There are a lot of reasons that I love being a wedding photographer. The cake is not a small part of the draw (just kidding...I actually skipped the cake this last time...GASP!) Anyway....beyond the chances to make artistic photography and spending a full day photographing a beautiful bride and the details she has worked on for months and months...beyond all that...there is something so tangibly emotional and connective about a wedding. Everyone in the family is there. All the emotions come out. Cousins see each other for the first time in years.
Everyone is together.
...and everything either explodes or the celebration is grand.
This wedding?
The celebration was grand.
The bride and groom got cake smashed by their daughter...
The garter was tossed...
The crowd actually danced! (sometimes they DON'T!)
...but all of those things aren't what really make the celebration grand. What makes it grand is the emotion of a wedding day. It sounds trite, but from my heart of hearts -- one of the greatest parts of being a wedding photographer is connecting with the bride and the family emotionally. Capturing moments of deep connection is one of the greatest joys of my job...
From the joy of the bride and groom...
From father to daughter...
...to father and daughter...
...and then sometimes there are those moments that take you off guard...
The moments that start off innocently enough with a father--daughter dance...
...and end with a photographer hiding tears behind a big camera body.
Only later did I learn that Jessica's step-father's cancer has returned.
He didn't think he would see this day and yet he is here.
This moment is important.
This dance is important.
This moment is mine to make a piece of their history.
That is a lot of pressure.
Pressure that makes the job difficult, but a responsibility that is so rewarding to take on.
It is these moments and the chance to record these memories that make my job more than a job.
So let the fun continue...
...and let the tears flow...
I am here to capture it all.
