Wedding Day Photography Checklist - all the things your photographer wants you to remember for your wedding day!

With the start of my wedding season kicking off this weekend, I thought it might be nice to publish the Checklist I give to all my clients before their wedding day.  I'm totally a list-maker (as evidenced by the world's longest "What To Do Before You Travel Abroad- a free travel checklist" or maybe by my list of style guides for 2015 weddings...)  and I've definitely been known to make lists including things I've already accomplished that day JUST so I can have the pleasure of crossing them off. I mean, who doesn't like feeling accomplished?  'wake up' CHECK. 'make coffee' CHECK. 

If you're a list-lover like me, and you're in the last chaotic days of planning your wedding, you'll appreciate this little checklist to make sure you've got your photographer covered for your wedding day. 

Published in Click Magazine!

I am super blushing right now reading the words that Lorna Gentry wrote about me and my business in Click Magazine. When they originally contacted me to see if they could interview me, I thought it would be a quick little interview for a side article.  our interview lasted for hours, I rambled, talked about how dance impacted me to become the photographer I am today (ps- did you see Misty Copeland was just named Principle Dancer for ABT? BOOM!), I spoke extremely honestly about the (accidental and happenstance and sometimes frightening) things that brought me to where I am today, and I left the interview hoping that Lorna would take to heart the truthfulness of my struggles, and bring those to light for Click's readers. 

What I sort of expected was an article that glossed over all these things and talked 'luxury weddings' and 'why it's so awesome to be a destination wedding photographer' and fluff. 

Then I saw this over-the-top beautiful article they laid out for me, which also clearly stated that my road to this success was equal parts drive, being in the right place at the right time, happenstance, and finally skill.  

My story is not like most... I didn't attend $10,000.00 workshops and hone my skill and enter the luxury wedding market as a photographer with a beautiful portfolio. At 22, After being turned down for a dance scholarship at my dream studio, I found myself pregnant, unmarried, a waitress, and without any direction at all. Any thoughts of a dance career were put on hold (as a matter of fact, I was on my way to another audition when I read my positive pregnancy test). As I struggled to find my place in life, I had a few friends ask me to shoot their weddings. Without ever having studied under another wedding photographer before (which I would now highly recommend), I shot my first few weddings with my dad's old 35mm film camera.  All the while, I was still trying to figure out what to do for 'a real job' and trying to figure out how in the world I was going to take care of this little baby that was coming soon. It was the start of the recession, and no one was hiring.  Except.... brides. This is all to say I fell into this business completely on accident, and that I was a wedding photographer before I realized that I Was A Wedding Photographer. I was a brand new (very young) mom, freshly rejected from all the things I had previously wanted in life, and starting a career owning a business in the worst economic times America had seen since the Great Depression.  There were so many nights I spent up until 4am working, and up again at 6am for my son. My husband was an incredible support, but his career forced him to travel out of state most of the week, and I found myself solo parenting and running my own business (never having taken a single business class). I used to lie about my age- I felt like I was too young to be taken seriously as an artist or business owner. 

It was learning on the fly, and making mistakes, and owning up to them, and growing from them- both in business and in motherhood. There was no 'Slow Down' button, or 'Tell Me What To Do' button.  And then Ron Howard found my work, and everything took off. 

and now, at 30 years old, things are more established and more put together, but I'm still learning. Every time a magazine I respect wants to feature me in an article I always have to double check that they have the right person- I still sometimes feel like that young mother shooting her first wedding and not knowing what the heck was going on. I wonder sometimes if they will see through my facade and realize that I'm just like the rest of them- hustling, crossing my fingers to book this wedding or that wedding, feeling defeated when a publication turns down a wedding I loved, burning my candle at both ends with business and motherhood, and always struggling to find the balance.  

The confidence is different now though. I've grown into a place where I don't worry: "will I nail this?". the pre-wedding jitters are gone, and it's been replaced with the same anticipatory adrenaline I used to get waiting in the wings to go on stage. I like running the show, I like directing, and I also like the moments when I'm not doing any of that and just quietly photographing the little events that are unfolding in front of me. 

Thank you to Click and Lorna Gentry- You guys have truly outdone yourself, and I am feeling a little shy, self-conscious, flattered, and above all grateful that you have taken the time to tell a little of my story, and hopefully it will inspire other young mothers to find a way to turn unexpected events into massive life opportunities.  

Nepal - The footage. and why I haven't spoken about it until now.

Where do I begin. I've procrastinated writing this blog post for almost 3 months. When I returned home from Nepal I began to draft all these posts about what a wonderful time I had and all of the great things that happened.  No sooner had I returned home Nepal was hit by the earthquake(s) that killed thousands, devastated families, and turned UNESCO world heritage sites (including the one where I lived) to dust. 

How does one talk about Nepal now? How do I publish a blog on 'top 25 things you need for long-haul flights to Nepal'  (which includes such essential things like facial moisturizer and mini humidifiers) and 'How I packed for three weeks in the himalayas in a carry-on" ? how do I talk about all the amazing things I experienced and did, while the Nepalese people- people with whom I shared meals, whose homes in which I stayed, whose language I feebly attempted to learn... when they have lost almost everything?  

In the days that followed the earthquake I had floods of messages coming through that said "thank GOD you were not there?!" but it only fueled my anger that I WASN'T there. my first and most immediate thought was 'if only I was there. I could have maybe helped one person. I could have helped funnel a cash flow to people on the ground immediately. I could have helped dig. I should have helped dig" 

here I am, another privileged white american... i'm here in my little house, safe and sound, back in my first world country. thank GOODNESS I left that third world country when I did. you know, before the disaster struck. I mean... I could have been injured you know. My camera could have been damaged. I could have been stuck there for weeks before aid came to evacuate me out of there. What would I have done? There wasn't even cell service to get on facebook and stuff. 

I think my guilt stems from the fact that i was there. i took pictures- pictures of what i thought Nepal should look like (from a Western and Biased view). I thought how great it was a few companies offered to send me little luxurious things (like facial moisturizer, fancy sheepskin slippers for the cold nights, extra packing bags, etc) for a review I was writing on what to bring while traveling.  

Traveling changes you... thats one of the things I value about it. It is supposed to bring you closer to other cultures and an added benefit of that is feeling more empathy and connection to that culture. It gives you a personal tie, it turns tourists into activists when a disaster strikes. But this time... this time is even more so. it's changed the way I look at necessities and luxuries- while traveling and while at home. It's held up a mirror for me- to see the way that any given local culture sees me as a tourist. it's even made me aware of how this post must sound "feel bad for me- the earthquake that devastated lives half-way across the world is making me feel really horrible while I live here in my cute little portland home."  

but I do think it's important to talk about how amazing Nepal is... how it is so much more than the quakes. And though I'm waiting on my film to get back from the lab... I'm going to show you a little tiny taste of what Nepal meant to me while I was there for the month of March. 

this was filmed entirely on my iPhone, and I am by no means a videographer, but some things need to be told in motion and sound. I pray that each person who happened to be filmed in this little video is alive and well and is beginning to rebuild their lives.