Had there been enough room, I would have added the subtitle “When geese attack….again”.  This is going to be a big blog post and that’s okay because this was a big wedding – both in size and intrinsic value to me.

Our history with Justin & Jenny stretches far back to the day that Justin proposed and the story of their proposal is one of the funniest of my career. 

We were originally hired to secretly photograph this proposal, paparazzi style, beginning with the moment these two departed their plane in Las Vegas.  I quickly learned however that airport security does not like having two people with large cameras, telephoto lenses and no luggage running around taking pictures in an airport on an “orange threat level” day.  Oops.  I nearly made onto the ‘no fly’ list that day and we both had some ‘splainin to do in a tiny windowless room.

While they did temporarily confiscate my equipment, I had a full complement of backup equipment in the car and we captured the proposal itself in the middle of Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

When Justin knelt down in front of Jenny and pulled out the small box with her ring inside, everything in me melted as I fired shot after shot.  I could hardly maintain my composure as the tears streamed down her face and they became engaged.  It was such a beautiful moment, captured forever on camera.

I was honored to shoot this wedding at the beautiful Grand Tradition in Fallbrook, California.  Clients often worry that their out of state vendor will not arrive, or will be delayed by misadventure, especially when that vendor is in a different state.  When Justin presented that concern to me, I smiled very widely as I typed “We’re the one vendor that you will never have to worry about”. 

A good photographer has multiple backup plans in the event that something unfortunate occurs on the day of the shoot and I’d like to segue into that for a moment.  Over the years, we have seen nearly every sort of misadventure occur, from veils blowing away, entire dresses getting torn off, vehicles breaking down, cameras failing, lenses cracking and lots and lots of flashes failing.

I bring along a minimum of three camera bodies to each wedding photography session, 8 camera batteries, ten 16GB memory cards, 4 camera flashes, 8 lenses, around 80 AA rechargeable batteries, light stands, reflectors, studio lighting, emergency replacement veil, needle and thread, cake cutting set, bobby pins and safety pins. 

Most importantly though, I bring my partner Sarah, who acts as my second pair of eyes, my photography assistant, wardrobe assistant, secondary shooter and a relief shooter, should I ever become too injured or ill to work (and this has so far never happened).  There is very little that can occur to keep me from arriving to a shoot or present enough of an obstacle to prevent me from completing a shoot.

Sarah and I arrived at the Grand Tradition a couple of hours early to walk the grounds, meet the wedding coordinator and photograph all of the little details.  At each table, there were cards that told the story of how these two met, became engaged and touching stories of important events in their relationship.  Each story was accompanied by a related picture and I read them all, thanking myself for arriving early enough to soak it all in.

Grand Tradition has a beautiful heart shaped lake in which an equally beautiful swan swims in search for humans to attack.  Yes, the swan DID attack and it has become a long running gag that, whenever a swan or goose is present during one of our shoots, someone will get bitten.  Thankfully, it has never been me.

My friend Rebekah tells me that “Anatidaephobia is the fear that somewhere in the world, there is a duck watching you” and I respond with “just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean the ducks aren’t out to get me”.

I absolutely loved how nervous Justin was when he arrived!  The looks of anticipation as he posted to Facebook with trembling hands and the laughter shared between him and his groomsmen were some of my favorite moments.

When Jenny arrived looking like the world’s sweetest and most beautiful supermodel, I just knew that this wedding was going to be epic.  Getting ready shots are not only some of the most important shots we take at a wedding, they’re also some of our favorites. 

Did I mention the dress?  Holy cow that dress is gorgeous and so were the bride’s maids!  I absolutely loved all of their beautiful smiles and energy and we actually ended up with at least ten minutes to spare!

After the ceremony I was treated by Justin and Jenny’s amazing romantic chemistry!  The way these two are so natural and genuine with each other, I have no doubt in my mind that they will enjoy decades of intense, long lasting love.  After portraits and formals was a wonderful reception filled with tears and laughter that ended with a beautiful bubble blowing sendoff. 

All in all, the day went by too quickly for me.  I refuse to wear a wristwatch, but whenever I saw the time, I was shocked to see that hours had passed when it felt like only minutes.  Mazel Tov to Justin and Jenny and I say that with a severe pang of sadness and loss, in that I already miss this couple very dearly and hope that our paths will cross again very soon!