Wheelchairs and vomit, lost rings ....OH MY!!!

First wedding shoot under my belt!

Ok at this juncture I should probably be elated, proud, relieved its over........

To be honest, if any other wedding shoot I do is like the one I just shot I will be reduced to a gibbering wreck holding my knees and rocking myself while i sob.

It was, how can we say ........eventful.

Few mishaps along the way, some unexpected surprises and some nasty ones too.

I barely escaped with my sanity.

Now for all those people out there looking to shoot their first wedding with no helper or little preparation, my advice is to book yourself into a psych ward now.


Don't let these words put you off though.

Ultimately it was a lot of hard work, I learned plenty of mistakes NOT to do in future, I learned a little about myself and it was a memorable experience.

I joked a lot after saying stuff like "Never again" and "No more weddings......EVER" but in truth,


Id love to get more experience at these events.

I didn't get all the shots I wanted and was not entirely happy with the ones I did get, but I learned a heap of valuable lessons.

First lesson:
Always have at least one helper for your gear (preferably 2)


Second Lesson:
Know the Schedule backwards and prepare to take charge if the schedule slips


Third Lesson:
SLOW DOWN!!!!

Its true that you have little time to "GET THE SHOTS" sometimes but its better to have a handful of awesome photos than 2000 junk photos.
Running and Gunning is no way to shoot a wedding.

I found I needed to slow down, Pick my moment and shoot a good shot, machine gunning shots it pointless and creates a million images to edit and prepare for a book or dvd etc


Fourth Lesson:
Know your STYLE and stick to it.

There are so many rewards to getting great shots from a wedding (i wish I got more from my set) and with a little care, patience and perfect planning wedding shoots can be a lot of work but a whole lot of fun too.

Through looking at the images I shot and seeing my style emerge, as well as having it pointed out to me by my good friends Shannon Allison and Jimmy Beltz, I came to recognise where I fell foul, where I did ok and where my individuality lies.

Personal style is not something that can be taught, it JUST HAPPENS. It will emerge the more you shoot.

I have been schooled in recognising my style, and its been suggested I stick to it.
(And I intend to from here on in.)

This is great advice.


DO YOUR THING, YOUR WAY, AND TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, AND YOU WILL CREATE AWESOME IMAGES EVERY TIME.


Fear of weddings????? me??????? Not any more!!!!