Shortly after I got into photography, my friend Keith Pytlinksi and I decided to dabble in wedding photography. While neither one of us had any desire to be a full-time wedding photographer, we thought it would be a good way to do the thing we loved while making a few bucks. So that we would each have time to pursue the specific type of photography we were drawn to (portraits for me and extreme biking for Keith) we decided to limit ourselves to about 10 weddings a year. It sounded like a great idea…

If memory serves me correctly, we ended up shooting exactly one wedding together. That one wedding was enough to convince us that we weren’t wedding photographers and didn’t want to be. Having said that, my hat is off to all wedding photographers out there. Shooting weddings is brutally hard work. It amounts to endless preparation including pre-wedding interviews, site research, vendor coordination and a million other related tasks. The day of the wedding is a high-speed blur filled with all types of stress and ample amounts of dual-family politics. The whole time you’re shooting a wedding, you’re praying to almighty God that you don’t have an equipment failure. You’re also praying that when the day’s over, you’ve managed to capture every single detail, every evasive family member and somehow managed to sustain basic life functions from that lone granola bar you had at 9:00AM. Following the wedding, a photographer then spends hour, upon hour, upon hour sorting through hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of images. It’s time consuming and fraught with emotional struggle. What to keep and what to delete? Once all the “keeper” images have been identified, they must then be processed in Photoshop, Lightroom or some other logic-bending photo application. Ultimately, you hope to deliver a perfect array of images that blows the client away, but you also have to make a buck in the process so speed and efficiency is ultra important. It’s very, very hard work. While I’ve never turned away from hard work, weddings just aren’t my thang!

The Dress

A few months ago, my friend Danelle asked me if I would shoot her wedding. I can’t tell you how quickly I said no. Of course, I did so with diplomacy, but I still said no. I just didn’t want to do it. I learned my lesson early. I’m not a wedding photographer! The thing is, my friend really wanted me to shoot her wedding. Knowing how I feel about shooting weddings, I know it was hard for her to even ask me. To dissuade her, I told her that I was a HORRIBLE wedding photographer (which is absolutely true) and that she really didn’t want me to shoot her wedding. Later that day, I sent Danelle a follow-up email that, in no uncertain terms, told her (at least five times) I was a HORRIBLE wedding photographer and that she really didn’t want me to shoot her wedding. At the very end of the email, I stated that after reading my blatant disclaimer of being a HORRIBLE wedding photographer, I would shoot her wedding if she really wanted me to. She did…

Reflective Moments

Despite some initial dread, panic and nervous fear, something happened along the way. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, I really started looking forward to it. I did a lot of research. It had been years since I had shot a wedding and I didn’t want to let my friend down. Obviously, I knew it meant a lot to her. On the day of her wedding, Danelle was the typical bride – glowing with happiness and anticipation. When I first saw her, I realized she could have asked anyone to be her photographer. However, she asked me. I was the fortunate one she entrusted with her very special day. I was the one that got to co-experience and capture all the wonderful behind the scenes moments that make a wedding such a memorable event. So, there I was, in my element, shooting away. Honestly, I couldn’t have been happier. The venue was awesome. The ceremony was beautiful and the bride – absolutely stunning. As a photographer (and wedding guest), I had an entirely wonderful day and was incredibly blessed to be part of something so personal and meaningful. Thanks Danelle & Chuck for your trust and friendship!