Alan J Photo: February 2009

I know, it's a miracle, right? Another post, and it's only been one month! I like to think of it as a little President's Day miracle. I hope you enjoy it, and guess what - I'll even post again tomorrow. I know, I'm a slacker - especially since I shot this wedding about a month ago. Doh!

This is Dallin and Ashley. Dallin is the son of one of my co-workers and the brother of Kelli (see more here and here), whose wedding i shot back in 2007 - one of my first gigs.

This was actually a pretty short notice shoot too. i came back from seven weeks of business travel, had Christmas and the New Year and then this wedding. No engagements, no bridals, just show up on the wedding day and meet the bride and groom for the first time. Well, actually I already knew Dallin from the last wedding. No, not his, his sister's.

This was also the first shoot where i also used my Canon G9 with my Canon EOS 30d. That way i could shoot wide with the G9 and up close with the 30D. It worked out pretty well and made me realize i really should be shooting with two cameras in general. So go figure, now i ~~want~~ need another camera. Yeah, i know, i'll let you know when that happens.

Fortunately, it didn't matter that i had only met the two of them that day. They were both really easy-going and a pleasure to work with.

So why'd it take so long to get the pictures posted? Besides the obvious fact that i'm an occasional slacker? As soon as i got back from my DC business trip it was time to start wrapping up all my assignments and projects for the class i was participating in. So that kind of took the priority for a while. Fortunately everyone was really understanding.

This shoot was actually fairly stressful for me. Since i hadn't formally met the bride and groom yet, i was a little nervous about the dynamic we would have. And usually, by wedding day (the most important shoot), you've had at least two previous shoots (engagements and bridals) to get used to each other.

And while wedding day is always stressful, by that time, i typically have two succesfull shoots under my belt. These previous shoots have built up my confidence and kind of provide a mental safety net; i can think to myself that worst case scenario, if for some reason the wedding shots don't turn out, at least i've got the engagements and bridals.

Instead, i came in not only not having the two previous shoots, but also not being able to control the location or lighting. Sure, i brought my studio lights, but it's not the same as natural light. Don't get me wrong, i like my studio lights and wish i could use them more, but i like having a good number of natural light shots as well. And quite frankly, shooting in an LDS cultural hall (gymnasium) kind of limits the poses and backgrounds you'll be able to use.

But even with all my anxiety, i think everything turned out really well. Or at least i hope so. And as nervous as weddings make me (i love bridals and enjoy engagements), after everything turns out, i'm glad i have the opportunity to do them.

It may actually be time to start advertising. So far my photo business has been by referral only. But i think as i do more, i'll gradually get more comfortable and less anxious/nervous. And of course i'll get better. i think that as a photographer, i've grown quite a bit since my first shoot. And i enjoy being able to see those results.

Let me know what you think of the pictures. Hopefully with my class finished i'll be able to slowly start catching up on some of my other posts. Check back tomorrow for the rest of this wedding.