Hold on for the ride...

This picture has nothing to do with this entry, really, except for it conveys the way I feel sometimes when I am going a little out of my comfort zone with this photography stuff. Shooting weddings is definitely not in my comfort zone, but I really enjoy doing it. I so enjoyed getting to be a part of Maquel's big day back in June and was very relieved when things went very smoothly and the pictures turned out good. Everyone was happy - it was ideal. Last week, I had the awesome opportunity to shoot with my cousin-in-law, Eric. He is really naturally gifted at photography and does amazing work. You can see some of his pictures at his website http://www.izlas.com/ (hope you don't mind the publicity Eric (o: ) So of course, I was thrilled for an opportunity to take pictures with him for a wedding here in Portland. Eric really put a lot of trust in me, bless his heart. I was doubly nervous - a wedding, an awesome photographer's reputation on the line. Yikes.

The first night went something like this - Eric came and we talked about his camera equipment, how he does some of his pictures, etc. I could just pick his brain for hours. The bride and groom were to meet us at my house at 6:00 and we were going to head to Cannon beach for a pre-wedding shoot. At 6:45 they arrived, but without any wedding apparel. They didn't realize we were planning to do the pictures in the dress and formalwear. Oops. Things got a little crazy as they scrambled to get everything together, but by then it was too late to make sunset at the beach. After a lot of debating, gnashing of teeth - okay, not really, but there was some tension - we ended up at Pittock Mansion. It actually ended up being a cool place to take pictures - great view of the city, beautiful landscaping and architecture. By this time, we were still running out of light fast. The bride, with my help, changed into her dress right in the parking lot. Did you know a full-skirt wedding dress can double as a changing room? It's true - it was all modestly done and a funny memory for both of us I'm sure! So we finally get to start taking some pictures and it's fun, we're doing good - the good moment lasts for about 7 and a half minutes before some guy informs us that we need to be off the grounds in 10 minutes. We just had one obstacle after another! Even so, I think Eric was able to get some amazing shots - low light and all. I'm excited to see them. The night ended with some insane driving through the Portland streets at night - led by the least likely, directionally challenged person in the group - yep, ME. I think we were all grateful to survive my driving. We attempted to find a spot to get a cityscape shot with the bride and groom, but ended up calling it a night. In my defense, I had several counts against me - little experience driving downtown, it was dark, and we were on the infamously annoying road called Burnside which has signs on almost every road that say "NO TURN". Portland streets are so dumb. I love Portland, but man, the roads don't make any sense even after 8 years here.

The next day was fun. The wedding was at the Portland LDS temple - so we met up there in the morning. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I sincerely hope the pictures turned out good because I did most of the photography that day with Eric's camera. He did the videography and most of the posing and managing people - which made things easier for me. He also had a second shooter who drove down from Washington and did tons of candid shots with his telephoto. I think that would be the most fun and least stressful - just be a fly on the wall and get great shots from a distance. The reception that night was busy and fun. I really enjoy getting to know the people in the family and also ran into a few people I know and, of course, took their pictures. (o: It didn't all go perfect, but I learned a lot. There is one lesson that I never will forget, but I won't go into details. I had one of those REALLY big hit-yourself-on-the-head "Duh" moments. I am very anxious to see how things turned out. Thanks for the memories Eric - I learned a lot.