Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Rose Shadow Box / Being a Pseudo-Wedding Photographer

Ah, so now I've found another cache of untapped photographs, many of which were taken with the blog in mind.  Always a good moment when discovering something heretofore neglected, these being captured when our son Andrew married his good wife Ellen.

I've learned to be careful, though, when lugging either the Big or Bigger Cahoonas around during a wedding, as there is a risk of either  a) getting in the way of the real photographers, or  b) being mistaken for one of the real photographers (though one time it was sort of fun).  As can be collectively seen from the pics in this blog, I generally don't like to take pictures of people, and at a wedding that's just a part of it.

Actually, I was asked once by a good friend to photograph his wedding, to which I agreed since he's a good friend and since he really likes my photography.  I was so nervous about it, however, that I called another friend - a photographer experienced in doing weddings - to meet me at the church the night before for some tips and to teach me how to work a new flash unit I'd just bought for the Big Cahoona, the D300s.  After that I felt a little less nervous.  But imagine when, the next day, the pastor told me I couldn't use flash during the ceremony!  My gosh, what a disaster.  The lighting inside the chapel was hideous and I didn't have enough experience to adjust to a plan B.  Needless to say, the bride and groom were less than pleased.  I vowed never to photograph another wedding, and have not since.

So now I wander about on a wedding day, capturing subjects such as this as unobtrusively as possible, offering anything the family likes for free.  It's almost people-less, with no obligation or time constraint, and a joy to capture and share.