I Love What I Do

I’m not the sort of person who “wears their heart on their sleeve.” I don’t have a loud laugh or often make expressive gestures when talking. You probably won’t find me at the center of a large band of friends, entertaining everyone with my winning humor. And it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find me raving about how much I LOOOVE something (unless, of course, it’s Icelandic horses we’re talking about) in a loud and excited voice.

But, that doesn’t mean I’m not passionate about what I do.

I just assume everyone knows that already about me. But maybe I shouldn’t make assumptions.

For me, photography is both a personal and impersonal profession. On the one side there are the very technical aspects–exposure, lighting, composition–and on the other are the personal connections–relationships, perspectives, and passion. The greatest thing that I can do is to excel in both sides of the coin. If I have a great connection with my clients but no understanding of how to create a beautiful photograph, I’m useless. On the other hand, if I have the best technical training but am never able to move beyond the outward shell of my clients, then my photos will be perfectly boring.

Naturally, I’m interested in the technical aspects of photography, but it’s the personal connection that is far more meaningful to me. I want to know my clients. We may never be best friends and call each other every day, but I want them to trust me to see their emotions and the deeper side of their relationship. Now don’t think that I’m some sort of whacko Freudian-photographer reading something into nothing. That couldn’t be farther from the case. But I do know that it’s very difficult (certainly for me it is) to allow someone to see you at a vulnerable emotional moment–but a wedding day can be full of those.

On your wedding day you are not only marrying the person you love the most, but you are also joining two families and two histories (and all the baggage–good or bad–that goes with it). Add close friends and years of memories to the mix, and you can quickly be overwhelmed with what’s going on. Some grooms and brides are more stoic than others, but I don’t think that means they have less feelings than the next person.

So, my challenge as a wedding photographer is to be able to create a sense of trust and a connection with my clients that will allow me to capture some of their intimate emotions and incredible moments.

And I love being able to do that. For me, that is the highest achievement–that I was able to capture a moment or create a portrait that was only possible because my clients trusted me wholly. And in that instant, you’ll probably find me smiling. Not laughing loudly, crying profusely, or jumping up and down, but smiling because I was able to witness and capture someone’s most joyous moment of their life.

Thanks to Christina for the photo of me.