Weddings

Two of my friends have recently decided to get married in January, and they have asked if I can take photos. Congrats Kirst and Rach!
I should take this opportunity to point out that I've never really enjoyed weddings. Not for any specific reason, or any dislike of the event itself; it's just I have never really relaxed enough to enjoy one.
Because of my love of photography, I get asked to photograph weddings - I often refuse, only to quickly suggest that I take candid shots. The thing about wedding photography as a principal photographer, is that everyone notices you. It is almost impossible to get a decent natural shot - and that is so frustrating.
To get around this issue I get my friends to get someone else to do the boring "reportage" shots - in the meantime I can walk around taking my images. Later they appreciate those shots much more - because they look so natural, even though my job is much easier.
I still remember my first wedding - I'd just brought my Nikon F4S - my first camera. I was invited to take some candids - and the professional photographer didn't turn up. Talk about pressure! I went through eight rolls of film, and lost more than eight years from my life. The resulting photo's were fine - but I never wanted to experience that feeling of total panic again.
Years later, at my cousins wedding, a friend of the bride's family was coerced into doing the photos. Unbeknownst to him , his camera shutter was faulty and every single shot he took failed to expose. Forget how upset the bride was - the photographer was inconsolable, and probably still is to this day.
These days I take weddings with a grain of salt. Photography is so much more than snapping a button. It's almost impossible to get a decent shot without an mutual understanding between the photographer and his subject. Even if the subject doesn't know he's being photographed, the photographer has to have an idea of who that person "might" be. It's a kind of magic.
You can teach pretty much any person to take a photo; to focus, to set the exposure correctly. But you can't teach someone how to react to a subject, or to push that button instinctively. And that makes all the difference in the world.

Every decent image a photographer takes involves a personal interaction. The better the understanding of the subject the better the image. And the more photographs you take - the higher your expectation of the result. It's a vicious circle, but the rewards are worth it; especially when you capture something special, and even if you fall for the bride :)

She's even more beautiful in real life!