What Ferris Bueller can teach us about wedding photography

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One of the most enjoyable parts of being a wedding photographer (outside of photographing the most wonderful day in a couple's life, of course) is talking about weddings to prospective couples.

Maybe it's just me, but I love this part.

I get to pause, pull the camera away from my face and really examine the photos from a wedding - tell the stories behind the moments to someone who wasn't there.

Yes, it's a little like bearing your soul to a stranger, but that's the enjoyable part - it's a pure and uncluttered retelling of your process...OK, perhaps a little cluttered, but you get the point.

Last week's issue brought back a suitcase full of fond memories from wedding shows gone by, reminding me of stories and wedding moments that I've already forgotten.

But the photos brought them back and it got me thinking about the responsibility a wedding photographer has.

I know I wax poetic about the importance of what we do as wedding photographers, but allow me to "Daniel-san" once more and remind you that it's NEVER about you.

Sure this is your career and your camera, and your time and your talent, but what we do is for THEM - the brides and the grooms and the families and friends.

A friend showed me an old photo from a wedding she attended as a kid. She was probably 6 years old, and the couple was in their mid-20s.

You could see the light in her eyes as she remembered that day as a flower girl.

Then that glimmer in her eyes watered over as she told me how the bride, her aunt, passed away recently and far too soon.

The magic of that day is still there in that photo.

The joy between a man and a woman is still there.

The unbridled merriment of the guests is still there.

THIS one day holds all of that in this one photo.

And this is why we do it.

Of course, there are famous wedding photographers.

There are famous banjo players, too.

But fame is not why we do it. Money helps keep the boat afloat, but it's not why we do it either.

We are Historians. We are Preservationists. We are the Keepers of Records.

Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it," and he's right.

But life never slows down, and more often than not, we do not stop and look around.

But sometimes, on rare occasions, we pause for a photograph.

Perhaps it's a moment from our life. Perhaps it's a moment from someone else's that catches us just right.

Photos can do that. Books can't. Music can't. But photos can stop us, even if it's just for a moment.

When you go to a wedding, you carry with you an incredibly powerful device that freezes time. It preserves a moment forever.

So much can happen in that moment and sometimes nothing happens.

Sometimes, a person blinks.

Sometimes, they take a bite of food.

Sometimes, they turn at just the right moment, and their face blurs, making them almost unrecognizable.

And sometimes, they laugh.

They laugh so hard you never thought a person could ever laugh that hard in their life. They laugh and reveal a person you never knew.

You didn't create that person - you immortalized them.

People have told me things like, "Oh, you got that great shot of Grandma! She looked so happy!" and I remember why I love being a wedding photographer.

I didn't make Grandma happy, someone else did. I just stopped that moment and gave it back to them...so they could remember the joy that Grandma had in her heart. They brought that joy out of her. I took a photo.

Photographs are for everyone, that's pretty obvious, but PHOTOGRAPHY is for those who care about photographs.

Comedian Stephen Wright said, "Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film." This is both funny and depressingly true.

As a wedding photographer, we have the camera, we have the film, we have the access, and we have the power to take one day - an unusually emotional and joy-filled day and capture it into hundreds of tiny, priceless, split-second moments.

We also have the responsibility to make each moment meaningful to the generations that will appreciate them.

Lastly, at least for now, as wedding photographers, we are here to serve.

When you have the mind and heart of a servant, your job becomes so much easier.

This is NOT your day.

This is an extraordinary and emotion-filled event where YOU are the strong, cool and confident one - always in control and always ready to support the people who make this day memorable (hint: The bride is #1).

When you’ve accepted this role, you’ll have everything you could ever want in a career…including cake.

I've waxed enough for today. Happy shooting!

The WHY of being a wedding photographer is one small part of the “inner game of wedding photography. THIS is what I write about each week in this newsletter. If you want to be notified each Sunday morning when the new issue is posted, pop your email in and subscribe for free.

If you're interested in becoming a wedding photographer but don't know where to start, I can help.

I'm looking for one eager photographer to work with one-on-one to help become a wedding photographer. Call it a mentorship or training program, but for the right person, this could legitimately change their career.

Want to learn more? Shoot me an email at [email protected]