A couple of weeks ago I was going through some of my stuff to sort out for a garage sale. It was when I was going through my closet that I found the first wedding I ever photographed on a disc. I stopped for a second and remembered the day. Then I was curious to see what the images looked like so I popped the disc into my computer and started going through the photos. I was a little embarrassed that I was even THINKING about sharing them today. But then I remembered that I had to start somewhere and I’ve come a long way since then.

It was 7 years ago – May of 2006 that I shot my first wedding. I was fresh out of high school and had no wedding experience at all. I loved photography…but I wanted to be like Ansel Adams and just shoot landscapes. Never did it occur to me that photographing people would be the path I chose. The couple who approached me were family friends and said they would pay me $200 to document their wedding. You heard it right, $200. 

With my Canon Digital Rebel XT (which might as well be called X-Tinct with all the new rebels canon pumps out), and my 18-55mm stock lens I was all set and ready. Here are some photos from my very first wedding…

I took way too many photos of her getting her hair done. Like 60 pictures. Now, I don’t start photographing the bride until she has most of her hair and make-up done.

Yes folks, the bags are over the dresses.

I remember this shot being my favorite.

I used direct flash…

More direct flash…

What you don’t see pictured from my first wedding are many more blurry photos and bad direct flash images.

By now you’re probably asking yourself, ‘Okay, what’s the point of this post?’ Well, to all the new photographers out there…Don’t give up on something you love to do. Continue to educate yourself. Be inspired to better your photo skills and strive to be something better than you think you can be. My grandma always told me… “Practice makes perfect!” And over the years I have done just that. I’m far from perfection but I’ve made progress.

Some things I have learned about photographing weddings since my first wedding?
– Practice, Practice, and Practice some more.
– Second shooting: familiarizes you with the timeline of wedding days from start to finish.
– Show up early to scope out photo locations.
– Have a plan of action.
– Be friendly and outgoing.

Do you have any that you have learned since your first wedding?

I’ll leave you with some photos from recent weddings:

Happy Thursday!