Daunting Experiences Pt - 1

As you may notice, today's post is a 2 part blog and will be completed in the next few days.

Last week, a posting was made advertising for any interested photographers willing to shoot a wedding this week by one of my fellow students. BOOM! As soon as I saw I contacted her and hoped the position hadn't been taken because I have been dying to shoot a wedding for ages. The Bride contacted me and said she still needed a photographer so I was in!

And then it hit me.......


A WEDDING?!?!?!?!


Ahhhh *^")%^$#@...


I thought to myself 'What have I got myself into???' you can imagine the horror on my face as I realised I only had a week to prepare, after all this is my FIRST wedding shoot. After a while of sweaty palms, ventilating and tummy butterflies I decided this wasn't the way to go about it.

My first concern was that my skills were not proficient enough for the task (I'm sure I'm not the only one to have come accross this feeling), but after a good chat with my trusty other half (who always seems to say the right things!) I came to the conclusion that I should trust in my skills and do shoot to the best of my abilities.

My other main concern was that I would not have a clue what to expect, what to do and where to go at what times etc so I've pretty much spent the last week preparing myself for the task. Reading though all the websites, mags and books I could find explaining the different techniques, planning stages and tips I could possibly need. I would definitely recommend doing this to anyone thinking of shooting a wedding, very useful stuff - 'Turning Pro' mag I would also recommend.

So today's the day! (not dolmio day of course) I've had my weetabix, it's forcast to rain (that will prove difficult) and I think I'm fully prepared for what will be my first wedding shoot.

I've got my tripod,
camera,
2 charged batteries and the charger,
flash gun,
spare batteries for that,
plenty of memory cards,
extensive shot list,
huge umbrella,
reflector if needed,
and moral support from my dad haha!

I've had a chat with the Bride (she's really nice) on Sunday so I pretty much know whats happening today, and naturally taking into account this is a small wedding and this is experience for me - she's getting an uber good deal.

Keep an eye out for the second half and the conclusion of the shoot. Wish me luck! Eep!