Lianne’s nephew, Josh, got married last month. That’s not the weird part.
As Aunt Lianne and Uncle Roger, we were at the wedding and had a great time. That’s not the weird part either.
Here’s the weird part. It was the first wedding I’ve been to in 40 years where I wasn’t working.
Yep. 40 years and more than 800+ weddings later, I went to a wedding as just a guest.
I must admit it was a bit weird but also a whole new experience, just sitting back, watching and enjoying the goings on.
No worries about being late for the ceremony or the dinner. Usually I’d be watching the clock and hustling people from one place to the next.
No worries about the weather (it drizzled right up until the start of the OUTDOOR ceremony). Normally I’d be scrambling to find sheltered locations for stunning photos in crappy conditions.
My Last Wedding
I shot my last wedding just about a year ago. It was one of those crazy weather days for one of the most important weddings of my career. Nancy Stevens (we call her the “daughter we never had”) worked for us for many years, starting when she was in high school. She retouched and assembled countless wedding albums over the years. When it came to her wedding she knew what she wanted and she wanted us to photograph her day.
September 10, 2016 was one of the worst weather days we have ever dealt with for a wedding. Nancy had reserved the gazebo on the shores of Lake Ontario in Kingston. Beautiful, picturesque and a wind tunnel for the gale-force winds howling in off the lake. With bright sunshine rapidly alternating with driving rain every half hour it was truly a photographer’s nightmare.
Did we manage to get some great images? Of courses we did. Was it everything it could have been? Not with that weather. Although the evening did end with a spectacular panoramic view of the Kingston Harbour lit up with a blazing lightning storm.
Here’s a small sampling of some of Nancy’s wedding photos.
The Future
Sitting back watching another photographer work was fun. Surprisingly I didn’t jump in even once to fix something or organize a better grouping. It was a whole new experience for me.
While we are no longer shooting weddings, we are NOT retiring. Family portraits, studio portraits and commercial photography are all still part of our business life. That, combined with video production, websites and graphic design is more than enough to keep us busy.
