I was cruising down to Connecticut for my buddy Dave's wedding on the coast when he gave me a ring...90 minutes before the ceremony was set to start. I could hear the nervous excitement in his voice.
Now Dave and I go way back to photography school at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. We met out west but both hail from CT originally. I was honored to get the invite after not seeing him for years but also surprised to be getting a call on the big day.
That's when Dave hits me with it - their photographer had the date wrong and bailed last minute. It happened to be their child's birthday. In a panic, Dave asks "Hey Barnicle? You don't happen to have your camera gear do you?"
Normally I'd never leave home without it, but knowing they had a photog, I left my equipment back in the Berkshires. However, I had stopped at my parents on the way and I did have my dad's new Sony A7 III camera with two lenses and no flashes! A system I'd never used, being a Canon guy for decades.
I gave Dave my best reassuring photographer voice, but inside I was freaking out a bit!
We had 15 minutes for me to grab some shots before the ceremony with a camera I barely knew how to use. Luckily another guest was a Sony-shooting nature photographer who also went to Brooks years before us. I had backup!
The mid-day oceanside ceremony provided some tricky lighting challenges. Shooting at high noon, the overhead sun created harsh shadows and lots of contrast. As any photographer knows, direct overhead light is rarely flattering. The sunset and evening light was dreamy though and by the end of the day I was enjoying shooting on the Sony.
When editing later, I was amazed by the dynamic range and details I could pull out of those Sony files.
Talk about trial by fire though - I learned so much that day, it was great to feel that kind of pressure and challenge again after feeling so comfortable in any photo situation.
It was such a blast reconnecting with Dave and Emily under these crazy circumstances. Over a year later, I've shot 7 more weddings and fully embraced the Sony mirrorless system after months of practice.
I'll be sharing shots later from a wedding I recently photographed that I'm really proud of. This time with plenty of preparation! Shooting Dave's impromptu wedding sparked my passion for weddings again. I've completely redesigned my wedding photography business and am booking clients once more.