This post means a lot to me. I was able to be a part of this beautiful couple’s journey from their engagement, to their rehearsal dinner, to their reception. It’s the first time I’ve been able to document all parts of a wedding journey. I was just starting out as a photographer, learning how to operate my camera, not even shooting in RAW yet (gasp!). Meghan and Jim asked me to take their engagement photos at the Michigan Capital in Lansing. I was so nervous I got to the site an hour early to walk around and find the best place to take photos. Once they got there I tried to do a mental checkpoint in my head of what photos I had looked at, what poses I had read about and did my best to get great photos they would love.


Fast forward a year and I was asked to take photos at the rehearsal / rehearsal dinner at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church and Jimmy’s Pub in East Lansing. I had a year under my belt and was much more familiar with my camera (still shooting in JPEG) but I’d begun to be more comfortable and confident with my camera. 


Finally came the big day. At the church I worked with the primary photographer (who just happened to shoot my wedding https://www.cb-photo.com/ if you want to check him out) and with the permission of the priest I positioned myself up in the loft above the alter.

At the reception my wife and I were asked to be the host and hostess which made the day a lot busier, but I was still able to get a lot of great photos of the couple during their major activities. 


I constantly find myself looking back at photos. It cements these moments into my memories, and while in this instance I’ve photographed this particular journey into marriage, I find that I’ve also documented my journey as a photographer. Documenting my growth and passion. I hope you’ve enjoyed this long post, I’ve got a few more in the coming days to post including a run down on the technical aspects of how I shoot. 




Leave a Reply