It was a Friday & I was a senior in high school. I was pretty involved in school and I was the vice-president of student council. This particular Friday was football homecoming at my high school & I was going to be missing it, missing it with no regrets. I had several things I had to get done for homecoming & I planned ahead and was able to get everything done beforehand & delegated the actual work to be done on the day of homecoming because I was going to photography my very first wedding.
I was reading through my journal as I have been thinking this week alot about how 10 years have past and just thinking back on that day. This is what I wrote 10 years ago today -
"I didn't go to school today! It was great! I woke up like normal....I headed to the wedding. I got there & started taking pictures. These guys didn't like taking pictures, so I had to make them stand closer to eachother. I got some good shots & had a great time. It was really cool of April to ask me to take the pictures for her, I had fun."
I continued to photograph family and friends, anniversary parties and anyone that would let me. I moved to Oklahoma City about 8 months later. I photographed several other jobs & did go through film in photography school but this was the only wedding I ever photographed in film.
I look back and I am so grateful April asked me to shoot her wedding She knew I had never photographed a wedding before, honestly, I had been to very few weddings up until this point even as a guest. I just loved taking pictures and being around people, who knew 10 years later loving pictures and people would be my career. I will always be thankful you trusted me to because it made for the perfect first experience of doing what I love.
From this first wedding I learned,
No fear, you do what you can to get every photo you can and that's all you can do. I think I really learned that because I photographed my first wedding in film. Starting it film you don't know if the picture is going to turn out you just try to choose the best light and the right settings and the rest is up to Jesus and the film lab.
Outside pictures & Natural light, my first wedding was in a gorgeous location in Stillwater. I actually think the groom, Tony's family owned the land and it was filled with photography spots. I knew then I wanted to take as many pictures outside as possible. Natural light was my favorite thing & still is to this day.
Hands in pockets & jackets buttoned, I knew most of the people on the bride side of the family because I grew up with them & Chris, the brides mom was my best friends mom, fun facts she also cut my hair. I was posing the groom & groomsmen and I heard her say make sure everyone's coat is buttoned & hands are in their pocket. To this day I think about this when I am photographing anyone in a suit that they need to all go together somehow. I don't always have everyone do the same thing anymore but I do think about her saying that because it made me realize it has to not look out of place.
& last but never least, take pictures of the bride & groom, okay I did take pictures of the bride and groom at this wedding but I think there are maybe 3 and maybe one of them they are looking at the camera. I tell every couple to this day, this is your wedding and we need to make sure you have designated time to have photos of the two of you taken because you want more than 3 choices.
& last but never least, take pictures of the bride & groom, okay I did take pictures of the bride and groom at this wedding but I think there are maybe 3 and maybe one of them they are looking at the camera. I tell every couple to this day, this is your wedding and we need to make sure you have designated time to have photos of the two of you taken because you want more than 3 choices.
10 years, I just can't believe it. I have photographed over 100 weddings, thousands upon thousands of photos, met so many great people, been able to go places & photography it all. I am blessed & thankful.
Thank you,
To my first bride, April for being my first bride & letting me be your photographer.
To my Mom for being my first model and letting me do so many photo shoots of you. Thank you for being supportive, loving, caring and always being there for me. You always said be kind, be smart, be good, be careful & it has always stuck with me with everything I have done - including my job.
To my brother, Sean, who has always been there to encourage, to model, to be my friend.
To my Dad for buying me my first digital camera & funding other projects for me to be able things I really wanted to do. Thanks for all your encouragement & support.
To my brother, Sean, who has always been there to encourage, to model, to be my friend.
To my Dad for buying me my first digital camera & funding other projects for me to be able things I really wanted to do. Thanks for all your encouragement & support.
To all my family & friends for maybe grunted but took the pictures anyway. Thank you, I was able to be a lot better at posing early in my photography career because of all of you.
To all the high school teachers that let me out of class when the photographers would come on picture day at school or for other events to photographer. We didn't have a photography class but so many of them knew it was what I loved to do and I always thought that was so nice to let me go be involved since there wasn't a class for me.
To my photography school teachers, Mike & Abi, for seeing something in my work and my heart that this is what I wanted to do & pushing me to work harder and try new things. I am thankful that I went to photography school on Gods perfect timing because I was able to have the best teachers any person could ask for to grow in my love of photography.
To Dwight Ferguson, The first photographer that I met that was doing what I wanted to do. I really didn't know much about photography other than you take pictures. I had only really been around studio photographers and never to my knowledge had ever been around a photogrpaher that owned his own business or went on location. Dwight was the Uncle of two of my best friends in High School & he took my senior photos. To this day I am thankful for this man because he was so opened and honest about his job & answered any questions I had. I still model my senior sessions after the way he photographed mine because I loved how he captured me, who I was and what I was interested in during that time in my life. It was a day I look back on as a fun experience of my senior years not just a day I went and had my pictures made.
To all my crazies, thanks for being crazy because I think it has made me a better photographer with all the challenging families out there that struggle to get along.
I am thankful to celebrate 10 years & looking forward to 10+10x10 more!!!
" When you find yourself beginning to feel a bond between yourself and the people you photograph, when you laugh and cry with their laughter and tears, you will know you are on the right track" – Arthur Felig
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