micah takes photographs

it’s five to twelve, and ca & rocky are long gone. this is the first wedding i’ve ever been to, and i cannot imagine how it can be topped.

it started out relatively stressful. i considered trying to buy an external flash before anything started this morning, but called around and couldn’t find one. i took a shower kind of late, 10 am, when i was to pick sasha up at 10:30. i got dressed, in my white pants from vegas, my burberry tie, and a matching vest. it’s important to look dapper, you know. got sasha, went over a few things at her house, and went to the church. we got there on time, but no one was really there yet.

at 11, i was supposed to take pictures of the guys getting ready, and sasha would take pictures of the girls getting ready, and when i was done, i’d come in and help. only, the guys were told to show up ready, so instead we wandered across the street and took some pictures in the garden. some serious, some goofy. rocky, the groom, thought it’d be funny to pretend to be running away, with his groomsmen chasing after him, so we commandeered the street for a minute. that was fun.

then, they went off to do things until it was time to start, and sasha and i went to photograph the gals. i was secretly trying to get some video of everything, hoping to make a short thing as a surprise for them. i got a few clips, but i got so busy taking pictures that i gave up on trying too hard. i probably should have left that to the videographer.

eventually, what seemed like days later, it was time to get started, so i worked my way to the front of the church, by the altar, and hung out for a minute. bridesmaids and groomsmen started coming down, and the lighting was low, but i did my best. and when they were actually getting married, i tried very hard. i didn’t want to use my flash, partially because it’s so harsh, and partially because it’s so distracting. i was complimented multiple times on how wonderfully discreet i was, which was good to hear.

by the way. there was no "speak now or forever hold your peace" section. someone told me that was just in movies, and, at least today, it was true. just interesting.

so after all was said and done, we headed to CA’s house, where her parents had spent weeks preparing the backyard to host the reception. we hung out in the front a bit, waiting for people, and got a few shots. and then when they announced the whole group of bridesmaids and groomsmen into the party, they wanted photos of all the goofy entrances. honestly, i didn’t see most of the 3000+ photos i took today, but sasha was looking through a few as she was helping me unload onto the computer, and she got some fantastic entrance shots. im looking forward to seeing those in more detail.

so but check it out. just after we got to the party, both of my camera batteries got used up. from total charge to total drain. and, having never done a wedding before, it didn’t occur to me to buy backup batteries. by unbelievable chance, maria, one of the bridesmaids, had a camera not very dissimilar to my own, and she told us we could borrow it, no problem. she saved our butts. so we were down to one camera, but it’s better than none. but then! i had a 16 gig card, a 2 gig card, and a 1 gig card – it’s just what i had – and i’d been using the 16 gig card all day so far. finally it got filled up, and the 2 & 1 gig cards shortly after. so fun things were starting to happen and we had one camera and no cards to shoot it with. so sasha ended up being computer nerd and unloading pictures from cards while i shot. we tried a few times to unload the 16 gig, but gosh, it just took so long that we couldn’t spare the time. so we let it stay full, and switched out working with the 2 gig while she unloaded the 1 gig and vice versa. there were a few hiccups that i’m lucky she caught and we fixed, and soon enough it was a smooth operation.

we photographed dancing and speeches, cakes and partygoers. at one point, ¼ of the party was jumping into the pool with their clothes on, and some of those shots came out unbelievable. oh man, and at one point, there were a few kids that started freestyling – well, i might add – and CA came up, did a single two liner that brought down the house. so much fun, unbelievable fun. and when things started winding down, we did too, and sasha, being exhausted, wanted me to take her home.

so we packed up, and everyone was saying, "no don’t go! or at least come back!" i promised i’d come back, but truthfully, i so badly wanted to talk to this super cute girl from the band. i had had so many good excuses to talk to her, but had been too busy, or too chicken, if i’m honest with myself. i totally could have, but gave myself excuses. ugh. so i hoped if i came back, i’d dance with her, we’d chat, and it’d be swell. i dropped sasha off, dropped my computer & cameras at home, and admittedly got a little gussied up before coming back, but i was quick about it. and i came back… and pretty much everyone was gone. they’d all gone to the hotel that they were staying at!

so melissa and laura, friends from highschool, and i followed some kids heading that way. i thought it was some big party at the hotel pool or something, but we ended up hanging out in their hotel room. we told jokes and elaborate worst-ever stories, and it was super fun. extremely entertaining guys. eventually we were all exhausted, and decided to call it a night. we wandered outside to leave, and… unbelievably… that super cute girl had been there the whole time, just not in the same place i was. but we were leaving, i think she’s from ohio, and it was just too late to stay any longer, so as much as i wanted to kick myself for it, we left without me ever really talking to her. i’m so dumb sometimes, i really make myself angry.

but it certainly doesn’t ruin the extremely fun morning, afternoon, and evenings. making friends, partying, taking pictures… it was insane, and an absolutely fantastic day. maybe in a week or two, after the bride & groom see the pictures, you guys can too. but for now, i’m gonna pass the hell out.