“Want to shoot a wedding with me?”
As someone who was into photography and had a “fancy camera”, I would be asked from time to time if I would be interested in photographing so-and-so’s wedding.
“You take such great pictures! I’m sure you’ll do fine!”
Silly Rabbit. Weddings are for professionals! Luckily for them, I knew that I was nowhere near to being a good choice to capture this once-(or twice)-in-a-lifetime-you’d-better-not-screw-this-up-or-else-no-second-chances-for-missed-shots event. Didn’t have the right gear, didn’t have backup gear, didn’t have the experience to do this alone, etc. Each time, while flattered, I would respectfully decline and tell them that weddings were a crazy affair that I had no interest in shooting, and that they would be better served by hiring someone who knew what they were doing.
“Want to shoot a wedding with me?”
But this time was different.
The question was different.
I was being asked by my friend Jeneanne, who was an established newborn, family & portrait photographer. She was starting to get some inquiries and had booked a few weddings, and wanted some help.
“Uh, ok. Sure.”
My next thought was, “ok, what the heck have I just gotten myself into?” So, I went out and invested in some proper gear, and eagerly (nervously) waited for the big day to arrive.
My first wedding.
Am I going to screw this up? What if my pictures are crappy? It’s going to be bright, full on sun, do I know how to handle this? Is this something I even really want to do?
These thoughts and more would run through my head until the day of.
“All right, we’re here. You ready to go?”
*Deep breath*
*Exhale*
“Let’s do this.”
The day was a blur. I couldn’t wait to get home to load the pictures on the computer and see how I did. Plugged my card into the computer and started to go through them.
Ok.
Not bad.
I like that one.
Eh.
Good shot.
Whoops.
Nice.
And that’s when I saw it.
The Shot.
It’s an image from the first wedding I ever photographed, but to this day it’s still one of my favorites. I had gotten a taste of what it’s like to get The Shot–to totally nail it and create a fantastic picture.
One image.
That’s all it took.
I was hooked.
“Want to shoot a wedding with me?”
Yep, I’m ready.
Let’s do this.
