The most exciting thing to happen in April was the opportunity to shoot my first wedding! UUuhhhh can you say, surreal?! I was originally supposed to have an assistant but the day before the wedding an emergency presented itself and she could no longer help me. After about 10 minutes of utter panic I regained composure and mentally prepared for the task ahead, and let's just say all in all the day was GREAT! There were multiple times where I had to fake like I knew what I was doing, but ultimately everything went off without a hitch and I got some amazing photos. Being the photographer has got to be one of the funnest jobs you can have at a wedding--you really get free reign the whole day to go wherever you want and make people do whatever you need. You get to see all the behind-the-scenes and you get priority position at any given time. I think the scariest thing about shooting a wedding is being your own boss, and what I mean by that is that when it's just you taking all the photos (no assistant, side shooter, etc.) no one else is able to see what you're producing and no one else is able to offer you any constructive criticism or guidance--it's all on you to know that you're doing well and getting the right shots. Also, if you miss an important moment, there's no one there to bail you out with a backup shot. I had multiple nightmares leading up to that day, nightmares where I envisioned myself coming home and realizing that every photo I took was out of focus.... But I'm happy to report that was not the case. The ceremony was maybe the most stressful 30 minutes of the day, and knowing where to stand and the right time might be a job in itself, but after that was over I was extremely at ease. I think shooting this wedding solidified my desire to pursue wedding photography. Not because it's where the money is, and not because of the romance, but because to capture someone's wedding day is a job you can't help but love doing. As I edit the photos I have a huge grin on my face because I'm happy for them, but I'm also happy that my work will be with them for the rest of their lives! Delivering never felt so good. :)
This month we also had a few visitors; my aunt, uncle, and their 2 gold retrievers drove across the country with their RV and spent a week living in our driveway. They left their house at the end of march, drove through Utah's national parks, skied in Colorado, and stopped in at the Long Beach Grand prix before making it to us, and now they have gone up the west coast through all our big cities and are currently soaking up Oregon's Crater Lake. They plan to return home sometime in May when they are done exploring... I'm so jealous!
Last weekend my sister and brother-in-law announced to the world that they are going to be parents come October. I have known about it for some time but I haven't been allowed to tell anyone or share my photos, so now I can say I'm pretty excited about it! I'm sure you will be seeing a lot of maternity photos in the next few months, and a ton of newborn photos come holiday season. ;P
Today I got contracted to take photos at a baby shower in La Mesa and tomorrow I'm headed up to Long Beach for the day to photograph my niece and nephew's first communion. I don't know what it is about holding a camera in my hands, but I seriously love it. I can't wait for what's next!
(after 9 hours of shooting and being on my feet I made James take a photo to commemorate the day!)
I don't intend to post a lot of my photography work on this blog because I don't want to inundate those who come here just looking to find out more about what the Doskocil's are up to, but if you are interested please feel free to subscribe to my Photo Blog here.
