There are only a few things in this world that would drive me to take four Advils (I've taken less than a bottle my whole life) and have two sleepless nights on Father's Day Weekend... and shockingly they have nothing to do with my two wonderful kids. Please allow me a moment to express my joy, nostalgia and sentiments. This weekend, Vicky and Stanley invited me to their wedding as their professional wedding photographer, though they treated me more like a guest.
They'll be plenty of time next week (when I finish processing the first of their photos) to talk about photography techniques, the beautiful couple and the wonderful ceremony that was experienced by all. Both the bride and groom were incredibly easy to work with during our two consults and numerous phone calls leading up to the big day. In a strange twist of events, this continued throughout the wedding itself, when ones thoughts naturally turn inward. On the contrary, lunch was provided to me (as well as a strange "calming" drink), a steady supply of cold bottled water and a seat amongst the banquet table amongst their friends of which a finer fellowship could not be had.
Their many friends must be attracted to them, like bees to honey and it was a blessing to have interacted with so many of them, in so many ways beyond just the photography. The groomsmen were gracious with laughing at my jokes and by the end of the evening, I'm not sure who was making whom laugh. Stan and Albert led a moving worship that tempted me to drop my cameras and sing along. Sharon and Vivian were hilarious trying to run across the soft grass in their heals which must have been like walking on quicksand. MC Amy expanded her one joke repertoire to buy me a few precious setup seconds between photographing events. Stan, Jeff and Joanna gave moving speeches as did others I'm sure if I had a better grasp of Chinese. Kevin and Feliza who are probably reviewing their video footage even as I type, are losing count how many times I unknowingly crossed their camcorder's path, but saved me food as each of the ten courses were served. The parents of the bride and groom provided thoughtful and reassuring accolades on my hard work and provided an almost blind faith in my abilities. ... and then there was my little friend Enoch who, despite being way past his bedtime at the ripe age of one, tried to show the bride and groom how to kiss. When the evening rolled to the end and all but a few remained, Stanley (yes, the groom) helped me load my equipment in the car, despite my insistence that he clearly had better things to do. Vicky, for her part, gave me a centerpiece for Michelle, which I in turn used to capture one last photograph for them.
The half-life of all the excitement was longer than my bedtime. Like Wendy and Steve's wedding before, so many aspects gave me flashbacks to my own commitment to Michelle and how our marriage is intended to be a manifestation of the ultimate commitment. ... and with that, it became self-evident that the reason I love photography is not for the manufacturing of the image, or even the photo itself, but for the blessing to participate in the most significant and intimate moments of other peoples lives, whether it's matrimony or maternity. Thank you Vicky and Stanley for letting me into your lives and allowing me to experience a bit of the immense love you have with each other and that you so willingly share with your family, friends and (church) community.
All right, back to our regular, goofy programming. Here's a shot of the Phat Photography Booth that was setup at the wedding reception. Like I said, fun folks...
0 comments:
Post a Comment