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Hello. Can we talk about Holly's wedding? I know it happened almost an entire month ago, but I have some hundreds of photographs from the event, see, and there are a few of them I'm quite proud of. Because apparently it's all about me, even when it's someone else's wedding!
Seriously, though, Holly has written about the day and the details better than I could, and the story really is hers (well, hers and Sean's), so it's better that she tell it anyway. It's also better that the official wedding album should be full of pictures taken by their awesome photographers rather than me, in part because I'm no professional and in part because I spent most of the day with my hands wrapped around cocktails and paper cones of french fries (to die for!) instead of around a zoom lens. Hey, I was just fulfilling my duties as a guest. See also: making sure the dance floor was always packed and that no cake was left untasted.
Following are a few of my favorite shots from the day (and one from the day after), and you can look at the rest of the set here if you're so inclined.
I'm obviously a far cry from having the chops to do wedding photography for money ("will shoot for cake" is more like it), but Simon, in his infinite quest to flatter me into oblivion, has planted the seed in my head-full-o'-dirt that, with a little initiative and a lot of effort, I might one day be ready to take on the awesome, overwhelming, completely terrifying responsibility that is being THE photographer for one of life's most important events. (Well, important unless you're the type of person who gets engaged and then keeps forgetting you're engaged and therefore hasn't done an ounce of wedding planning nine months later, like SOMEONE I know.) (Blame the baby! It's the baby's fault!)
But oh, those poor wedding photographers. Can you even fathom the pressure of their position? What if all your batteries died or your lens was smudged, or if a filter cracked or the digital mechanics went all gremliny in the middle of the ceremony? No wonder they charge so much; it's not just for photography and processing but for emotional hardship. I've been a fall-back wedding photographer several times now--Simon's sister's wedding photographer turned over an entire set of completely overexposed photos (there's no salvaging that), and at the wedding we attended in Puerto Rico a few years ago, the photographer (also the bride's estranged father) didn't even show up, both of which situations left yours truly holding the ball--and that's about as much stress as I can take. But maybe I can still make a decent living as a free-of-charge back-up photographer? No?
I've never thought about what I'd do if I weren't an editor because from Day 1 (or even before that), I knew that I had found my dream job fixing commas and hyphens. Thinking about the whole wedding photography thing, though, I think I've hit upon what I'd do if for some reason I was banned from editing forever. (Like, for forgetting to use the subjunctive?) I love weddings, I love taking pictures of pretty details and happy people, and I love cake. It's perfect! Know anyone who's willing to take a chance on a slightly gluttonous amateur?
I have to say, I did a brief stint as a wedding photographer and I think your photographs may be better than mine ever were. Emotional hardship aside, you should go for it!
You took awesome photographs of our wedding, but never posted them or wrote about it because that's when you got knocked up with Wombat!
without a doubt there will be weddings among folks i know--especially those who are the younger ones where i work. you are sooooo talented--maybe some business cards are in order??? a scrapbook-y collection with samples of the amazing work you do/have done??? you would be a hit!!!!
Lovely photos! I love seeing weddings from the pros' and guests' perspective. This was truly a beautiful event. And I just have to add, that your hat is fantastic!
Gorgeous. Congrats to the bride and groom.
I think lots of people would take a chance on someone just starting out. When I booked my photographer she only had a few weddings under her belt. By the time she got to us she had more experience but nothing like the years and years of lots of others. All I saw of her work was a couple of shots that stood out and we clicked when we met. It was one of the best decisions we made. Her shots were amazing. I think the important part is to have an eye for it, which you do, and lots of people will take a chance.
I think you could absolutely do it. That shot of me and my dad in the church is one of my favorites by far! As someone who has spent the last 10 months obsessively reading wedding blogs, I can tell you that there's a HUGE market for photographers who are just starting out and won't charge an arm and a leg. (We got super lucky as our guys were fairly new too and we negotiated a good price.....and then in the interim they got really amazing and good and in demand, so it worked out well for us!)
Anyway, what about an ad on Craigslist or something? I honestly think you could do it, and I'm willing to be there'd be a lot of interest! A lot of people are also hiring second shooters independently of their primary photographer....to get detail shots or whatever, while the primary one gets the other stuff. And another thing: more and more people are even hiring photographers for their rehearsal dinners now too. It's not as exciting as a wedding, obviously, but might be a little more relaxed!
I think you could absolutely do it. That shot of me and my dad in the church is one of my favorites by far! As someone who has spent the last 10 months obsessively reading wedding blogs, I can tell you that there's a HUGE market for photographers who are just starting out and won't charge an arm and a leg. (We got super lucky as our guys were fairly new too and we negotiated a good price.....and then in the interim they got really amazing and good and in demand, so it worked out well for us!)
Anyway, what about an ad on Craigslist or something? I honestly think you could do it, and I'm willing to be there'd be a lot of interest! A lot of people are also hiring second shooters independently of their primary photographer....to get detail shots or whatever, while the primary one gets the other stuff. And another thing: more and more people are even hiring photographers for their rehearsal dinners now too. It's not as exciting as a wedding, obviously, but might be a little more relaxed!
Yeah, it's a huge responsibility and I imagine it's incredibly stressful.. but I think you could definitely do it! You got some magical shots from our wedding---the best that any of the non-pros took---and I can't help but wonder what else you would've gotten if you weren't too busy enjoying cocktails and fries in cone cups.
The beauty of doing photography as a side-gig to start is that you can redirect all the money you make back into more equipment---then dead batteries and such aren't as much of a concern.
can I just say that your photos of our wedding were WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than the chump we hired to do it as a 'professional'?
How about you actually getting people's faces INTO the photograph, unlike the 'professional' one we got back of the wedding party where the best man's face is completely hidden behind someone else's head.
Sigh.
You could TOTALLY do it.
:)
m.xx
I have that "maybe someday I'll do wedding photography as a job" idea, too, probably because I also have been the backup photographer at weddings where something went kablooey, and my shots came out pretty good. I think I'd do much worse knowing that I was the ONLY photographer, and that I was on he hook for the day, though. :-) The pressure!
Thanks, everyone! I was actually kind of joking about pursuing this fantasy side job (at least in the near future), but now...maybe Simon's been telling the truth all along!
thank you for your excellent work best Bristol wedding photographer by far