTT couple,  You rock!  Love, Dustin

When Zayna dances, you just have to stop and watch…SEE!

Who doesn’t love some classic Michael Jackson?

Not sure about the robot?.

Christina, you didn’t jump quite high enough.

The groom and his best man havin’ a laugh…

I guess there was too much energy for some…

The band was pumping out energy all night long….ALL NIGHT!

Sometimes, pizza just tastes really good.

Zayna’s parents front and center keepin’ the party going.

They passed on the duties to the guests of honor.

Even Rani can’t believe the way his wife can move.

Now tell me they don’t look happy.

Here we are at the end…all smiles!

Most weddings you go to have a guestbook, where everyone can sign their name and/or address to let the couple know who attended their wedding, as it is really hard to remember with all that goes on on a wedding day.  I prefer a Guestbook with images from the engagement session over the traditional lined version.  I think this does a fantastic job at letting the couple know who attended their wedding and it also lets the guests see some sweet images of the newlyweds.  In addition, I have my bride and groom give me a short version of their engagement story to put on the inside flap of the book.  I feel this gives guests a little more insight into the couple and helps make the day a more intimate affair.  The biggest advantage for the couple; they are much more apt to actually get the book out and view their images and comments friends and families made, instead of just their name.

Guestbooks come in a few different sizes, with 10×10 being my favorite and most common.  You can choose from fabric, leather, or a custom photo cover and any cover can include a dust jacket, which is where I mentioned a great place for the engagement story is.  The books are press printed with a hard cover and can have up to 50 pages.  They open and lay flat making it easy for people to view and sign them and the pages feel marvelous.  For more detailed information, please contact me.

The pictured book is Zayna and Rani’s.  Their wedding is tomorrow!

Their’s is a 10×10 with a custom photo cover and a dust jacket.

You can see how flat the book lays with about a 4mm gap between pages.  Notice the book and dust jacket match perfectly.

Here’s the inside flap with their engagement story…

The pictures are spread out with plenty of room for people to write.

Here’s the layout to get a better feel for what it looks like.