The Artist

He arrived at our place at 11am. We (the boys) were all in the lounge playing Playstation. He didn’t mind that. In fact he quite liked it.

He clicked away. I lost the game. We played another.

Forgetting he was even there, I found him later in my room shooting my hanging suit, the rings on the dresser, my arrangement of perfumes and our shoes. Just doing his thing.

Then he turned up at Kayla’s place and made himself at home… ideal.

He shot the girls getting ready – the chaos, the nerves, the details, the family. I wasn’t there but that’s what the photos told me.

Mrs Mother-in-law felt a little embarrassed when he wanted to shoot out the back … in front of the only gardens she hadn’t had spruced up for the big day. Looking at the resulting photos though, she was glad she didn’t stop him.

When he arrived at the ceremony I relaxed a little… Maybe it was because he knows how it works. He’s been to so many. Not sure. But seeing him there smiling at me from the back of the garden calmed me.

The bridal photos were a breeze. He’s got this way of explaining where he wants us to stand, the expression of love he’s looking for, the emotion he wants to capture. It’s poetic. And the girls loved it…

He tells us we’re doing well, so we feel good. I know he’s doing most of the work in making us look good, but he doesn’t make you feel like that. It’s not about him – It’s about us.

I left that night with a greater understanding that pointing and shooting is only half the art of being a great photographer.

The other half is the art of interaction and presence. With the couple, the guests, the families, the venue. There’s a true art in having a couple express themselves in a way that allows you to get that beautiful shot. To, in seconds, relax a bunch of people you’ve never met before. To make taking the bridal photos just a special as any other part of the day.

I feel, as I hope every couple feels about their photographer, that we had the most talented artist in the world shoot our wedding. Thanks Johannes.

Cheers, Nigel

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