Last week I had the honor of flying to Canada to be in my dear friends Martina and Jordan’s wedding. That’s right friends, I was IN a wedding! I was pretty sure I was going to feel naked without cameras around my neck, but I found that it was actually quite fun.

On my flight from Georgia to Seattle I sat by a nice gentleman who was intrigued by my choice of entertainment for the plane ride. I was reading the classic novel Count of Monte Cristo. I was engrossed in my novel when I was interrupted by my neighbor’s question as to the book’s enjoyability. I assured him that it was delightful. That caused us to veer into a discussion filled with many topics. He asked me one really good question that stuck out in my memory. After I told him that I was a wedding photographer he asked me what would be a reason to hire me? What did I have to offer as a wedding photographer?

This was my response more or less: I’m passionate about stories. I have always loved to tell stories. It started out with me being passionate about writing stories. Even as a kid I would write short stories almost every day. Then I started to watch my father tell people’s stories all around the world with his camera. It was then that I feel in love with photography. I became passionate about photography’s ability to capture tiny moments in time to be cherished forever. As my love for the artistic side of photography grew, so did my interest for the technical aspect of photography. So I chose to study photography in college. It was there that I found myself falling in love with my camera all over again.

I also explained that I like to help the bride and groom relax, enjoy, and remember their wedding day. I like to take them away from everyone else and watch their love unfold in front of my camera. It’s such a cool experience for me to watch because every couple is unique.

After sipping my complimentary cranapple juice, I continued talking to the gentleman next to me. I talked a lot about my tilt shift lens. He was very technically mined so he was fascinated by the concept of the lens.

I’m glad the man next to me asked me that important question because if I had been unable to answer, I would have no right to call myself a wedding photographer.

The rest of my rip to Canada was wonderful. Not only was I able to be in the wedding party, but I also got to shoot a few pictures of Martina getting ready before the wedding. I wanted to share a few shots here.