No do overs.

 

"Goin’ to the chapel

And we're gonna get married

Goin’ to the chapel

And we're gonna get married”

If you have ever attended a wedding, or been in one yourself, you know it’s a big ordeal. Much more than the piece of paper you receive, it’s a life-long commitment and you often have pictures to prove it happened.

I have been to weddings, had weddings, and been behind the camera at them. Of the three, being behind the camera is the one I enjoy the least; I guess I just eliminated myself from any future photography jobs, but I knew before I wrote the line that I didn’t want to do them again. It’s just not my thing….although there are certainly stories to share, about when I did do them.

Wanna know?

One of the first weddings I photographed was for my nephew. It was pretty smooth for the first time, and scenery was outstanding. But, like any one-of-a-kind event that you can’t screw up, there’s a lot of stress and you constantly have to check to make sure you captured the shot. Fortunately, they did.

That was the easy one.

With other weddings, I have dealt with a groomsman who was not in the mood to be a part of the group photos; he was so against it, he tried to pick a fight with me. I was fine with it, but I also knew I had a job to do, and let him know with or without him in the picture, it was going to be taken. I guess he had too much to drink—-that was not my problem, and the groom stepped in and told him to “$&#(“ get over there and take the picture. I didn’t make a friend that night, but I did make sure that I took the photo and if he looked bad, once again, not my problem. He looked fine by the way, but deep down, I wanted him to look like the idiot he was being.

As people become familiar with your ability to take wedding photos, they begin to recommend you to others. I have photographed weddings that were of different ethnicities—-very cool—-and others where they were taken in unique settings. One of my favorites, and it is not what you’re expecting, was at the Justice of the Peace; it was crowded in the room, but the kids who were in the wedding party were very photogenic and added to the moment. 

One little boy could not stop making faces as he watched his Mom transition from being single to married. I still have the photos and they are ones I treasure---I hope they do too. We then went to an incredible location on the lake front of Lake Michigan.

The last wedding I photographed was one where my daughter, wife and I all took photos. I guess they thought the pictures would edit themselves on their own, they didn’t, because that night combined, there were over 9,000 photos taken. (That was when “never again” became my mantra.”)

The photo above was taken this past fall; a hidden gem in Chicago is the “Honeycomb.” I had never seen it until a few years ago, but when I did, I was awe struck. When we went this time, there was a woman being photographed; I assumed it was a wedding dress, but it also might be a “quinceanera”—-she looks older than 15, but regardless, it brought back memories of something I will never do again!

Thanks for stopping by.