How to Rock a Rainy Day Wedding

"It's like rain on your wedding day...."

Now that I have your attention, and a super catchy song stuck in your head, let's talk about rainy day weddings. If you're a photographer, particularly one who generally relies on natural light, a forecast of rain for your next wedding shoot may make you break out into a cold sweat. But never fear! Rainy day weddings can be fun, romantic, and intimate, so hopefully some of these tips and tricks will help you rock that next rainy day wedding with confidence! 

PLAN FOR PLAN B

When helping your couples plan their wedding day schedule, their formal shot list, and just generally getting ready for the big day, it's important to stress the importance of a rain day plan! Here are few ways you can help your clients create an inclement weather backup plan they can feel good about!

• If your clients are having their ceremony outside, find out what the inclement weather backup plan is for their venue. Some great things to have them keep in mind are whether the backup plan has enough space for all of their guests (this is often overlooked but really important for everyone's comfort!) and what the lighting is like in the Plan B area during the time of day the ceremony will be taking place 

• If you had to do formal family and wedding party photos indoors, would there be enough space for the size groups your client plans on having you photograph? If you're not sure, and it's looking like rain, then it's wise to have your clients make a 'good weather' formal shot list, as well as a 'rain day' formal shot list, to account for the likelihood of more limited space indoors for group shots

• Help your clients build a little flexibility into their wedding day schedule, where possible, to allow you to seize opportunities that may arise for some quick rain-free outdoor pictures in between downpours, or to re-arrange the order of certain non-key events to accommodate changes in weather where needed

THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB

For the photographer that relies primarily on natural light, knowing how to prepare for less than ideal weather conditions can be a little overwhelming. Having the right tools for the job will go a long way to boosting your confidence to handle a variety of 'bad lighting' situations with ease, and allow you to deliver a fantastic final product to your clients! 

• Unless you are a strictly natural light photographer, you're going to want to make friends with speedlite flashes. For real, they're a must-have accessory to get you through rainy days, dark rooms, and backlighting shenanigans! They're not as scary as they seem, and there are many wonderful and free tutorials out there , depending on what brand camera you shoot with. If you don't own speedlite flashes, no worries, you can rent! We use Godox V1 speedlite flashes, with a wireless radio transmitter for tough lighting situations.

• Practice, practice, practice. Even if you don't have a wedding coming up, if you're not yet comfortable with speedlite flashes, rent a setup that you can practice with over the weekend and grab a friend or family member to be your model. Try different rooms, different times of day, and different conditions, and just see what works best for you, so you get really comfortable with a few quick settings that give you good results! If you DO have a wedding coming right up, then it's even more important to rent or purchase a basic speedlite setup so that you can test it out no later than the day before the wedding - you don't want to be learning a brand new piece of equipment at a client's wedding if it is at all humanly possible to avoid doing so

• Unrelated to lighting, but definitely related to inclement weather, make sure you have coverings to protect your camera equipment from too much rain if you plan on shooting outside! 

MAKE IT FUN! 

Rainy day weddings and inclement weather don't have to be a huge bummer, and in fact, your clients can use it as an opportunity to have unique wedding day photos and just have fun with it! 

• Encourage your clients (and their wedding party!) to bring umbrellas, the fancier the better! I personally love the clear umbrellas because of the endless opportunities they present for dreamy and intimate rainy day wedding photos of the couple *insert dreamy heart eyes here* 

• Remember that your clients are trusting you not only to be the expert on photography, but also as an expert on weddings in general, so help your clients by being flexible, knowledgeable, and by seeing a rainy wedding day for what it is; something that only adds to the unique love story that your clients have to tell, and will be telling for years to come, with your photographs visual reminder of the most memorable day of their lives! 

AND FINALLY... 

Remember that just like any other situation you may not have encountered before as a photographer, rainy day weddings are a wonderful opportunity to get creative, and gain new skills! Happy splashing! 

-- Sam 

Balancing Acts

I want to let you all in on a little secret... Are you ready? You're going to be shocked...

I'm a little bit of a workaholic. Okay, a lot of a workaholic. During 6+ months out of the year, I work 80+ hours per week. I've read all the articles on why self-care and not overworking yourself to death are so important. I've read these articles, and nodded at the sage-like advice, and even handed out that same advice on occasion, but yeah, I have a difficult time putting the concept of 'balance' into play in my own life. It is hard for me to give up control in my business, so I try to do it all, and because I love what I do, I also have a hard time putting work down even when I know I should. Can anyone relate? 

I'm going to start making some small changes though, and I wondered if any of you would like to join me? Loosen your grip on your laptop just a little bit (white knuckles, anyone?) and take a step back to evaluate, big picture, what you need in your life to stay healthy, productive, and sane.

Here are some things I'm personally going to try in the next month: 

Pick three things to outsource or delegate

It can be a conference call you don't need to be a part of at work, or outsourcing an aspect of your business that feels like a chore to you but is someone else's passion (accounting for instance), or it can be something as simple as asking your family for help around the house. You are amazing, but you are not literally the only person on the planet who can do all the things that you do. Find some things that someone else can help with, take a big gulp, and ask for help, or call in reinforcements in the form of outsourcing items that don't need to be on your plate alone! 

Do one nice thing for yourself every week

This can be hard. If you're like me, you may actually feel real guilt over doing nice things for yourself, if those things don't directly benefit others, but we can try re-frame that feeling. Our culture glorifies workaholic tendencies, but what if you could show  your kids, your friends, your employees a different, more balanced path? What if by doing something nice for yourself, and taking time for you on a regular basis, with no other goal in mind than self-care, you were actually partaking in a revolutionary act of shifting our culture, one bath at a time, from "you can rest when you're dead" to "regular rest and rejuvenation make the world a better place"? Just think about it, preferably while sipping a glass of wine in a bubble bath. 

just say no

We hear a lot of 'Just say yes' talk. It's super trendy lately. And I'm all for that, when what you're saying  yes to is more quality time with loved ones, more experiences, and more adventure, but perhaps this philosophy doesn't serve us as well when what we're saying yes to is actually more busy work, more sleep deprivation, and more obligations that don't fulfill us or serve an important purpose in our lives. So... maybe for a month, or even just a week, try saying a polite 'No thanks' to things that don't spark your interest or to things that you'd only be doing out of guilt. See what happens in this space? Maybe you'll have more breathing room for something that does spark your interest to come along. Or maybe you'll have more time to simply be, which is also really nice, and let's face it, when was the last time you just chilled out, sans phone, or computer screen, or someone else in the room? Can't remember? Same here, which is why maybe this is a good thing to practice. 

I'm going to do my best to try each of these things over the next month, and I'd love for you to join me! Tell me what works for you! What was successful? How do you step away from work and care for yourself? You just may share a tip that works magic in someone else's life. 

--Sam 

How We Became Wedding Photographers

Everyone has to get started somewhere, right?

We got our start in wedding photography almost by accident back in 2002, and let me tell you, it's been quite a ride since then! We thought it would be fun to tell you the story of how we fell into Wedding Photography all those years ago, and started our journey to being Real Life Wedding Photographers 14 years later! 

It all started with a phone call.

Rob and I were hanging out at a friend's house, and her daughter, Westen, was on the phone with an unnamed person, when we overheard the phrase

"Don't worry, Rob will take care of it." 

When we inquired what it was Rob might be taking care of, Westen informed us of three vital pieces of information, that ended up altering the course of our lives forever: 

1. She was getting married (We didn't even know she was seeing anyone!) 
2. The wedding was in 1 month (Whoa!) 
3. Rob and I were going to photograph it (What?!) 

Now Rob and I love photography, and have for as long as we can remember. I took more Polaroids during that period of my life than I can count (probably the reason I didn't have a savings account at the time, remember how expensive those were?!) and Rob had permanently borrowed a Canon film camera (film, ya'll) from his parents and was having a great time learning the ins and outs of 35mm. But we weren't photographers! We were two poor, college-age kids who owned a couple cameras and kind of sort of knew what to do with them, when the subjects were neat leaves and spooky graveyards and cats, not when the subjects were people! And someone's wedding day? No way! Too much pressure! 

So, naturally, we said no. No thanks, you'll need to hire a professional. Too scary, pass.

Clearly, this is not where our story ends. 

Westen pointed out that with less than 2 months to go, they would never be able to find another photographer, that we'd do fine, and that she wouldn't take no for an answer. So, with a generous helping of trepidation, we started planning to photograph our first wedding. 

The wedding day quickly came, Westen and Mark and their family and friends showed up in their finest, and we showed up armed with our two canon film cameras, a boat load of Kodak T-max film canisters, and crossed fingers. 

And wouldn't you know it, we made it through. No one died. Nothing exploded. And it was fun! Now, let's be real here, the pictures weren't great. I mean, we had no idea what we were doing! But if there is one thing we came out of that wedding with (besides a TON of film to develop) it was the realization that this wedding photography thing was pretty cool! 

Before we knew it, Westen and Mark began recommending us to people (bless their hearts), and after that, the rest is history. We went from photographing one wedding under duress to actually wanting to book weddings and to celebrate with couples! We found so much joy in telling the love stories our clients were kind enough to share with us. Along the way, we got better at photography, learned new skills, gained more experience, and eventually stopped feeling like frauds most of the time (impostor syndrome, the struggle is real)! 

When I look back on those photos from our very first wedding, sure I cringe a little because wow, are we a lot better at this now, but I also look at the photos with so much gratefulness that Westen and Mark gave us a chance, believed in us, and in doing so, changed our lives for the better. They were the first couple to share their love story with us, and invite us to be a part of their day, and we will be forever grateful for that opportunity, and for every love story we've been lucky enough to tell since.  

-- Sam