Mission

After the initial photographer got sick, I received the offer to step in last minute for the big day. Despite some challenges, the shots turned out well enough for the young wedding couple's liking.

Challenges

Due to the short time window, many hardcomes occured. The short and shallow briefing made it difficult to plan a shot list, not knowing the schedule and location. Everything had to be improvised on the spot, while trying not to miss any of the special, once in a lifetime moments.

Additionally, I did not have my own camera accessible and thus was given loaned equipment to work with for the day. Being unfamiliar with the camera and lens only exerts more pressure to an already challenging situation, especially given the wedding's environment. The location included four sections: the main event room with platform and bar, the dining room, the conservatory as well as an outside area – each coming with different lighting, requiring me to constantly make changes to the settings of my alien camera.

Schedule

My day started a little ahead of the usual guest, joining the groom and best man in their hotel rooms for the briefing while sneaking some shots during the preparation.

Early in the noon, the couple arrived outside of the location and joined the patient guests. Casual talks overshadowed the excitement while everybody was catching up and taking pictures together all around the beautiful location, wanting some memories to hold on to.
Soon, the wedding ceremony began taking place in the main room, while the dining room and buffet in the conservatory were prepared. Big emotions, many hugs and falling tears followed the sealing kiss, turning the young couple into wife and groom.

The day ended with a rich meal and the opening of the dance floor in the main room to burn some of the wedding cake's calories. Though I still accompanied the event until late in the evening, photos from this part of the day won't be shown here for privacy reasons.

Conclusion

While this was a stressfull event for many reasons, it served as a great learning experience for the 20 year old amateur photographer that I was. I hope you enjoyed the article and my selected work. If that is the case and you would like to work with an ever growing talent, feel free to contact me!