The beauty of second shooting is seeing the experience from a whole new perspective.
The perspective is unobtrusive and observant, and while shooting I have to force myself to quickly grasp onto the concept of the day, the bride and groom’s relationship and the personalities of their friends and families. Not only is the couple counting on this second perspective, but so is the primary photographer.
Being that I was second, I had never met the bride or groom in person. I had seen their engagement video and images which helped, but for the most part I was shooting on a whim. It’s scary…having to be fully prepared for the unknown, but it’s part of the reason I love to shoot for others. It’s different and it keeps me learning new things that I can carry forward as a primary shooter as well as a second.
From this new perspective, I observed quite a bit: a beautiful bride, more excited than ever to marry the man of her dreams; Friends that love them dearly and a tight knit of sisters who were thrilled to see their sister wed. The wedding was beautiful; I LOVE outdoor weddings. The natural lighting is perfect and in turn…the photos become a beautiful reflection of the day.
Janie is beautiful and I love her style.
This image below may be one of my favorite preparation images that I’ve ever taken.
🙂 This makes me smile and think back to when I was a little girl and my mother would play pretend with me too. 🙂
There was a moment, just after Janie slipped into her beautiful wedding gown…where all those around were tending to last minute details before they headed to the church. And Janie, standing there in her ravishing white dress, took a second to looked down and then glance up with this expression.
Being a second is fun….I usually don’t get to see the bride JUST before she walks down the aisle. And since I began second shooting in addition to shooting my own weddings, it’s become one of my favorite moments.
Will you look at the way he looks at her?? WOW.
Another advantage of having an outdoor wedding is the mobility for your photographer. I hardly ever have the opportunity to shoot from this angle during a church ceremony. Here, however, I was able to photograph the first kiss from a unique position.
I believe this is my favorite image from the day.
Normally, during group shots, I’m instructing. I am organizing as the groomsmen cut-up, trying to keep their attention… 😉 But this time, I was able to take a step back as Erin handled the organizing…and I photographed the moments in between.
I.LOVE.THIS.MOMENT.
THIS…is their DJ. lol…
As the night came to a close, they exited underneath a row of sparklers.
I am so honored to have been there to photograph Janie + Josh’s wedding day. 🙂
Live Simply, Love Freely,
Catherine
Catherine – I think you missed your true calling as a poet! 🙂 I love shooting with you too! Love – Ebie
Wow. Cat, these may be some of my favorite photos of all time…and you know how much I love all of your other photos. These are just beautiful.
Catherine, beautiful photos. You are a wonderful photographer. Where was this reception held? It looks beautiful from what I can see. And I think that DJ looks like a lot of fun!
Georgina,
This wedding was held at Madison; the reception was as well! Thanks so much for the comments!!!