So a few months ago, a friend of mine asked if I would be willing to photograph her upcoming wedding. Her budget was tight and she was laid-back about the quality of the pictures. I was hesitant at first, but she assured me that she loved the pictures I’ve taken in the past (like the ones from Sopeak & Zay’s wedding).

I’ve been really nervous about this, because I know I don’t have the talent of a professional photographer and I really did want Christi to have good wedding pictures! I have a Nikon D40x, which is a lower-end DSLR. I knew I needed a better lens to be able to handle the low-light of the church, so I rented a great lens from a local store here in Atlanta. (It was also incredibly heavy. I think I got my workout from carrying that camera all day!)

I also have a friend who is starting her own photography business, and she really needs more experience and more photos of weddings for her portfolio. So she offered to be my assistant, which I was happy to take her up on it. She is much more talented and knowledgeable than me, and she has better equipment (starting with a Nikon D200!). It worked out really well – even though she was technically my assistant, our personalities were such that she tended to take charge and I let her get the better shots because I know my limitations as a photographer. :-)

Today was the wedding. I had a lot of fun taking pictures, but it will be the last time I do this. :-) I am glad for the opportunity to try it, but being a professional photographer is not for me. I was frustrated by pictures that didn’t turn out and I didn’t know why. (I suppose with some patience I could learn… but I prefer things like InDesign where I have a chance to do it over and get it perfect!) I hope Christi likes the pictures we got! Here are my initial favorites; I suppose I should have touched them up in Photoshop but it’s late and I’m exhausted. (I was on my feet for much of today!)