yesterday i spent nearly eleven hours on my first official photo shoot. it was a wedding of a great friend from work and it was a scary privelege to be asked to photograph their daughter's wedding. scary because this is not what i do professionally, but it is something i love to do. i love to catch moments, stopping them in time, and being able to give a gift that adds to a memory for someone. i have always been awed by photography and by photographer's that capture images that stir the soul.
i work with a photographer like this. i am not sure if he sees himself as a great photographer, but i truly believe God has given him an amazing gift. i am moved to my core, connected to God's people and His creation through his photos. you can see some of his work here. he blessed me last week with a few pointers, just days before i was to snap away at the wedding. i was so thankful for his time, his insight, and some tidbits of wisdom he shared (they were several that really saved me!)
saturday's wedding was a huge learning experience for me—and not only on as a photographer. i arrived early and was instantly immersed in college friendships/sisterhood. as with any wedding, stress levels were high. there were lots of contributing factors, including a family medical emergency just days prior, but love, support and friendship filled every room in the house. girls giggling, sipping iced coffees over curling irons and hairspray.
laughter filled the house more often than not as the girls listened to tunes that had them reminiscing as well as planning the day and days ahead. as i watched and interacted with these girls, documenting this journey and their bond, my heart knew that this was the kind of friendship God had in mind for girls of all ages. (my church has created girlfriends with hopes of nurturing these kinds of friendships in women). it is this kind of friendship that we need throughout our lives, and not just as kids, or as young adults.
what rises in us as girls, young adults, or women where we switch from loving each other to competing with and hurting one another? what happens to our spirit of goofiness and giddiness. when do we become too old for fun? or as my nephew so eloquently put to me last night, "why do we buy in to being strapped down?" how so? being wired like his auntie, with a love of travel, of free-spiritedness, and of fun, he sees the 9-5, burdened with mortgage, and never-changing daily routines as stifling. as we talked more, i remember when i felt the same way—probably when i was his age. some very interesting thoughts flooded my head last night, but more on that later.back to lessons from a photo shoot.
we found ourselves at the church, mid-day in the stifling arizona sun. i think on more than one occasion each member of that wedding party and their families thought to themselves "what were we thinking of when we planned a wedding in july, in arizona?!?!" but you would've never known it. never was a complaint uttered. some good ribbing and fun, but everyone was game for photos in the sun - even at our heat peak around 2pm.
one of the lessons from this moment - shoot fast because it's hot and with four little ones that are literally melting before your eyes you have to get the shot fast. overall everyone involved in posing for pictures was amazing! family and friends alike were loving being a part of this moment of the bride and groom's lives.and as with any wedding ceremony, sitting through the vows always takes me back to the day of mine and causes me to examine where we are at in living up to those promises. it's been a hard year for the michetti's, and that's probably one of the understatements of the year. but God has been faithful. a divine appointment with my sr. pastor and his words of wisdom, "every day wake up and pray: not my will, but Yours" has allowed me to get through and continues to keep me going. at the reception, the bride's grandparents, together 58 years, were applauded. 58! how that love, commitment and devtion must cause God's heart to swell. Love as He intended it. Commited-through good times and not-so-good; through highs and lows. their words of wisdom to the newly-married couple? "Live it up!" what a riot they were.
i am still processing some of the other lessons and observations from this experience, and maybe they will lead to future blogs. but tonight, as i process through nearly 2500 photos (did I do you proud JBL?), i feel blessed by what I was a part of yesterday. and my favorite part of the day? I got to share this experience with my nephew, tyler. i loved "working" with him...hmmm, maybe we should do it again?!?
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