Well I went and did it. I hadn't put any red hot pokers in my eyes lately,
so I shot my first (and last) wedding last Saturday. I got a call at 11:30
am from my former sister in law asking if I would shoot her friends'
daughters' wedding at 7:00 that evening. She based her request on her
viewing of shots I've done of my kids over the years. They hadn't hired a
photographer and she thought of me the day of the wedding. I guess it was
her way of getting back at me for divorcing her sister. Anyway, being the
self destructive kinda guy I am, I said yes. I spent the rest of the day
sweating bullets and reading John Linds' primer. Thanks John! I gathered my
OM-2n, OM-2SP, OM-4T, and Kiev 60 too many lenses, too many flashes and went
on my merry way to self immolation.
Everything I've ever read about the horrors of shooting a wedding came
true. I knew the bride and her parents from years ago and always liked them.
I explained profusely that I'd never done anything like this and if they
paid for the film and developing I'd be game.I've come to the conclusion
that wedding photographers are true professionals. My poor anticipation of
important "gotta have" shots resulted in reloading at in-opportune times.
And this with 2 bodies loaded with film! I also came to the realization that
having fresh batteries in the flashes and winders doesn't make up for the
stupidity of not putting fresh batteries in the cameras! The old OM-2n
doesn't like to feed the flash ready signal too long.The OM2sp eats them
while sitting on the shelf as does the OM-4T. But fortunately God decided
that they would all die simultaneously to teach me hubris. Of course I had
left the OM-4T in my car as a backup. This happened at the conclusion of the
ceremony! Not being a complete idiot I had fresh batteries with me. I
unwrapped them and reached into my "EMPTY" pocket for a coin to remove the
battery cover.Flustered was an understatement..
I had setup near the altar initially but the brides' father decided I
needed to be at a location surrounded by folks with the courtesy of Attila
the Hun. A wonderful couple had decided to block access to my gear with
their baby carriage and child. I had been doing some pre-ceremony shots of
the bride and groom getting ready. I hope their lovely baby grows up to
become a crack whore! They were as cooperative as my ex-wifes' lawyer at our
divorce proceedings.
I got the film back today and sent it to the Brides parents for their
viewing. The Sunpak 522 did an admiral job ( thank you Chuck for the users
manual). I hate flash to begin with as I have no experience with it. I had
no diffusers but the pictures were better than I was expecting. Thankfully a
friend of the family,Patty,had been a photographers assistant and posed
everyone wonderfully. Without her, the night would have been a complete
disaster. When the groom asked how I would like them posed for the formals I
remarked, "How about in front of the camera?". Patty, an angel sent from
heaven, quickly sized me up and realized,"This guy is an idiot.I better help
out". It was an interesting experience and I was pleased with how well my
OMs performed. I was stalling on getting the film developed imagining the
worst. I actually got some good shots! Thankfully, I never broke out the
Kiev 60. That would have been another nail the coffin of my ever using
cameras again. I am really beginning to realize the need to go digital. Wait
a minute, I'm NEVER going to shoot a wedding again! My OMs still rule!!!
Bob
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