A New Direction?
I have a confession to make...
I've been shooting weddings for a couple of years now.
I know, I know. You know me as a guy who (mostly) publishes pictures of the best city in the world—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But hear me out. Back in 2015 (okay, so maybe more than just "a couple of years..."), a coworker wanted me to shoot her daughter's wedding. I said 'no' SOOOO many times. It's one of those things—if you haven't done it before, you can't possibly have had any experience shooting weddings, and I was REALLY uncomfortable with the thought of trying to capture a day that was so special and meaningful without knowing even where to start. Where do I stand to get the best shots? What do I deliver? Prints? Digital files? How much do I charge? So many questions, and no experience to rely on to help answer them.
But, as fate would have it, my coworker was relentless. She wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. I WAS shooting her daughter's wedding. I gave in—but only this time. And I was going to do it on my terms. I WAS bringing a second shooter (my lovely wife, Melanie), and she WAS going to help me make sure everything was documented.
This is Beth, the first bride we ever photographed.
But this wedding was going to be the only one, right? Well, not quite.
Beth's mom (you know, the coworker who just wouldn't let me be the photographer I WANTED to be...) loved the photos she got. Now the flood gates opened. It seemed every other day she had someone else she was recommending our wedding photography services to. Between her and a few others, the word got out in our immediate circle of family and friends, and we began shooting a wedding here and there, but we were still not advertising that we did this. No, the photo business was to stay much more focused on photoshoots that were way less stressful.
In fact, maybe I'd just keep shooting pictures of Pittsburgh. Yeah—that's what I'd do. Those buildings aren't moving and I can take a billion photos of them without worrying what they thought of the final images.
NOPE.
Friends. Family. Friends of family. Family of friends. Friends of friends. People were apparently liking the wedding photos that the new wedding team of Melanie and I were shooting because we kept getting asked to shoot more weddings, and we have never once advertised this service. Ever.
Until now.
Since this past June, we have shot several different wedding ceremonies, rehearsals, receptions, picnics, and parties. We have a wedding portfolio now.
We have decided to do this, friends. We're all in.