With every new wedding I am privileged to photograph, and every new family I am blessed to meet, I am slowly defining my interpretation of the term “wedding photographer.” Some photographers I know define their role as the “great friend” one dreams of, on one of the greatest days of a Bride’s life; someone who not only acts as a comforting source of support as they follow a Bride step by step, camera in tote, through each consecutive intimate moment, but who also maintains a strong schedule helping guide the wedding along, balancing both play and business perfectly. Some other photographers I know consider their role to be that of an artist; someone there to create art to capture each moment of the day and depict it in the most aesthetically enchanting manner physically possible, to be put together in a museum of memories for Brides and their Grooms to hold onto for their lifetime.
I have to say, I agree with both of these possible definitions of the term wholeheartedly. I know that as a wedding photographer it is my role to befriend my Bride, and to realize and cherish the reality that I will, indeed, be experiencing each moment as it unfolds on this incredibly personal day, standing right next to her. This is a privilege, and the only way I could possibly reward a Bride and repay her for this VIP ticket to her special day is by acting as her friend, showing comfort and support, as she allows me document this “once in her lifetime” event. I also, believe, that my role is that of an artist as well. I am there to use my skills as an artist and a photographer to create beautiful images. Otherwise, they would just ask Uncle Bob, with his point and shoot camera, to take a few photographs throughout the day.
However, I am beginning to realize that as a wedding photographer, my role is not only to be a friend and an artist, but most importantly of all, a storyteller.
My role as a great friend on the Bride’s wedding day is vastly important, but also one that could easily be accomplished by a Maid of Honor or a sister. And, a beautiful work of art is lovely, but has no definition when out of context. I enjoy photographing weddings because I love documenting other unique individual’s lives, and I absolutely adore telling their story. When I photograph a wedding, I am trying to put together a picture book, a true retelling of a day, that the Bride and her Groom can revisit and walk back for the rest of their lives as man and wife.
With each new story I tell, I am picking up on more and more special elements that I go out of my way to capture to better help me successfully write a novel of images. I search for the details, the little side conversations, the laughs, and the grumbles. But no matter how much I learn and how much I capture… no matter how beautiful the venue or how lovely the dress… the one thing that seems to consistently make a good story is the presence of good characters.
A good story is nothing without an awesome leading role, and on December 30th I spent my day telling the story of an awesome leading lady and all the wonderful, colorful, and happy characters that make up her family.
Bizzy took me by surprise when I first met her by her laid back, “matter of fact” aura. In fact, when we were just wrapping up our first meeting, I told her how refreshed it was talking to her, considering that so many modern Brides seem to let the stress of planning their weddings drag them down. Bizzy didn’t seem phased one bit, and I truly enjoyed that.
On the day of her wedding, I drove up to a terrific, big, white home that her family had rented out for her wedding weekend. It seemed to sit on its own peninsula on the beach in Rowayton, CT. When I entered the magnificent home, my first impression from when I initially met Bizzy stood strong. Bizzy was a Bride who was truly going to enjoy the day. She proudly wore a happy, worry free, point of view. She was not going to be distraught by missing flowers, or a hiccup in the schedule. She was going to be happy and stress free… and I loved photographing this character.
As I met her family, many of whom flew in from Ireland, I realized that this “take it as it comes,” easy going, positive, and genuinely friendly and happy point of view of life must be inherited, because each relative was just as pleasant as the last. Their comfortingly inviting personalities were only complimented by their charming accents. Her father, I enjoyed tremendously, as he greeted me with a smile, and continued to tell me how he once, too, did photography.
What enchanted me the most, however, while I snapped away on my camera, was capturing the interactions between Bizzy and her sisters. I seem to be building an affinity for photographing the way sisters relate to each other, as they always seem to be one of my favorite parts of weddings. Biz and her sisters interacted with such energy, character, humor, and a genuine quality! My lens loved it.
Great, happy, full of life characters make for great, happy, full of life stories. This is the story of Biz, her amazingly sweet, and amazingly inviting, family, on the day she married her husband, Jay at the St. Thomas More Church in Darien, CT.
Reception followed at Napa & Co., in Stamford, CT.
Bizzy’s dress was made by her Aunt, with lots of love.
I will always strive to capture that story.
xoxo
Lillie