My very first wedding gig
Mayan Riviera, Mexico
My first ever wedding gig came to me as a surprise. My friends Genna and Adam were getting married in Mexico at the Now Sapphire resort in the Mayan Riviera and I was already attending with my wife and 3 month old new born. One day at work Adam pulled me aside as asked me if I would be interested in taking just a few photos of their wedding while we were there. He said he really liked my photography work that he's seen. He also said that they were having a hard time finding a photographer that would be willing to go down to Mexico and take photos. They even entertained the idea of hiring the resort photographer, but were scared because they haven't seen any of their work. Also, corresponding with the photographer after the wedding to get images would probably be a nightmare. I was speechless when he asked me because I didn't feel like I owned the craft of photography yet, but was excited for an opportunity to shoot something this big. I lifted my chest up high and gladly accepted their offer.
For the next 6 months I spent every day online either YouTubing wedding tutorial videos or watching tutorials that I purchased online. I learned about lighting, camera settings, posing, wedding shot lists, camera angles, off camera flash, and even camera equipment. Every spare moment I had I was just learning everything I needed to know because I was getting nervous. What was I thinking taking on such a huge project? What if I mess up? How would I trouble shoot my equipment if something goes wrong? What if I miss a shot? And so on and so on. But I was starting to understand what I needed to do. That also meant purchasing new equipment. I was shooting with a Nikon D90 which I had purchased new several years ago. But I only had the kit lens, a 35 prime, and a 50 prime. My brother in law, however, had a bunch of lenses and was shooting with a full framed Canon. So I figured if I switched to Canon at least I'd be able to use his lenses and purchase some lenses that he didn't have so that together we'd have a wide range of lenses to use. I purchased my first full frame camera, the Canon 6D. I fell in love with it and all the lenses I had at my disposal. I was starting to feel like a real photographer now.
When we got to Mexico, I brought my camera everywhere so that I can take photos of everything I saw just so I knew what to expect on the actual wedding day. I still hadn't perfected the craft. I was still figuring out about matrix and spot metering. I just told myself that if I didn't know it by now, then I wouldn't know if by the wedding day. And trying new things on the actual wedding day would be something that I wasn't prepared to do.
Wedding day was here and I was focused. Everything went fairly smooth. Except for the fact that I took a gajillion shots. For example, the wedding dress. I spent 40 mins taking photos of that dress. I hung it up in 3 different places, changed the lighting each time, moved furniture around and even swapped lenses a few different times just so it would look good on the back of my camera. I did the same for the shoes and all the other details as well. I didn't even know how to talk to the bridal party. I felt so uncomfortable telling them every 30 seconds that they looked amazing, that they were awesome and that the pics where stunning. There were also moments of awkward silence while they posed and smiled for long periods of time while figured out my camera settings. They were blurry, under or over exposed and poorly composed. But I kept saying they looked awesome. Little did they know I was trembling underneath by clothes. As the day turned to night, I was still shooting everything I saw so that I wouldn't miss a single moment of that wedding. It was one of the most exhausting days I have ever had till that point. But I did it. My first EVER wedding was finally done.
I can look back now to that day and just shake my head at myself for the things that I did that day. I made it harder for myself than it actually needed it to be. But it was my first ever wedding, I didn't know any better. The pictures turned out alright. At least I think they did. Genna and Adam were fairly happy with them. I spend countless hours editing those photos because I was also learning how to use Lightroom and thought that every picture I delivered had to be perfect. I probably spent about 5-10 mins editing each photo and ended up delivering approximately 500 photos. Do that math. It was grueling.
I have since become more efficient in every aspect of shooting a wedding. Everyone has to start somewhere and work their way up. Luckily for me since it was already a passion of mine, it didn't really feel like work. I honestly have to say that if it wasn't for Genna and Adam giving me that opportunity, I'd still be a hobbyist as best. The art of photography can be interpreted in many different ways and everyone has a different eye for photography. I'm very thankful that my work was noticed by many other people out there and that I have been given the opportunity to shoot dozens of weddings since my first EVER wedding. I learn something new each time I shoot a wedding and my photos are really starting to go in the direction that I want them to. This will be a life long learning process but am excited to see what my work will look like in a few years from now.
So if you're a new photographer or a hobbyist like I once was and are getting into wedding photography or any other type of photography, I just wanted to say that you're doing a good job. It's our job to freeze time and tell the story using only images. Everyone has to start somewhere and it's okay to be a nervous wreck as I was. It's also part of the journey of learning a new craft. Enjoy it. I really enjoy looking at other peoples work of art and I'm looking forward to seeing yours one day too.
