Of Being a Second Shooter

For Rachel and Eric's wedding, I was not their primary photographer. And I'm totally fine with that because I didn't need to worry about their photos because they have another awesomely talented photographer friend, Ashley Forrette. Ashley is one of my favorite photographers and she did an absolute PHENOMENAL job for Rachel and Eric. Check out their stunning photos here on her blog!

I had met Ashley previously, through Rachel and Eric of course, and since she's an old pro at the whole wedding photographer thing and I'm still a tenderfoot, she's been gracious about giving me advice and answering business questions; (Ashley, what kind of lisence do I need?! Ashley, what's the best kind of compact flash cards?! Ashley, what off camera lighting do you use?! Ashley, help!). Basically, she's awesome. Since she was going to be with Rachel before the wedding, where the ladies were getting ready at Rachel's parents home, the bride and groom asked me to hang out with Eric and the boys while they got ready at the hotel.

And look, there's Eric, being all James Bond-like, ready to get married.

(See more of Eric getting ready on a previous post here.)

Once everyone was all gussied up for the big day, we all headed over to the Tower Theatre for the bride and groom's first look and formal pictures. Ashley was kind enough to let me tag along as a second shooter.

From the first look, when the bride and groom first each other on their wedding day. I'm going to be honest, it was so sweet. I got all teary-eyed.

During formal photos, I would try to grab a different angle then Ashley's, while trying to stay out of her way.

And of course I had to snap a couple of pictures of Ashley in action. That's her husband acting as a light stand right there. Love it!

I was also there when Rachel and Eric exchanged their wedding presents to each other. Love their reactions!

Then of course, there was the ceremony. Which was AMAZING. A close friend of the couple was the officiant, and he did such a great job. I laughed, I cried, I even managed to take a couple of pictures.

Then after the ceremony, while Ashley was rocking the family photos, I followed around Mr. and Mrs. C's friend Mike as he did magic tricks for the guests during the cocktail hour.

After that, I was technically off the clock but of course I kept my camera by my side! Here's just a couple more of my favorites:

The introduction as Mr. and Mrs!

Rachel is an amazing singer and she serenaded Eric during the reception. It was epic. See here!

The first dance.

And the cake cutting!

Me and the gorgeous bride! I guess Eric likes her because he put a rock on it! ;-)

All in all? It was an awesome wedding to be a part of; as a guest and as a photographer. I got to work beside an amazing photographer that I look up to and I got to see two of my favorite people in the whole world get married. It was a good night!