Making of a wedding photographer (part IV, the leap)

I was a chef at Snowbird Mountain Lodge and this offered me my very first wedding. This couple was getting married and didn’t really want/need a photographer and I had absolutely zero experience with weddings. I’d done a few portrait sessions in the past, I’ve done action photos and of course I’ve done still life and macro photos. I figured that I could just combine all of these disciplines into the skills that I needed for a wedding… I was so underprepared.

Weddings turn out to be a nuanced affair where you only have one chance at getting the shot. The stress at the begging for me was intense. I’ve had parachute malfunctions that were less stressful. I was still figuring out where I needed to be in relation to the bride and groom in order to get the expressions on their faces. The couple was extremely patient with me and they loved the photos that I did for them. Looking back, I wish I’d have done a lot of things differently.

The first wedding in the books, I had been talking to a friend who suggested that I approach some wedding venues. I was unsure of my skills but thought I’d try. Jody at Nantahala weddings and Events was very open to me being one of her vendors. I was grateful for the opportunity. She wanted some photos of the facilities including drone photos and hired me to do it. She had a wedding that weekend with about a hundred guests. They had a photography team already, but I was taking photos for the venue. I tried to stay out of their way but was able to talk to them about what I was doing. This unique experience allowed me to get some shots of bride and groom as well as what was happening at the venue. This really opened my eyes to what I needed to be doing at a wedding.

I was ALL IN on being a wedding photographer now and needed to get some bookings.