Russian Weddings

Both Friday and Saturday, we encountered several wedding parties at the Imperial Palaces, all looking for great wedding party photographs. It turns out that young Russians will marry almost any day of the week in July and August, just to give them the best chance to have great weather.

After seeing several groups, I noticed this couple walking away from Catherine's Palace toward the gardens. How often does a couple have a photo with their photographer? As they turned to head for the backdrop they were planning to use, the light hit them so perfectly I had to take a couple more. Never having shot a wedding, I felt pretty happy with the result.

Lunch followed, then a bus trip to the Hermitage, one of the great art museums of the world. Look in on the next post to see some images.

Fountains of Gold

Suffice it to say that the gardens of Peterhof are blessed with water, rife with fountains, and nearly breathtaking in their beauty. Many manicured gardens featuring brightly-colored flowers and shrubbery go unnoticed at times as the eye is drawn to the movement of the fountains and the ear is attracted by the sound of flowing water.

We were fortunate in the timing that started us indoors, along with everyone else, and let us out on the major crossing balcony seen in these pictures. We emerged to see a crowd of people watching quiet, inactive fountains. Just as we got prepared for it, the turn of the hour started the flow and we had seen the opening of the fountains. It was a wonderful awakening.

Cruising the Gulf of Finland

The first post in a long time, I know, and not the start of a new series. It is 11:00 PM here, and about 3:00 in the afternoon at home, as I cruise in the Gulf of Finland and approach Russia. We land in St. Petersburg tomorrow morning for two long days of sightseeing. The regular posting on Rick Beato Photo will begin late this month, after I have returned home and sorted some of the most phenomenal photos I have ever taken. No major stats, just one point: in Stockholm the other day, I shot over 800 images. This adventure through the capitals of Europe is truly amazing.

Look for the first post around the 26th or the 27th. I hope to show you some of the wonders of the northern European world. Meanwhile this photo of the spires atop Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in incredible Tallinn, Estonia, will have to represent the photo collection I am working on. Just one of the hundreds of wonderful sights I have seen already -- the night before I land in Russia!