My interest in photography started around 2017-ish…I was a late bloomer. I would see a photograph and really like it, but didn’t know why. At the time, I knew nothing about photography – lighting, editing, camera settings, etc. To test myself, to see if photography would be a thing I would learn, I began looking at photography blogs and paying attention to movie lighting. My interest then grew into knowing what it was I liked about a photograph.

I had no intention of becoming a full time photographer, so I bought an expensive camera. Ha! I second shot a few times and did horrible. I photographed friends and family for free, posing and editing them horribly. I had no idea what I was doing, but I kept doing.

When it came to the technical side of my gear, I was lost. I actually did learn pretty quick how to shoot in manual mode, use back button focus, blah, blah, blah….but past that my brain shut down. I knew what I wanted the outcome of my photos to look like but needed a little push to become more tech savvy.

This is where Brian comes into the picture. At the beginning of my career, I would sit on the couch with my laptop watching photography education videos learning all the aspects of running a business, how to pose people, camera settings, etc., and he would be in the room listening (although I thought he was not paying attention). I would get my camera out and practice – get frustrated – and tell him about it. He would then reply…..”Well, didn’t your video say to do this, this, and that”. Apparently, he was listening more than I was so I made him my second shooter. Ha. But he’s still my technical support and has taught me a lot about my camera settings.

Now to how I decided to become a wedding photographer. I am a behind the scenes type person always wanting to know what is going on behind closed doors. I want to see all the emotions…the laughing, the tears, the nerves or the calmness…of the day. I like knowing that right before the bride walked down the aisle, she had a first look with her dad and they had to pull it together for photos or that the groom just read a letter from his bride telling him how important this day is to her and how excited she is to start their life together.

This one is kinda silly, but I also love the formalness of a wedding day. I get a little fancy. Brian gets a lot fancy. The bride and groom and their wedding party get fancy. It’s fun to get fancy.

Here we are today, about 10 years into my wedding photography business. I’m still learning, which keeps it fun and interesting to me. Brian is still reminding me to take off my lens caps after I look through my lens and see black. We have fun doing this together. And we have fun doing this with all our couples.

And just for fun…a photo of Brian and I. We know what it is like being in front of a camera too. (photo credit: September Company)