Had the opportunity to be the fly on the wall as Peter and Carole tied the knot! Definitely a very fun couple to be around. There wasn’t a dull moment at any time. I was very grateful for being there for their wedding. Nothing better than being able to shoot pictures for friends. You spend time with them throughout their life, and when you witness a special occasion like this, you can’t help but feel happy and wish blessings on them. May this be the beginning of a joyous journey! Special thanks again to Joel Alonzo for helping out and being my second shooter! Amazing job!

Ok, now what is it that I learned during this wedding? Other than being reminded that schedules are meant to be broken, make due with the environment you are dealt with, respect the rules of the place you are in…but I think what stood out most this time was, always voice your suggestions of what you would like to do.

As photographers(whether professional, amatuer, or novice), we get these urges at times of things we would like to try out. Due to time and wishes from the client, we sometimes think we won’t have time to try these pictures. For example, we were going to initially skip outdoor pictures. On top of that, the formal pictures after the ceremony went a little longer than expected, so for sure I thought outdoor pictures were not going to happen. Yet, it was still suggested that we should do them. I really enjoy outdoor pictures. The way you can pose them and blowout the background, and the colors. I knew they would look amazing. So the suggestion was made though we were running a little late and everyone was a little tired from doing all the formal pictures(including us!). But they agreed and it was during this time, we were able to get the bride and the groom alone. They began to free up a little more and goof around outside. We tried a few different variations of them together. Found a just married prop on the back of the car which we used. Also, we were able to take a few informal pictures of the bride which we weren’t able to do prior.

To me, it’s not about dictating what should be happening on their special day, but it’s giving the client options. They must have so much on their mind that they don’t think of what is available to them. Since it’s our duty to take pictures, we should do it well. Draw on past experiences to give suggestions on what they can do to have amazing pictures. And if that’s making suggestions that at times get shot down, still do it because you never know what might strike them as a good picture when they look back at the day. Maybe when we brought the couple outside, we provided a small space where they could just be alone by themselves. Maybe it provided a break that they needed. Try to provide openings for them to enjoy the day and then take pictures of it. We don’t ever want people to hate getting their pictures taken…the trick is just make them look good 🙂

Inspiration:

Since Peter and Carole are good friends, it was easier to voice suggestions, comments and also make fun of them during their wedding, hahaaa. There’s times we run into people that just need a third party to voice some concern and some encouragement into their lives. Even though we might not know what’s best, or what is right in their situation, we can still stand with them and give them help and encouragement. You might not be that far from being in a position that would need that from someone else…

“A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” – Arnold H. Glasgow