We just shot our last wedding of this season so the past few days have been a time of reflection for me (in between editing all the images!!)
In wedding photography you are let in to observe many of the deepest parts of a bride’s day. We are allowed to watch and capture all the emotions of the day starting with her getting ready to say goodbye to her parents and hello to the new most intimate part of her life, her new husband. All the while surrounded by friends and family.
For photographers who do portrait photography, they spend maybe a couple hours with someone, trying to get them to relax and open up so you can get a few good images of them. If they come back on a regular basis you will get to know them better. All very civilized.
A wedding is a crash course in learning all about the bride, her family and friends. It can be organized chaos. Sometimes more organized. Sometimes more chaos. But definitely a blast. At the end of every wedding I’m exhausted and spent from watching everything that has been going on around me, constantly looking for images that need to be captured.
People ask which wedding this year was our favorite. It’s like asking a parent which of their kids they love the most. Every wedding is unique and they are all our favorites. All weddings follow the same basic structure, however they all take on a personality of their own, as the people are different and each bride puts their own unique stamp on their wedding day.
As I sit and look through the images from each wedding I get to relive it all over again. I also have the distinct privilege of looking through images from the other members of our family, meaning I get to see the day through the eyes of our other photographers. Some of them are shots, angles and places I wasn’t at that day. I can only imagine the thrill each bride gets when she also sees her day captured in the fraction of a second over and over again.
That is a separate area to reflect on and be thankful for – this is not just me taking photographs but it is us as a family working together. When we shoot a wedding, not only are Kerri and I shooting together, but we’ve also watched Brian and Lindsay grow so much this last year in using and exploring their talent. When I look through their images after each wedding I am amazed at the level of talent God has deposited in each of them – their images have their own personality as I see the wedding captured through their eyes.
It has been profoundly exciting to also see them set out on their own weddings and watching them learn the ropes and the editing that they are learning to do. They are not just working for us, they are learning a craft that will serve them well in their lives.
To Josh & Karah, Susanna & David, Chris & Melissa, David & Sheri, Eric & Karen, Chris & Lorrie, Brian and Kara, Audra & Evan, Angela & J.D., Jenae & Paco, Amy & John, Kristi & Kyle, Amy & Roger and Stephanie & Dane…Thank you so much for allowing us in to your special day this year. It was a distinct honor.
To Jorden and Zack it was so fun helping Brian with building his portfolio and watching Lindsay come along side as well…
For those who are allowing us to be a part of their wedding in 2008, I am looking forward to telling the story of your day.
Mark
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