I always start my end of year blog post by saying ‘2018 was epic’… well, it was but this year the privilege of photographing weddings took on a whole new meaning for me…
At the end of 2017 I had a little girl… a much longed for IVF baby and she is literally my miracle. I knew in 2017 whilst shooting my usual number of around 30 weddings whilst pregnant that I would simply have to cut down in 2018 so my plan was to do around 20 (though I ended up capturing 24!)  I knew I wanted to spend more time getting to know Robyn and although I realised we would need some childcare (in stepped Robyn’s grandma) I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.
I am so grateful that this business gave me the ability to do just that Robyn. It was tough, someone asked me today if there was much work ‘after’ the wedding and I described it as an iceberg. The only part people really see is the wedding itself; me running round with my camera, eating yummy food and having a lovely time. In reality the ‘work’ is the part that’s 10 times larger hidden beneath the surface… the many, many hours of editing, emails and all the other jobs that running a business entails. On top of working weekends and lots of evenings family life in wedding season often has to take a back seat!
Every single one of my couples were incredible at allowing me to work round Robyn and her childcare as much as possible and I think most of my brides were far more interested in how Robyn was through our emails and meetings than me!
I know lots of mums feel they loose their identity a bit when they have a baby. Many have a year or more of work and it can be a pretty relentless day of feeding, changing nappies and trying to clean up.Â
Shooting 24 beautiful weddings really was my savior in allowing me to simply ‘feel like me’… I picked up my camera looked through the lens and captured what I saw; Beauty, fun, laughter, silliness, crazy dance floors, yummy meals, cakes to die for, cornfields at sunset, a gospel choir, a ceilidh, ice cream vans, beautiful new venues, Edinburgh streets, sparklers… you name it for 10-12 hours on a Saturday I could concentrate on what I do best…. SHOOTING!
Now I am a ‘mummy’ I can’t get enough of watching the day unfold through your parents eyes… the moment Dad sees you in your dress with a hanky and a few tears… your mum proudly zipping you into the gown you have spent many hours trying on with her by your side.Â
I am capturing the day predominantly for my couples but it also feels more than ever I am capturing it for the generations of your family. For your Grandma to have a photo on her mantle, for your mum to take her mini album out to show her friends but more importantly for your future generations. Should my couples choose to have a family, these photos ultimately are theirs. Having not been at their ‘parents’ wedding they are their ‘memories’ of that mythical day their mum and dad said ‘I do’.
I think it is all parents dream to one day see their children get married and I can only hope that I am lucky enough to see Robyn as happy as I see all my beautiful brides.
262 weddings captured since 2010… here are some of my favorite images from 2018…
0 Comments