​​I finally opened up the beat-up box of ancient hard drives, DVDs and wedding magazines that I've schlepped over several moves. It always sat in the back of a closet as a pile of memorabilia that one day I would comb through and organize. As I started looking at my weddings spanning over 25 years (many are film scans) and uploading the to the Cloud, I reminisced about what happened at the event, the challenges, the magic moments, what the couple was like and how I felt during and after the event.  

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I remembered how much I actually enjoyed the things that made weddings a challenge and how I overcame the obstacles to get the great images.  

 

Chasing the good light (light is key!) scouting to find the good locations, dealing with the weather, dark interiors with unflattering light, equipment issues, the mother of the bride following me around telling me who I need to photograph, the planner telling me the DJ is about to announce the cake cutting right as I'm having my first bathroom break, drunk guests grabbing me to dance with them while I'm trying to cover the reception. Trying to catch the rare unexpected moments that are meaningful to me as an artist while also making sure I satisfy mom, the couple as well as wedding publications/social media and other vendors at the event with the images they expect. Basically, being part of dazzling circus and I just have to keep juggling, twirling and pushing myself to get every little detail and tell the authentic story. Then after the wedding, once the images were edited, polished and ready to be released, I'd be so excited and proud to present them to the couple and get their email (OMG these are soooo amazing,...we can't believe you got that moment no one saw...you have no idea, I am literally crying and so is my mom...) It was totally worth whatever I had to get through to hear those words.