Maria and Ilya’s Black Cat Farm Wedding
Maria and Ilya were looking for a Denver wedding photographer who understood their Manhattan vibe. I’ve lived in New York and they’re recent transplants who brought a small chunk of the city out to Longmont for their wedding at Black Cat Farm. It’s sort of a gourmet farm to table place that brought the tables to the farm itself. Most of what they serve comes from the same property, and I saw them picking the greens and vegetables that would be served that evening. I don’t recall what they served as animal protein, but they were doubtlessly discrete on that front. In any case, the venue is surrounded by rolling hills and feels very removed from everything.
As a Denver wedding photographer, I’ve worked in a lot of places up in the mountains or these rural venues sprinkled along the front range. Just being outside the city or the suburbs, driving down gravel roads through canyons or farmland to the ceremony site puts one in a different mindset. It sets the expectation that today we are plucked out of our everyday lives for something special.
Black Cat Farm has a rustic little house where you can do your ‘doo.
Ilya heads off through open fields to the ceremony site in a small grove of trees.
When throwing flower petals, it’s easy to mistakenly step on someone’s veil. I believe it is preferable to accidentally pulling off someone’s dress.
Between the hoopa, the officiant, the microphone stand and two videographers who were RIGHT UP THERE, it was challenging to find a clear vantage point and stay discretely out of the way. Always leave some breathing room around the bride and groom and everyone will get what they need while fading into the background.
Ilya is far from shy, but seemed relieved that the performative section of the day is over.
This dog belongs to one of the workers at the farm. This dog got a lot of love.
A good chunk of the family guests on both sides were Russian. It’s sometimes helpful to not speak the language of the people you’re photographing, as it forces you to read and respond to situations based solely on body language. Which is a good thing. Body language, unlike spoken language, actually shows up in pictures and is what you should be focusing on anyway.
Ilya’s best man and troublemaker.
There are certain visual possibilities at country weddings which simply don’t exist in opulent ballrooms.
Guests gather for dinner.
It was very dark, with no walls or ceilings. The problem is, I abhor direct on-camera flash. But there was a hillside of tall yellow grass near the long Italian wedding table, so a remote flash bounced off that. Weddings involve a lot of improvisation; I don’t pose or orchestrate anything, but there’s a lot of adaptation on the fly. The long tables were to have these great chandeliers hanging over them, but the wind blew all but one of them over. What’s the plan B, plan C? I quietly do a lot of things the hard way on the night of the wedding, but you can’t go back and light something after the fact.
The toasts.
And now to the dance party.
I like layers and shadows, places for your eyes to dart about within the frame.
Maria and Ilya were so much fun to photograph.
The dancing was in a tiny barn/pergola. It was pretty tight inside, but density is good for energy. Being one of only a handful of people on a cavernous dance floor makes everyone feel a little self-conscious, but this was the Love Shack.
I like wedding reception photos that are a cacophony of shadows and chaos.
This was my first Silent Dance Party. Because it’s an outdoor venue, they had to abide by local noise restriction after a certain hour. The headphones are lightweight and the sound is awesome. After a few minutes, you completely forget the novelty of it. Slip the headphones off, and all you hear is the shuffling of feet and a random person belting out a song at the top of their lungs in whatever singing voice they have, saved from their own a cappella rendition.
Still dancing at this late horah.
