My wife, Kathi, and I have been doing weddings for over 25 years and as a natural light specialist I would place Nestldown (Los Gatos, Calif.) as one of the top 5 wedding locations in Northern California. Having done hundreds of weddings, my favorites being locations with outdoor areas for both the ceremony and reception, I have to say that most venues make do with what they have without really putting much effort or money into the site to make it special. Most wineries fall into that category—they seem to think that placing white chairs on some lawn is all they need to do to turn their facility into a wedding venue. Maybe that’s the case because being a winery is their business and weddings are a sideline.
Nestldown is not a sideline. It’s been meticulously crafted and expertly maintained as a wedding and events venue. Most importantly it’s been designed with a style and unique look that you only see in major motion picture productions of fantasy weddings. It has the look of a set, but it’s not a facade, it’s a real fantasy…
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| f5.6 @ 1/125 Sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 35mm |
Done in their fantasy garden with that adorable cottage in the background you can see why I like this place!
Then moving her to the front door…
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f5.6 @ 1/45 sec., SIO 400; Lens @ 24mm
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You do need a relatively short bride to do this—the cottage is not a full size structure.
Note: My shutter speed is getting lower even at 400 ISO since the sun is behind the cottage leaving its front in open shade which enabled me to maintain nice detail in her dress. This was done in mid-August at 1:15pm.
Then the Groom’s portrait….
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f5.6 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 48mm
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Keeping him out of the direct sun, as well, using the sky light as my source, using the negative fill from the trees on camera left (Subtractive Lighting at it’s best).
Note: When the bride and groom are NOT seeing each other before the ceremony, especially in a location like this, you should start photographing at least 2-hours before the ceremony to capture their individual portraits and still have time to do them with their attendants and family groups separately.
The challenging processional stairs….
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f5.6 @ 1/30 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 38mm
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The stairs down to the outdoor chapel are obviously not wheel chair accessible—Nestledown will provide golf-cart transport for those not able to do the stairs.
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f5.6 @ 1/45sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 35mm
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It’s now 3:35 pm and I’ve set my ISO to 800, added flash fill and I’m dragging my shutter (using a slow shutter speed) to “drag-in” the low ambient light in the background.
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f5.6 @ 1/20 sec, ISO 800; Lens @ 24mm
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The outdoor “chapel” by the pond—it’s now 3:49pm and my shutter speed is dropping again.
After the ceremony and all the family groups…
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f5.6 @ 1//45 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 42mm
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You must take the bride and groom up into that gorgeous forrest of big trees—It’s 4:22pm and with ISO 800 I have just enough light.
Then back up to the site’s main level….
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f9.5 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 120mm
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Now we’re back in direct sunlight! I had to get them on that little bridge—Love the reflection in the pond—before the reception.
For smaller receptions their rustic hall is great…
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f4.8 @ 1/45 sec., SIo 800; Lens @ 20mm
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Like a cathedral with a redwoods view this building is really nice. Back to ISO 800 and a low shutter speed and still light outside.
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f5.6 @ 1/8 sec., Iso 400; Lens @ 20mm
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Using flash fill, with a slow shutter speed, from the balcony for their first dance.
The Last Portrait of the day…
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f4.8 @ 1/4 sec., ISO 1600; Lens @ 24mm
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A time exposure with flash-fill @ 1600 ISO; had to use flash since they were back-lit. I still didn’t show all the great locations here for photography. They also have a small train, an English Cab and a tree house as well! Nestldown is a truly special location.
’Til next week…
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman
Training site: http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com
Client site: http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com
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