“They say you never forget your first.”

The Beginning.

As a fresh face in the wedding game, who thought he had the killer idea of becoming a wedding photographer, I was quickly met with the reality that there were a tonne of other talented people out there with a camera doing the exact same thing. When I started, I thought for sure I’m going to be booked and busy for the rest of the year - this was further from the truth. Despite my (pretty good) branding and digital presence, I could not get any leads. I had no social proof, and I couldn’t bring myself to ask for money because I had not shot a full, legitimate wedding on my own. My portfolio up until now comprised of images taken at friends’ weddings as a guest. So I had to do something a little crazy, that went against the grain, but I knew the pay-off would be worth it - I had to shoot a wedding for free.

Initially I had planned to do 20 for free as that would be one a weekend until the end of the year, but was talked out of it, so five became the new number. So I posted my services for free on the wedding Facebook pages. I had to be choosey with the weddings that fulfilled the requirements this offer, because what I wanted to get out of it was to run a full 8+ hour wedding day on my own; to learn what it takes to run a full day with myself as the primary photographer, make mistakes, and identify areas where I could improve. It would be a mutually beneficial relationship: free photos for real experience - win-win!

The Inquiry.

In comes a response from Maddy, who was very enthusiastic as she sent through two response forms and a DM. This is the exact type of energy as I was looking for - someone’s who’s eager, enthusiastic and keen. So I schedule in a video call…

Maddy didn’t know it at the time, but I was nervous as hell. It was my first ever official call to a client as a service provider. The first call was meant to be with the couple, but Dylan was a no-show as he was stuck in traffic so it was just Maddy and I. Usually, I like to speak with both the (future) bride and groom together as having that extra person there helps breaks the ice of awkward moments and allows the energy of the conversation flow a lot more freely. But hey, we learn to adapt.

I had a plan for how the conversation was meant to go, which was: get details about the wedding, consider it, and then accept the wedding if it aligned with what I was after. But they say, “when you make a plan, God laughs.” Literally the first few words that came out of my mouth were, “Hey, how you going.? Okay, I’ll shoot your wedding.”

I felt my first interaction with Maddy was an awkward one (from my end), but remember I pursued this ‘free wedding offer’ to learn, and this was one of the moments where I learnt.

The Second Call.

It’s been a few months since our initial call, and since then we’ve signed contracts, completed run sheets and now we’re one month out from shooting my first official wedding! Since then I’ve had a few more inquiries and gotten a lot more confident with initial consultations.

We have a video call just to go over the finer details leading up to the wedding, and guess who’s on the call now? The mysterious and elusive, Dylan Guy. Straight away Dylan and I hit it off, he’s just a funny bloke and just the type of energy I needed to break the ice during the first call - I knew it!

The Prep.

The big day arrives, and I can’t believe we’re finally here. How quick time flies; from my first wedding shoot being six months away, to it being the wedding day, to future me (now) writing my post-wedding tales.

The first stop was at Maddy’s parent’s house in Eynesbury, VIC for the Bridal party preparation. I arrive and I’m not too nervous, if anything I’m ready, because I’m prepared. How hard can it be - I’m just hanging out and I happen to have my camera on me. The girls were lovely and we some good little laughs and ate some party pies.

I meet the bridesmaids, Nicole and Maddy, along with Maddy’s family and the other vendors. I get to work, and I start snapping away, taking photos of everything that’s on my ‘to-shoot’ list. From our meeting, Maddy had a list of things she wanted documented; a nice flat-lay shot and a first-look with Step-Father (Ben) and Grandfather (Bob).

Maddy’s mum had a beautiful home with a golf-course in the backyard. I decided to utilise the backyard area for the first look shots as the house would provide a nice back-drop with it’s mid-century vibe. As lovely as the first look shots were, we were constantly fearful of getting struck in the head with a golf ball(s). haha

During the quieter moments, I had a chat with the content creators (RSVP Moments) who are a super fresh, super talented, boyfriend-girlfriend couple. I told them it was my first ever (official) wedding shoot and they were shocked. With the way I was directing and running the day, they never would have guessed it was my first ever shoot!

The Ceremony.

At 2:00pm, we head to the ceremony at Arundel Farm Estate. The groom, Dylan has been busy setting the day up and it’s here where we meet for the first time in person. My first impressions is a super-chill, relaxed, and friendly Guy (no pun intended).

The content creators and I get some detail shots before the guests arrive and here I meet with the other vendors and run through the events for the ceremony. Maddy arrives, and we have to hide her from the guests as we take a few portraits of her in her stunning dress.

As the ceremony commences, Maddy gets back in the car and hides from the peering eyes of the guests as they try to sneak a peek of the bride-to-be. The Groom and his groomsmen are at the altar and despite his playful/jokeish vibe, as soon as Maddy walked down the aisle, I see a moment of gratitude in Dylan’s eyes which was one of my favourite moments of the day. The ceremony was as beautiful as you could imagine, intimate, funny, and very ‘them’.

After the signing of the official document, celebrant Jacqui tells the crowd that the photographer (oh, snap that’s me) will direct everyone for a group photo. The plan was to get big group, immediate family, and then friends after the ceremony. But we had to turn this idea down because it was straight to couple photos after the ceremony. So I direct one big-group photo and we move onto couple shots.

The Couple.

Spending a full-day with a couple, you really do get to know them.

Maddy’s got an awkward charm, that’s very soft and calming. She’s balanced out by Dylan, who’s the extrovert in the couple and carries the energy for the both of them.

They’re both a super-relaxed couple, who just goes with the flow of the day, and it’s worked out for them thus far.

Their carefree attitude, allowed me to relax and be myself, and I felt I was simply an honoured guest at their wedding.