I did my first bridal show Sunday in preparaton for the 2011 bridal season. A few years ago, a professional photographer friend asked me to assist them at a wedding they were going to photograph. I hadn’t done weddings for a lot of reasons; I had only recently gotten into portraiture, after being involved in commercial and fine art photography for a long time. I knew that weddings required stamina and skill and tied up weekends. It takes a great deal of moxie and preparedness to take on the responsibility of photographing a bride and groom’s very important day! It also takes a unique set of camera equipment that is expensive and requires skill to use properly. The most important quality of a great wedding photographer is passion. Nothing can replace it. I knew by my second wedding I was hooked. It was a natural progression… I’ve cried at every wedding I’ve ever been to and I was born with the last name Love and I’m known for the passion I put into anything I do. Need I say more? Why it took me so long to come to this is beyond me. But I’m here now!
There is nothing I can do to change the current trend of paying more for chair covers than a photographer but continue to do what I do best; creative, artistic storytelling through images. Nothing that is quality craftsmanship is inexpensive… NOTHING. I attended a seminar yesterday taught by a great wedding photographer out of the Detroit area. There are still many of us who believe that making the investment in wedding portraiture is something that will pay for itself over and over again so we continue to share ideas and learn new techniques to guarantee our brides amazing images.
This image is a prime example of the difference a qualified professional can make in your wedding portraits. It was 6:00 a.m. the morning after her wedding. She wasn’t happy about being up that early. We didn’t need her hair done or makeup on. We knew before we event got on the plane we wanted this image and dragged this fabric all the way there because the bride wasn’t wearing a veil. In the end, this image from a destination wedding was worth everything it took to create it. Don’t you think?