i debated about writing about this.
i'm actually a little embarrassed.

i love books.
and generally, when i start a book
i see it through til the
painful finish
even if it's a book i hate.

and i really wanted to like this book...
i really did...
but,
i don't.
i just don't like it...
it irritates the hell out of me.
maybe i am the wrong age to read it,
maybe it's because i am not a traveler,
i am not spontaneous, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants...
so i find myself
shaking my head
thinking...oh my gawd...c'MON...get a job...
settle down...open a bank account...
and maybe,
that's exactly what draws other people to it.

but not me.
i can't do it.
and with the bitter realization
that i only made time to read
8
measly books last year,
i have come to the
conclusion that i can't
read it
just because i started it.

{and in all fairness,
i feel like i gave it a chance...
i am 125 pages in of 308 pages.}
i tried.

maybe i should watch the movie instead.

i love catching stolen moments.
it's why i love wedding photography
(and why i can't/don't do mini sessions)...
even for family sessions/engagement/maternity
i need an hour set aside
so that we can have some time to warm up
to each other and maybe allow
for an activity that will help me get some
"real" shots...like tickle fights, walking along a beach
or skipping stones...

i am an introvert by nature.
i can push myself out there and interact
but it is draining for me...
i do SO much better when i can
skulk around the shadows
and people watch,
camera in hand,
waiting...
just waiting
for that moment
when there might be tears
or a big belly laugh
or an unexpected bear hug...
the groom tenderly touching the brides hair
without me telling him to...
shared whispers during the ceremony,
a quick kiss when they think no one is watching...

yes, of course, there has to be formal shots
during a wedding
and i do them &
they have been lots
of fun :)
but i try not to give a ton of direction.
i want the photos to look like you...
so while i may say
look at each other,
look at her,
look at me...
you will hardly ever, ever
hear me say
"smile"....
i may say "just stand how you feel
comfortable first"
and then make a adjustments
if we need to,
"how do you feel about putting
a hand in your pocket,
wanna try putting a hand on
your hip"
but i want it to seem like
something you would naturally do.

i will try to watch for
stray hairs blowing around
or fix a jacket or a strap
but mostly,
i'm looking for moments,
for emotions,
for the feelings of the day.

i don't pose first look photos
for the groom or the parents
or the bridesmaids...i just
"set them up"
and then i will be very clear
that when you see her,
please do not wait for direction
from me,
do whatever comes naturally to you...
you will hear me say
"just pretend i am not here,
this is just what you do on a saturday"
even when doing the "formal" shots,
because i want real smiles...real moments...
if a little one doesn't want to smile during the
formal shots, the last thing
i want to do is badger them.
i know that we will get some great shots
of them later...and if kids are making
faces during the formals,
i may say "smile" then
or have everyone say "fuzzy pickles"
to try to get a smile
but i won't single them out...
because smiling on cue is hard.

it is always my hope that
if you book your wedding with me,
you are booking it
based on previous work
that has been shared...
and not just on price alone
(price is a whole other issue with me,
people often tell me that
i am pricing too low
but this has never been about money
for me...it's about moments... :)
and i want to be accessible to
any type of wedding...
i love everything from a big church
to a backyard bonfire wedding).

every photographer develops a "style"
and i think if i had to describe mine,
it would be "journalistic"...
i'm hoping that the photos will
tell the story of your day.
they may not always be perfectly framed
with everyone looking at the camera
smiling pretty.
honestly...
some will be just be funny... :)
but there will also be
moments of real laughter & tears & love,
silliness & tenderness mixed together...
the way a wedding often is.

every wedding that i shoot
i think of my own wedding
and try to shoot the moments
that i wanted caught.
i never go to a wedding
and consider it a job that
just "has to get done".
it's so much more than that.