This past weekend, I had the opportunity to second-shoot for a Photographer based in Georgia for an intimate wedding at a church in their area. This was my first second-shooting opportunity that I’ve had since going solo (aside from shadowing people who I was already close with, like my husband – who does Videography) and I wanted to share my experience with you all. I learned so much this past weekend, and had a ton of fun meeting Bri for the first time since we connected months ago on Instagram. It’s experiences like these that really shape who you “become” in the industry, and I cannot wait to share all of the details with you!

You know the drill – grab a seat, your favorite coffee or tea, and let’s get into the ins, outs, ups, and downs that I experienced throughout L & K’s wedding day.

The Pre-Wedding Coffee

As per usual, I can’t go through a session without a bit of caffeine in me. So, we stopped for some coffee, to chat about our favorite movies and TV shows (why does every Husband ever LOVE the movie Tombstone??? LOL), and to discuss the plans for the day. I knew we were preparing for a pretty chill wedding day with what seemed like the worlds most calm and collected family ever, so we knew it was going to be a fairly easy day for the both of us. We spent about a half-hour there planning where each of us would most likely be throughout the day, and soon it was time to start heading to the venue.

Arrival to the Venue

As a non-Georgia native, this would be my first time to River Church in Canton (Surprisingly, a first time for Bri as well), so we arrived a few minutes early to be able to scope out the Church and surrounding areas for different portrait locations and to adjust and match our camera settings. And, of course, it wouldn’t be the beginning of a session if I didn’t second-guess formatting the SD card to my camera. With some “don’t worries” from Bri – we were on our way into the venue to find our Bride for photos as her and her party finished getting ready.

We found L and her bridal party in the building behind the church, doing their final touches on themselves and eachother before finally getting into their dresses. You could feel the palpable level of Girlhood flowing as the girls were helping their Bride with her hair and makeup, putting eachothers lashes on, and curling their hair as the music played in the background. I couldn’t help but stand there for a couple of minutes and appreciate the vibes that were happening in that room.

After staring in awe for a little while (“Snap back to reality” to the tune of Eminem), we turned our cameras back on and got started with detail shots of the Bride’s dress and shoes. This is a part of the day that I really wish I would have gotten BTS content of. Trying to balance her dress on a tree branch just after a rainstorm that happened the day before was a very interesting experience – but we got there and finally got the shot we wanted. Once we gathered everything back up (and triple-checked the dress for any tree smudge), Bri headed back inside with the girls while I went to tour and take photos of around the inside and outside of the venue before they began their first look.

First Looks & the Ceremony

First looks are always so precious to me. Although my husband and I opted or a first touch rather than a first look, I will never get over the experience of witnessing the first time a Bride and Groom lay eyes on one another before their big ceremony. L & K were truly some of the most chill people I think I’ve ever met – so if either of them were feeling nervous in any way, they didn’t show it one bit. Without much nervousness to brush off, they spent their first look as an intimate moment together and to share their excitement for the day in front of them. This was the first time I had seen the Bride and Groom interacting with eachother directly, and let me tell you – these two are PERFECT together (and so stinkin’ cute). It was absolutely precious seeing how much they compliment and bring comfort to one another.

With a few minutes of downtime, a snack, and some Bride & Groom portraits before the ceremony, Bri and I were separated once again as the Bride did her final touch-ups. Back down I went to the ceremony space to take some photos as guests arrived and seats filled in. In what seemed like no time at all, the music started, and it was time to get these two MARRIED!

I just couldn’t help the tears from flowing as I took my place at the beginning of the aisle to capture the family members when it was their time to walk. You could almost watch the film rolling of all of their lives and memories together as friends and family walked down the aisle to take their seats. The music was beautiful, weather was sunny and bright, everyone was smiling and dressed to the nines – everything was absolutely perfect. By the time the ceremony started, Bri and I were locked in and on a swivel. If you ask me, we were like a perfectly oiled machine; while she got one angle, I got the other. When she went one way, I went the other. When she was focused on one person or group, I focused on the other. True flow-state in it’s full capacity. We finished out the ceremony feeling accomplished, excited, and especially ready for some of that delicious pasta they had waiting for everyone inside.

A Pause for the Cause

The end of the Ceremony brought a good bit of downtime for Bri and I, so we took that as our chance to switch batteries and settings, grab some food, and take a quick restroom break while we prepared for their cake-cutting, dances, and faux send-off. Spoiler alert: This is where things got “interesting” for me. Now that we’ve gotten to the wind-down part of the wedding day, let’s talk about what was happening and going on in my head from this point of the day forward.

Right around this time, I was working on my last charged battery for the day – of course, thinking “I’ll be fine, I have my giant SmallRig battery in my bag – and that thing lasts forever“. Actually, I switched over to my last battery right before they started their dances honestly thinking I likely wouldn’t even need to use the SmallRig battery at all. Usually I get several hours of battery life from a single battery, and we only had about an hour and a half left scheduled to be there. Rookie mistake – I’ll circle back.

The Calm Before (my) Storm

We got through the cake-cutting seamlessly (of course their rings got suck into that cake, cause why wouldn’t they?), and promptly moved into their first dance and dances with the Father of the Bride and the Groom’s sister. Earlier in the day, I was so lucky to have a quick conversation with the FOB where he shared how much the day meant to him and how excited he was to be there for his daughter on her big day – so when “My Girl” by The Temptations started playing, I was internally falling apart at the seams. Even more so when they decided to go from a “normal” slow dance to dancing as if it were literally just the two of them dancing alone – just like they would at home. Stepping to the beat around eachother, him pointing at his daughter every time they said the words “My Girl” in the song… – probably the most precious thing I’ve seen in a long time.

Once the Groom and his sister finished their dance together, everyone else was invited to the dance floor to finally all have the chance to celebrate L & K’s marriage with them. This is where things started to get interesting….

My Newest Conspiracy Theory

As they transitioned into the celebration portion of the evening and people filled the dance floor inside, was when my last battery decided to give out on me. I excused myself out to the hallway to hook up my SmallRig battery, and after multiple attempts and a few Google searches – I accepted my tragic demise as the camera refused to turn back on. Luckily, my saviour – Bri – must have heard my telepathic cries and walked into the hallway to offer me a spare battery of hers. I popped that in my camera, let out a sigh of relief, and we headed back into the dance area of the venue. I wish the “fun” stopped there…

Now, I’m not sure if it was the panic that came from the battery issue – but this is the part that’s stuck with me since I left. Once we got back to the dancefloor, what seemed like every bit of knowledge I had about my camera and settings I usually use completely left my brain. The panic returned as I tried to re-adjust my settings to look nice and clear in the now dimly lit room. As someone who is quite literally known for photographing more often in darker spaces, this one felt like a punch to the gut. I couldn’t help but second-guess myself from that point on.

Of course, as amazing as Bri is, she stepped in quickly to help get me back on my feet to finish out the day. I was able to get some awesome shots of the guests dancing before it came time for the faux send off, and started to feel a little bit better (although I’ll admit that I don’t think I fully recovered after that). Bri truly was my saving grace throughout the entire last half of the day, and I learned so much working alongside her for this event.

I do – however – have a new conspiracy theory that, that last battery was definitely plotting against me all day.

Final Thoughts & Closing Statement

As I mentioned before, this was my first time second-shooting for another Photographer that wasn’t my Husband or someone else I’ve happened to work with since the start of my career. It was so helpful getting to work with and learn a bit about how someone else in my field handles Weddings and how they prepare for and troubleshoot different issues that could come across throughout the day.

I’ll be honest, it’s been really hard to avoid the self-doubt and harsh self-criticism that have followed me since the hiccups I had throughout the last half of the day; wondering if I completely messed up, hoping my images were helpful, feeling disappointed that I even needed the help with those things, etc. However, I also know that these are the experiences that will help me grow and get better as a Photographer, and to eventually become more independent so I can feel confident in capturing these events on my own in the future. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I truly do believe that what matters most is what you learn and apply from things like styled shoots and working as a second-shooter. I can’t wait to see what people, adventures, and learning experiences I have waiting for me in the future. I just know that those things will help carry me into the best version of myself as a Photographer and business owner.

To Bri and L&K…

Words truly cannot accurately describe how much I appreciate and will treasure getting to help Photograph this wedding. The privilege is not lost on me that I had the chance to be present, learn, and experience all of the different things I did while attending such a special day. The people I work with, especially in my “formative/infant” years in the industry, mean the absolute world to me. I know it’s not easy to trust just anyone with the memories of your Wedding Day, and I truly hope that the photos I contributed to your album will be something you can cherish for the rest of your lives together.

Thank you for being a part of my story, just as you’ve allowed me to be a part of yours.

All of my love,

Katelynn | Ruhe Liebe Photography