Making a decision to have a child–it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
Making a decision to have a child–it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
Sometimes something will surprise me in such a way that it fundamentally changes the way in which I view that something. I don’t want to sound over-dramatic here, but after taking a 2-year hiatus from photographing weddings and thinking I had seen it all and was completely jaded, Elise and Steve’s wedding completely took me off guard and had me on the floor, remembering why I used to love shooting weddings. It’s not the details (although the flowers blew me away) or the dress–(okay Elise’s gown had me reeling with envy). It’s not the “connection” between the couple that gets me–the transparency of that is often lost in the fretting over all of these details (again, clearly not the case here). I was reminded, thanks to Elise and Steve that it is the community of the bride and groom that I am most enamored with–the pouring out of love and support from friends and family. It’s the reason none of us actually elope, isn’t it? We care too much about that community to remove them from the gravity of our wedding vows and celebration.
Elise and Steve’s wedding was seamless. Beautiful. Perfect. But what made me go home refreshed and excited to be shooting weddings again was that pouring out of love from everyone in attendance and the genuine gratitude and reciprocation from Elise and Steve. I was so engrossed in this community and all the warm, good energy, that I completely forgot that I was making images. I was present and part of something bigger than the photographer documenting the table settings. The camera and my images (at least at this wedding) were truly an extension of my heart, shot from my “third-eye”.
A huge thanks to Elise and Steve for allowing me to be a part of their community, if for even just one day–it was an honor. Also–many thanks to Calluna Events, Yonder, Alchemy and the St. Julien for seamlessly creating a wedding where Elise and Steve could just show up to their own party and love, and be loved on by their people.
It’s such and honor when another photographer asks me to be their photographer. It’s flattering, and it’s liberating. It’s flattering because we photographers are picky, and we all know a ton of other photographers-it’s a large community. It’s liberating because I know that they know what to expect. I know that they know how realistic it is to get 100 perfect images of everybody smiling and looking pretty. It’s not. They also trust me–knowing that what they are experiencing in front of the camera is very different than how I’m reading things behind it. It’s a fun ride.
Susannah was great–all of the above and more. We connected as photographers, mothers of young kiddos and the struggle to balance the two. And hopefully, we will connect in the near future over margaritas…
When I grow up, I want to be a photographer’s photographer.
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