I mentioned when I began this series of reflections that I got my start in “photography” when I was a kid. I just loved to capture the moment, and every once in a while I’d try something sort of artistic.
A couple summers ago my wife and I took photographs for a wedding in Toronto. It was a challenging day for me that got off to a rough start. I was supposed to meet up with the guys in the morning to take photos of them once they were dressed for the wedding. Unfortunately, they had to take off early, so I missed them. When I caught up with them things were a little chaotic and trying to get them all together for some formal shots just didn’t seem to be working. We all went for lunch at a near by pizza place. During lunch I just started snapping pictures. Oh, I know, “pictures of groomsmen scarfing pizza? Why did you take those?”
I have this weird “philosophy” went it comes to “photography.” I just want to capture the moment. Maybe it’s a facial expression, or the mess of wrapping paper on Christmas morning. After all, it’s not always the grand moments of artistic significance that a person looks back on. I’ve heard enough brides complain about their weddings to know that it’s the little details that make or break the day. So I captured a minor detail, lunch at a little pizza shop. Unconventional, I know. But I kinda suspect that the lunch is a detail worth looking back on.
As it turns out, the lunch was mentioned in an article about the pizza shop, and one of the photos I took was featured in the article. No doubt, there is much to be learned from books on professional photography (like showing up extra early and getting the “money shot” of the guys in their tuxes). But sometimes you need to just go with the flow and realize that lunch can be important too – especially to a group of guys!
Click here to check out the article.
