on Shooting Weddings

"What or who got you started in wedding photography? The lousy pictures I got for my wedding and honeymoon trip. I was very disappointed at the pictures I got, so I started to question the approach of the photographers. After which, I became a hobbyist and got to practice shooting for some of my friends’ weddings. So that’s how it started." -- Dino Lara (Interview with Crash Taylor)

I will start this blog by saying that I am not (well, at least not, yet) a wedding photographer. While there have been a number of inquiries, I have yet to take a professional gig with my own team. Perhaps, 2016 will be the year that I will take that big step up into the wedding industry. I am still very indecisive on that move.

From time to time, I do dabble into wedding photography but not professionally. I shoot from the sidelines most often at the behest of the couple or their family members. And they just want to see the guest's point of view of the wedding. And I usually only accept the invitation when I am comfortable with the photographers covering the event as I do not want to get in the way of those who are getting paid to shoot.

The wedding of Neil and Karina would be one of those times that I had my camera with me during the event. Neil has been my friend since gradeschool and Karina during my entry into the world of portraiture. And I also know the team from Homebrew Photography that was covering the event. So, I tagged along during the post nuptial shoot and had a couple of interesting photos. I didn't direct them or anything, I just looked for my own angles while the official photographers were doing their thing.

This 2016, I am looking to probably take some steps towards doing wedding photography gigs. While I have covered a number of weddings as a backup shooter, I do hope that I find the confidence to step up and be the main guy. There are things I still need to learn but I know I will get there soon. And I know that I can assemble a team that can back me up.

"‘How can I be the next Dino Lara?’ What would you say? Be yourself. Learn more of who you are and what makes you happy. Strive and change for the better, but never forget who you are, what you do and what you love." -- Dino Lara

 

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2016 bring you and your loved ones the joy and prosperity that you wish for! God Bless!

PS: There is another wedding that I attended a week after this one. I also had my camera with me then and I will probably post a some of the photos I took.

PPS: Dino Lara is my second cousin and a photographer I look up to. He, and his sister Gia, are two of the people that have inspired me to make this hobby a profession. I often go back to that article whenever I doubt myself and my craft. I hope to live up to my family name in the future.