Have you ever had a surreal experience when you’ve walked through a doorway and once on the other side you’ve entered into a strange, foreign land where people speak in tongues, and you feel completely lost and helpless?
I had such an experience last month. It is one that apparently very few men have dared to pursue. I wondered if I had been teleported into another realm – a parallel Universe.
I feel like I am in a Star Trek adventure – boldly going where no man has gone before – as my wife and daughter lead the way into the Bridal Salon.
As I enter I am given cautious looks. There is no other human of my gender in attendance. Am I to be trusted? Do I understand the etiquette required in such a hallowed place? Will I dutifully sit in a restricted area making observation and control of me more assured?
The rituals begin upon entering this strange land. My daughter fills out a registration form and an in-depth questionnaire that would make any doctor proud.
Then, a smiling interrogation ensues – with dutiful note-taking as styles called A-line, Mermaid, Trumpet, Sheath, Princess, and Ball gown are discussed in hushed and serious tones.
I am shocked to learn that there are far more shades of white than I ever thought possible. Stark white. Silk white. Diamond white. Ivory. Champagne. Eggshell. Cream. And, even natural white. How is a man to know and appreciate such nuances? I feel bereft of critical knowledge.
My wife and daughter amaze me. They understand the detailed discourse about fabrics: brocade, dupioni, organza, chiffon, peau do soie, shantung, georgette, pique and others.
Then I hear what I think is a familiar word – crepe. But alas – it is not something to eat! Instead, it is a soft, thin fabric with a crinkled surface.
Then I hear another word that makes my heart flutter – moire. Yes, I heard it – moire! I even have a camera with me so I can demonstrate. I muster my courage to begin to speak – then hold my tongue still as I learn that this moire is a heavy, silk taffeta with a subtle, wavy design.
I am now relegated to a centralized sitting area. My wife and daughter have disappeared with a selection of dresses. Assurances have been given that they will return in due course.
I look around me and begin to notice the intricate beauty that is hanging on display. Finely detailed fabrics. Complex beaded designs. Layers formed with elegant, transparent fabrics. Rolls and tufts of fabric sculpted into the most wonderful of creations.
Before I know it I am examining these masterpieces in more detail through the viewfinder of my camera. The sample dresses are tightly packed on the racks making only partial viewing possible. The lighting is mixed and horribly uneven, but I am intrigued with what I am seeing and my shutter begins to click. As I examine more I begin to appreciate the hours of toil that have gone into each creation. Some truly are spectacular.
My wife and daughter return and we are escorted to a mirrored viewing area. As my daughter changes, my mind remembers her teenage years during which time I apparently lost all of my mental faculties and I became the ‘stupidest person on earth’. Then, when she turned twenty all of my mental faculties magically returned.
My daughter is glowing as she tries on the first two dresses. Glancing at her mother, her quick wit emerges as she tries to lighten the mood. My wife struggles to hold back her tears as she realizes that this is really happening – our daughter is getting married.
Then my daughter appears in the third dress. Her eyes are tearing up as she looks at herself in the full length mirror. She knows this is the dress that she wants to wear for her future husband. She looks to my wife and me. We know it too – the dress is perfect. Tears stream down my wife’s cheeks and I brush my own from my eyes. This is a moment of joy for a father to cherish.
Technical note:
My apologies for not including any technical information in the original article – I had a brain lapse and forgot to do so. All of the images were taken hand-held with a Nikon 1 V2 with the 10-30mm non-PD kit zoom lens. They all should be considered as ‘casual snaps’ only. As far as processing goes, RAW files were run through DxO OpticsPro 10 and other than the ‘auto’ adjustments done by OpticsPro 10 the only adjustments I made were with the lens softness and PRIME noise reduction functions. DNG files were exported into CS6 but no adjustments at all were done with CS6. Minor structure and contrast adjustments were done with Viveza 2.
Article and all images Copyright 2014, Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, reproduction or duplication including electronic is allowed without written consent.
They are absolutely beautiful! And what a perfect occasion too! Agreed, this is one of the proudest moments of any father’s life.
My wishes to you, your daughter and your family!
And, I am not trying to be the boss here, but, WAKE UP! :) There’s always another time for you to have a brain lapse, not now. Your daughter is getting married! chop chop!!!
Hi Anirudh,
Glad you enjoyed the shots. Not too worry about me having to wake up…my daughter will keep me focused!
Tom
Of course!! Well, My best wishes to you and your family again!!
Beautiful shots! You certainly get the best out of the V2 and that 10-30 zoom. I love the V1 and V2 also. I now have the 70-300 Nikon 1 lens and it’s a keeper. I have some very nice wildlife shots with it. My photos are at www.pbase.com/fotabug
Excellent article. Keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed the images Vern – and thanks for the kind words! You have some great shots on your site.
Tom
Hi Vern,
Glad you enjoyed the article…and thank you for your positive words!
I had a look at your site. You have a super collection of images covering a wide assortment of subjects – great stuff!
Tom
Lovely story and excellent photography. The photos certainly speak well for the 10-30mm kit lens.
Hi Donald,
Thanks very much for the positive comment…glad you enjoyed the article. For being an inexpensive kit lens the 1 Nikon 10-30 is a decent little lens. The VR works quite well and images can be improved by applying some lens softness corrections in OpticsPro 10.
Tom
I always enjoy your articles and photos, Thomas. Congratulations on the impending nuptials! I’d heard of “poh dih swah” before but never bothered to look up the spelling. Learn something new every day. Well, every good day, anyway.
Dave
HI David,
Glad you enjoy them! This one was a bit different for me from many perspectives!
Tom
Thomas,
Beautiful story and pictures! But has there been any reason you have not included one single pic showing your daughter fully dressed in this beautiful dress?!
Hi Waldemar,
She values her privacy and would not feel comfortable showing any photos of her.
Tom
What a wonderful story in words and images! It has been a long time since I lost and found my faculties (sons do this as well as daughters, by the way) and shepherded my daughter down the aisle. You just brought back a raft of memories. Thank you and my best!
Hi David,
Thanks very much for your kind words! Neither one of my sons that I became as stupid as my daughter assessed me to be….lol.
Tom
Dear Thomas,
Congratulations !
I’m near the dark period of my only daughter’s adolescence; but I hope I will survive and get the joy that you have now. I wish the best for you and your family (I’m Jorge Balarin, but in discuss I’m “Kafkiano”).
Hi Jorge,
I lived through those ‘dark days’ as well! That’s when I suddenly became the dumbest person on the face of the planet in the eyes of my daughter. But – magically I became smart again! All of this is part of the maturation process…so not to worry!
Tom
Well done Thomas. I remember my foray into that arena 15 years ago. I got a call from my wife asking if I would come to the bridal salon to give my opinion on wedding dress selection for my daughter. Of course I thought she was beautiful in everything, but her final selection did bring a tear or two to my eyes. The whole planning process had its ups and downs but the wedding day was wonderful. Now I have a great son-in-law and three wonderful grandchildren. Good luck on the journey.
Hi John,
Thanks for the well wishes…much appreciated! We’re hoping to be blessed with grandchildren at some point in the future. My youngest son is also getting married in 2015 so it is going to be a busy year for sure!
Tom
Although I am male version of a Old Maid (never Married). I have been to wedding of my two nieces. One of the material descriptions I am familiar with “Pique” pronounced (at least here in southern Virginia) P-Kay. Because I constantly wear Golf type Shirts made of the the material. It’s a double knit cotton fabric that is almost impossible because of the way it is woven to tear or even to accidentally cut with a knife. Think of and old timey cane bottomed kitchen chair that woven in a + pattern.
Hi pjonesCET2,
Well you have a much better understanding of fabrics and such than I do! When my daughter and wife started discussing the pros and cons of various fabrics I’m sure my eyes just glazed over – even though I was trying my best to make sense of it all.
Tom
I guess in a way having to live with my Mother (90 years old) and help take care of her is an advantage. She used to do sewing when I was little then when we got old enough to care of ourselves her first retail job was in sewing and notions dept. Then later when she retired she retired as a sales lady in the men’s dept of of a department store. She has known about fabrics all her life.
Great story Thomas. Although no children of my own, I decided, perhaps foolishly, to accompany my wife and her daughter on a day of wedding dress selection. I wanted to experience what many father’s have experienced over the course of time. Personally, I would never do this again. Never before in my life had I felt so lost and uninformed. I think you handled the situation very well. Congratulations to your daughter, your wife and yourself; and the obtaining of a new and unused closet. With all due respect.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the support! Actually my daughter has been out of the house for quite a few years so all of this had no impact on closet space. That bonanza was reaped about 10 days ago when our oldest son moved out. Lots more closet space – a new sewing room for my wife – and room for me to set up a permanent video studio!
Tom
Hi Mike,
This is ‘off topic’…but I just noticed that B&H has some super deals on the Nikon 1 V2….$499 with a 10-30 kit lens and $599 with the 10-30 and 30-110 kit lenses. At that price it is a great deal.
I just bought one of the last new V2’s available in Canada (a white one with 10-30 kit lens). I should have it Wednesday this week. That brings my collection of these little guys up to 3.
Tom
Yes, a great deal. Bought it with the two lenses, as well as a FT-1 and extension tubes. Will be a big change from lugging the D800E everywhere. Best wishes to your daughter. And Merry Christmas.
Hi Aeroengineer,
Sounds like you are equipped to have a lot of fun!
Tom
I know this is off topic, but with the V2 kit under the tree for the next three weeks, the next best thing to shooting it is posting messages…We hope to take advantage of your experience and expertise once we do start shooing and the expected “best post processing approach if you don’t have DXo” and “least bad flash solution” questions arise.
Hi Aeroengineer,
I’m not the right person to ask about other software choices…. :-). I’m sure lots of Nikon 1 owners have had good luck with Photoshop and LightRoom. From my perspective I think that the PRIME noise reduction and lens softness functions in OpticsPro 9 and 10 is worth the price of the software alone….but that is only my opinion.
Tom
PS: don’t be peeking at that present before Christmas…Santa will put you on his bad list