Thursday, October 23, 2008

wedding feedback

Being given the opportunity to document a wedding is huge. It's such an important event. Emotional. Memorable. And lots not forget...just a wee bit of pressure! Missing a shot means that it's gone forever. Executing is everything.

Wedding day jitters consume me. Ask Sara. Until I get there and take my position (behind the lens) ... my mind is scrambling to ensure that I have everything covered.... camera bodies (check)....batteries (check).....flash cards (check)....lenses (check)....flash units (check)....and so and so on. Delivering to my client is the goal. I'm very critical of myself and my work, so when I hear good things it's the ultimate reward.

I got an email from Brett this morning which truly made my day. I smiled just a bit :) OK...a lot. Being my birthday...this was quite the gift! This is what it's all about .....

With Brett's permission:

Hey John,

Thanks a lot for sending the link to the wedding photos over. Leah and I were really happy with them. We were especially surprised that so many were so good - we figured a higher percentage would have awkward smiles, blinking eyes, etc. hehe...

We especially liked (in no order):
- the shots of the church outside. These will really help us remember the day, the weather and how we physically felt before/during/after.
- the range of emotions that you captured in Leah's grandfather. All of the grandparent shots were great, but, that series of shots of him is especially poignant.
- the shots of my parents dancing. It is really nice to see how happy they are and how happy they were together.
- the shots of Leah and I being "comfortable". It's really nice to see Leah herself under the make up, hair and dress. I know some wedding photos I have seen show the bride as just a bride - through circumstance or dress or whatever, they look totally different then they do normally.

There is, of course, much much more, but, that is what I can think of while mired here at the office.

Also, you should know that I've personally received really positive feedback from two people (and have heard about feedback given to my parents and Leah's parents) regarding how impressed they were with how you carried yourself. The people that spoke to me were very appreciative of the way you moved around the room without being a huge presence.

So, thanks again. We both agree that this is an excellent record of what happened and will provide us with a ton of great memories during our lives together.

Lastly, since people have asked (at least one is a mother of a bride-to-be), can you send over a few business cards? As we share the pictures that'd be nice to have.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

Best,
Brett
And a follow up....

Nice - happy birthday! That's is why it took a few days to write back to you about the pictures: we wanted to take the time to share how we really felt about them. Please feel free to use my email on your blog. I'd say that, if I had to pick just one, the best aspect of the photos is the visceral nature of the style. That is, when looking at the outside church photos, I can feel the warmth of the day and the texture of the tux. When I see my parents dancing, I can hear the song and the laughter. etc.
That rocks!

1 comment:

Sara said...

i told you that you get all worked up for nothing...nothing!