Danielle and Luke's Wedding

Because of my passion for Creative Photo Workshops and my digital photography tutorials site, The Five Minute Photographer, I am concentrating less on wedding and commercial photography these days. Not that I won't accept assignments as they come in, but rather that I will be less hungry to look for them. I must admit, that is a great feeling to begin the new year with. I am really enjoying the process that my photography is taking me through at the moment.

However, Saturday was Luke and Danielle's wedding and I was so glad to be there! I had been recommended to them by Matt and Andrea Rolfe, who themselves run a successful photographic studio in Cheltenham, Victoria. I have known Andrea since she was only a little girl and her father, Ian Rolfe and I have been fellow photographers and friends for parts of three decades. Ian wrote for my magazines for over thirteen years and is a passionate landscape photographer. Small world, isn't it? Yet, I digress...

Luke and Danielle made it clear in our original discussions that they while they were eager to have lovely photographs of their wedding, they themselves were not all that great at having their pictures taken. Danielle particularly was not looking forward to that process. Nonetheless they were hoping that I could break through that barrier and still produce wedding images that they would love. They understood how difficult it is to create some of the images they wanted purely spontaneously so they were prepared to 'put in' as it were, but it was not something that they felt they were actually comfortable with.

And herein is the issue for the wedding and portrait photographer. As I often say in our Creative Wedding Photography workshops, a wedding photographer needs to bring more than his or her camera to the wedding. They need to bring themselves, their hearts, their warm personal interest in the couple and their day. You can't accept an assignment with parameters like Luke and Danielle's and treat their wedding like just 'another shoot'. It just won't work.

Because Nathan could not assist me on this particular wedding, I had with me a rather whacky assistant, Natasha Humble, who, by her very presence in a curvaceous red dress and her gregarious personality made her an 'interesting' second shooter to say the least. I say that in the nicest possible way..of course! Personally, I look forward to the day she takes the big step and shoots weddings herself. I think she will be a force to be reckoned with! She has a great talent as a photographer, but also the ideal heart and personality for it. In her role as tutor for Creative Photo Workshops, she finds these opportunities ideal for gathering greater experience and she made my day so much easier too.

As we worked through the day, we found Luke and Danielle becoming far more comfortable with the process. Perhaps it was the champagne. Perhaps it was the fact that the ceremony was over. Perhaps it was that they were enjoying the process more or perhaps it was a combination of all three things. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our day very much and created some images we are all very pleased with.

And, as I always say - Thank you Luke and Danielle for the honour to photograph your wedding.

I say that because it is always an honour to be chosen to capture the most important day in a couple's life. There are many photographers in the world....and only one is selected. If you don't feel the honour in that, don't do the job.