Rehearsal

Setting up for the weekend of my friend’s wedding was a lot of fun. I had full creative license to play. When in play, sometimes magic happens. I had the luxury of not having to worry about the production value of the photos I took. Why? I wasn’t the primary photographer.

While some would feel some type of way, I was totally cool with this arrangement. Having a studio do the wedding photos meant that the best possible outcome for the album. With my kids in tow, it wouldn’t be easy to focus fully on doing the best work possible.

So, during the rehearsal, it was just fun and games. Taking all the creative shots I could and focusing on what I knew my friend liked to see.

That left me plenty of time to experiment with the lighting of the place and understanding how much the red tint would impact the photos of the wedding day.

Friends and family were gathered. Input coming from all the aunts wanting things to be perfect. The wedding planner working to keep the whole plan together. The outcome was set to make the wedding totally spectacular. As it should be.

What was of great interest to me was how the bride and groom spoke to one another during the whole rehearsal. They had that unspoken language of love flowing and lighting up the place.

Unlike most wedding rehearsals I’ve attended, this one was really short and sweet. Everyone knew what they had to do. Before I could get all the shots I wanted, things was wrapped up with a sweet bow.

Wedding Day

There are events that go so smoothly, no one is the wiser about all the behind the scenes things that stresses folks. Can’t say I was witness to any of the typical wedding stress. I’m sure there might have been, but they were outside my view and perspective.

What I do know is that the freedom to shoot whatever caught my eye made this one of the most fun wedding photo shoots I’ve yet to do. No pressure. No headaches. No arguing with people trying to get the kiss instead of me. No reminding folks where to stand over and over again.

Sure, I shot way less photos than I ordinarily would have, but that’s ok. I got to enjoy and celebrate the beautiful union of my friend and her man. By the way, he’s now a good friend of mine too.

The preacher had a very interesting take on what the roles of the bride and groom would be once the union was made official. That will be the topic of another blog post way down the line.

Present at the reception were friends, family, loved ones, church members, and well wishers who wanted to see these two start off on a great wonderful note. From my selfish perspective, I was happy to deliver some quality out-take photos of the event. Many of the friends who had given of their time in the past were there. It was a mini-reunion of all the guys and gals who helped shape my art as a photographer.

Without proof to show on this blog post, I can’t say the photos were awesome. To me they were.

I think the number of likes some of the photos got on her Facebook profile suggests to me that others thought the photos were pretty cool. This whole artist self-evaluation of talent can be a bit brutal… as you’re always your harshest critic.

On the list of fun weddings to attend, this one is in the top list. What a beautiful way to send off two amazingly wonderful people into their life as a couple.

 

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