I’ve been to about 5 weddings this year and while I almost always take my camera and I do get some decent shots, I have never been the primary photographer (I always make sure to get out of their way) until I was asked by my good friend to shoot her wedding on New Years Eve.

I’ve always believed that shooting a wedding should be left to the professionals as I appreciate the pressure and how wrong it can go. When Sinead asked me I gave it a lot of thought and spoke to her about expectations and the fact that it wasn’t what I did for a living. I made sure she understood that I would do my best and that I wouldn’t have insurance for anything should my camera break, cards fail, batteries die (although that would just be stupidity), I wouldn’t really know what to do if it rained etc etc. I know Sinead pretty well and she understood all of this and was still happy for me to shoot her day.

It was incredibly hot at Melbourne Zoo (about 36 degrees celsius) and in the bridal party we had an 8.5 months pregnant maid of honour, 3 guys in black suits, blistering, kill me now sunlight, and a lovely guide (with an esky of beers!) to walk us through the photo hot spots which we were warned was quite a walk.

The maid of honour was amazing and soldiered on throughout the whole shoot, taking every opportunity to sit down. Sinead was also blessed with a fantastic bridesmaid who took care of the dress and making it look good whenever we stopped.

The most important aspect for me though and one that I am incredibly grateful for, was that a few weeks earlier, I met another photographer at a friends party; Lou Lou Nutt. Lou Lou offered her services and I gratefully accepted. We had a great day and worked really well together.

Lou Lou was AMAZING and I cannot stress enough the importance of having someone assist you. Being a very capable and experienced photographer herself (Lou Lou mainly shoots gigs), she didn’t just carry my gear when needed (she was happy to be the secondary photographer in this instance since Sinead is a good friend of mine), she was super professional and took some amazing shots, including shots I knew I had failed to get due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I am used to shooting at my own pace in controlled environments so I learned a lot on this day. I was very focussed on the heat and the fact that we had a very pregnant woman in the group so I shot fast and a lot and didn’t give enough attention to composition. Having said this though, I’m still happy with the results and will take a lot of lessons with me for the next time.

What I learned:

• I have to remember to take more ‘arty’ shots – bouquets, rings, shoes etc.
• Don’t shoot people too wide on a full-frame camera with a wide-angle lens or they’ll look distorted!
• Shoot a LOT of just the bride and groom – full length
• Be aware of harsh sunlight and filling in the shadows with the Flash or a reflector.
• 1 good photo is better than 100 OK ones. I need to be more patient.