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I Shot My First Wedding

I finally did it, my first wedding. After years of saying I would never do a wedding I finally decided to have a go. I don't know what convinced me. Maybe it was the thought that if I did one I could say with authority that I don't do weddings. My husband had been on my back for ages trying to get me to give one a go. For me I would have to say that the most difficult aspect of wedding photography is the pressure and stress caused by the importance of the day.



I worried about this since the day Dawn emailed me to say they had decided they wanted to book me. I hadn't expected to get this wedding given that I had no samples to show them. And I certainly didn't give them a hard sell as I still wasn't convinced that this was something I wanted to do. I kind of figured that if I got this wedding, with no samples and no experience then it was meant to be.


Well I have samples now. In the weeks prior to the wedding I read and I read and I read. I read books, magazines and hundreds of posts on forums. I trolled websites and attended seminars. And then I practiced and experimented in as many ways as I could think of. This even helped me to refine and progress my new Naturals range of images and products.



What a learning experience it turned out to be. I learned how to use a flash and a light meter that had been sitting in my cupboard for over two years. I learned to see available light opportunities that I would never have seen before. And I learned that I can actually shoot weddings as long as I can learn to live with the worry leading up to them because I don't think this is something that will ever go away.


On Friday night I had Dawn and Richard over to view their images, with much anticipation. I was pretty sure I had done an acceptable job but you just never know what the client has in their head. Did I meet their expectations? Although for me it is never enough to just meet the expectations I want to exceed their expectations and if possible blow them away. Well I can't really speak for them but I can say they looked very pleased and certainly had nothing bad to say. And my mark of a successful viewing is seeing tears, and there were tears.





The jury is still out as to whether or not I will start pursuing weddings but I think I would find it hard to turn any away should any come knocking. So watch this space.





Congratulations Dawn and Richard! I hope you really are pleased with your wedding photos.

Comments

Dawn West said…
Christina was fantastic from the word go, we called to say we were interested in her photographing our wedding and we arranged to meet, we had looked at her work on line but it was nice to talk things through with her and discuss ideas and what could be done.

The fact that Christina did not actually have an wedding work to show us was not an issue, there was so much variety in the work she did show us it was obvious she was more than capable to work in doors and out which was what was needed. Christina made us feel relaxed and confident in her work. As for her lack of experience, well she may not have done a wedding but her experience shows in her work. We met with Christina before the day to discuss ideas, we wanted some standard shots but also we wanted some candid shots, more relaxed an not possed for, Christina was happy to try to get the shots we were looking for.

By the sounds of it I think Christina was more nervous than I was on the day, it was fantastic, I felt relaxed and calm. Christina appeared at the hairdressers to take shots of the bridesmaids and myself having our hair done. She went ahead to the house to prepare and take some more shots of the flowers & outfits. The time seemed to go slowly but then it would suddenly be time to get ready. Christina worked with me and my family to get some beautiful shots of us before the cars arrived. We had arranged a special surprise for our daughter, ‘Herbie’ was to arrive to take her and our other bridesmaid plus my mom to the church. She adores Herbie. So when he arrived Christina was ready to take the shots of her going out to meet Herbie.

Next it was time to leave. Christina had gone ahead to see us arrive, the sun held for us and off we went. At the church Christina appeared and dissappeared around the church, she was silent and just seemed to be everywhere. It was amazing I didn’t even notice I would just spot her one minute and she was gone the next. Next we did photo’s outside the church it was very cold and Christina was very aware and took as many shots as possible before moving us on to the venue. Once we arrived we were in the hotel for a while, then out in the gardens where even though cold (due to the April weather) the sun was shining. We took several fantastic shots of us, family and friends.

Then we moved back inside for the speeches, cutting of the cake, buffet and the first dance. Christina captured every moment. We did some specific work with her and then the evening ran it’s cause.

Everyone says that after the day and the honeymoon wedding couples are left feeling low and deflated, I don’t think this is true. So far you have not seen any picture from the day, when we returned I felt the excitement and returned to work with the aniticipation of arranging to meet Christina just over a week later to see the finished work... Well waiting was worth it, we arranged to go and see the pictures and when seeing the DVD and remembering every last detail I was had tears rollong down my face, even my husband said he found it emotional. It was fantastic, Christina had set the pictures to music and it ran throught the complete day.

Since then we have watched the DVD with family and friends, watching the day as it progressed, for those that could not attend Christina had captured it all in small frames that made it possible for them to see it through her eyes.

What else can we say... Christina captured our fantastic day in several pictures and we can look back and remember every moment, the little things that at the time you miss but after you remember... all I can say is magical.

To Christina & Andy, thank you so much for capturing the special moments of our day, spending the time preparing and putting it all onto print and DVD for us to see. Amazing. xx
1 July 2008 at 22:23
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