My First Wedding Shoot

Can I say jitters? I was pretty nervous taking wedding photos for the first time. Everything from planning and leading up to the big day. It’s crazy how your first time is always the most nerve wrecking; making sure all parties leave happy and satisfied.

The venue was at The Kellogg House, Pomona. I went there a month prior to the wedding date to scout the house and see which lenses would work for the wedding reception. I was able to meet the wedding planner and DJ to work out the agenda for the night. If you don’t now already, the Kellogg House in Cal Poly Pomona was constructed in 1962 with the architectural decor of a ranch-style house. I was told W.K. Kellogg was short and that’s why his door handles were really low so that he could easily reach them. Not sure how factual that was. Not going to lie, there were moments when I felt very creeped out being in the house because of how eerie it was when left alone. Each room and bathroom was isolated. The bathrooms especially was so dark, you couldn’t see what was on the other side because there were no windows.

Between scouting the wedding reception venue and the actual day I spent most of my weeknights YouTubing wedding anything. I had to mentally prepare myself for the actual wedding cause I, honestly, didn’t know what to expect.

The wedding day came by fast and my nerves were getting heightened. I was thankful that this gig was a small wedding party of 60 guests, so I knew people would consider this an “easy gig”. When I got to the venue, I was early, parked my gear, and got ready. The bride showed up a little flustered, but was able to calm herself and remembered to breathe. Once she showed up the wedding started to pick up and things started to get rolling.

The best part of being a photographer is that you are able to capture a picture of what you see fits with the bride and groom’s story of their wedding day. Their story told in our eyes to remember forever.

My expectation for this gig was to make sure that I caught the most memorable moments that social media has deemed “mandatory”. Checking off the boxes of:

• Bride’s dress
• Bride’s getting ready
• Groom’s getting ready
• Bride with her family
• Groom with his family
• The bride and groom with both families
• The alter
• ETC

To my surprise, I didn’t just capture and check off the boxes on the list. I capture moments of each guest’s reactions, the bride and groom’s love for one another, and pretty much the essence of who the bride and groom are with family, friends, cousins, co-workers, and etc.

It was fun watching the happiness that swirled the atmosphere this day. Going back and editing the photos allowed me to relive the moment.

Now you ask, “Would you do this again?”. The answer is YES. I think I enjoy doing weddings because I enjoy taking portraiture photography. There’s something about capturing those candid and beautiful moments that makes you appreciate the subject and results of the outcome. It was truly a moment to remember.

Heres a couple of my photos from my very first wedding gig. To view more click here.