11/24/2024
Almost ten years ago, I had the honor of shooting my very first wedding as the main photographer. It was an experience filled with beauty, joy, and an overwhelming sense of awe. Adam and Claire were an absolute dream—kind, gracious, and patient with the nervous, bumbling inexperienced version of me.
Equally unforgettable, though far less glamorous, was the anxiety-ridden post-production process. I had no clue how to properly set my camera, and the result was a collection of images that, in some cases, were completely overexposed or nearly impossible to salvage. One of the most striking moments was a shot in direct sunlight (the lower right photo), where my settings were so wrong that it came out almost pitch black. I spent hours—no, days—struggling through edits, trying to fix what I didn't yet know how to do right, all while working a full-time job, being a single mom, and a full-time student.
You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it. And once you do know, applying that knowledge takes time and patience.
It would take years of learning from my mistakes (unfortunately, that seems to be the only way I learn) before I would discover a deeper sense of purpose and confidence in my craft. Yet, in those early moments, I was blissfully unaware of how all that pain and struggle would shape me into the photographer I am today.
I am endlessly grateful that they took a chance on me, trusting in my potential before I even believed in it myself.
