My first wedding of the season! This is always an exciting time as a wedding photographer. It’s always a test of my endurance as well. After more than 10 years of doing wedding photography, it still surprises me how much energy it requires. But when you think about the responsibilities of a photographer of a wedding, it shouldn’t much of a surprise. Here are just a handful of things a wedding photographer has to be doing at all times during a wedding day:
- Capture moments that happen in a blink of an eye.
- Be creatively on point for 8-12 hours with very little breaks, I mean sometimes it comes down to deciding to go to the bathroom for the first time all day or grab a quick bite because you’ve not had a thing to eat in 7 hours.
- Make sure people are enjoying themselves.
- Bride or groom forgot something in the other building, the photographer is often the one to run and grab it, or at least should be.
- Direct uncooperative people, sometimes even drunk people. Have you ever tried to line up a group of 8 drunk people before?
- Be prepared for the unexpected, from unexpected weather to a viral pandemic… you never know what you’ll get.
- Be ready to adjust to changing lighting conditions. I can’t tell you how many times before a ceremony, I get my camera settings right according to the light in the venue, then seconds before the first person comes down the aisle, the lights dim forcing me to make an adjustment on the fly.
Don’t be mistaken, I’m not complaining. I LOVE everything about wedding photography. I love having to be ready for the unexpected. I love capturing moments that happen so fast you barely see them in person, but that moment is frozen on camera. It’s life-giving to me, but be able to do all this requires a lot of energy and it’s not the energy you can get by training at the gym. The only way to stay in shape as a wedding photographer is to keep photographing. Unfortunately, midwest winters don’t allow for many sessions to take place. This year, however, is different. Obviously we are dealing with a pandemic and that has affected many weddings. Becky and Chris’ wedding took place right before the quarantine order was put in place and about a week before Illinois’ stay in place order. I’m so happy they were still able to celebrate with their friends and family. While the wedding day was affected a little bit in terms of bodies present, the ceremony and reception were still absolutely fantastic and their attitudes throughout the day were amazing! I’m just going to give a shoutout to the last 10 years of couples I have worked with. I’ve had couples deal with storms, even floods, unexpected annoyances or delays, and even a pandemic and so far, I’ve never had a bridezilla or groomzilla(?) <–is that a thing? Seriously, you all have been amazing. Becky and Chris were amazing given the circumstances with everything happening. I try and tell couples prior to the wedding to be ready for the unexpected. Something will come up, it’s bound to happen. If you are prepared for the unexpected, you’ll be ready to face it head-on and move forward with a smile on your face. Your attitude throughout the day determines the type of day it is. I heard someone say once that it’s not about what happens, it’s about how it’s handled that makes a difference. This is so true.
The reception was at the Carriage House in Altamont, IL, pretty much my backyard… seriously, I’m just down the road from Carriage House. Of course, this is only one reason I love Carriage House weddings, others, and more importantly, would be that receptions here are great! The staff is amazing to work with. They do everything to ensure you have a fantastic reception. Complete Weddings was the DJ that evening and as usual, the music, the entertainment was amazing! I’m always a fan of walking into receptions and seeing them as the DJ because I know it’s going to be a great night. Becky and Chris danced the night away and they made for an amazing couple to have for my first wedding of the year! Congratulations you two!!
