Brooke and Kenny

 Five years ago I shot my first solo wedding. It was really my first official job with this business and quite a life changing experience. I had worked many weddings before with a few companies but that was mostly video work and with the photo work I had done I hadn’t been the lead camera-man before or operated under my own liberty. Brooke and Kenny, though only having seen a small amount of my work, trusted me and hired me to shoot their special day. Having been friends with their family I was honored and very excited for the opportunity. I am still so grateful to them for trusting me. I was considering trying out my own business in photography at the time and this was the first step towards that. I bought my first own fuji-film camera that spring and did lots of messing around with photography. I was nervous for the actual wedding, since usually I had someone to back me up with capturing these occasions but being a lead and solo photographer was very intimidating. I really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect occasion to begin however. Their wedding was very small due to covid restrictions and changes, which was a positive only for me in the sense that I had much less to focus on capturing. Brooke and Kenny had also chosen such beautiful locations which made it so effortless to capture the beauty. They were so kind and comfortable with me, to this day they were one of the easiest couples I’ve ever captured. The photos we took in the park before the ceremony were made so effortless by their ease and naturalness in front of the camera . Even now after capturing so many weddings thereafter, the photos we got that day remain my favorite wedding portraits I’ve been blessed to photograph. The weather that morning did not cooperate as was hoped. It was very cloudy and rained lightly here and there. Luckily the location we shot at was quite ideal for the occasion and provided enough shelter, along with the umbrella they brought which helped produce some very pretty and aesthetic photographs. I am sure the conditions that day are likely why I’ve been influenced to love and cherish cloudy/rainy weather for photoshoots. Weather like that is always my favorite to work in. I had a lot to learn about the responsibility of shooting weddings and all the intricacies of the process, and clearly there were things I needed much improvement in that day. Regardless, I was so happy and still am with how the photos turned out and how the day went. I hope they cherish the memories as much as I do. I’m so thankful for that day and for their kindness. After that opportunity they provided me with, I knew instantly I had such a love and passion for photography. It was from that day onward I knew I wanted to pursue capturing more memories for people, and that I would put my all into this business, fail or succeed. I loved it.   

A couple years after their wedding they hired me again to shoot them with their first child. I was honored to capture them again now as a family with their daughter. And again it is one of my most cherished memories of work I’ve done. Unfortunately, I seemed to produce frequent fits of crying whenever their daughter laid eyes on me. While understandable on her part, it made getting solo photos of her slightly difficult haha. However, with Brooke and Kenny’s help and guidance we did capture some beautiful memories. I owe much to them and their family & will be forever thankful for their many kindnesses which I have not merited but know came from the simple generosity of their hearts.