Wedding Photography

I am by no means a professional photographer, but I certainly do love taking photos.  And it becomes a little addicting, which is not ever a good thing when the equipment for an addicting hobby is never less than the cost of a flight somewhere.  So, for the past few years, I've been having fun reading tutorials online, attending one photography class (thanks to Groupon), fiddling with editing software, and trying to learn more wherever I can (and making use of whatever I have since I can't afford said expensive equipment!).  Make no mistake about it, I have a LONG way to go!

Regardless, and even with my "measly" (refurbished) Rebel T2i, I do it and even occasionally pretend I am decent at it :)  Really, it's only the random few pics that turn out great that give me confidence to keep going!  Sometimes the sheer amount of things I need to learn is overwhelming and discouraging, but yet I trudge on.  Oh, and with my boring old kit lens and the fabulous 1.8 lens that only cost me $95 (miracle find of a lens if you don't already have it and can't spend $500).  Do I want new lenses?  Um, duh.  And how about a new camera body?  Of course.  But such is life when those things would be more than a mortgage payment.

But with the invitation of a dear friend (who also struggles through the trials of becoming a great photographer - I'm thankful we can commiserate!), and the loaning of two lenses from my stepmom (wow, nice lenses really do make a HUGE difference, thank you!), I was off to shoot my first paid gig: Mackenzie's mom's wedding.  It was the perfect setup for me because her mom (Jan) is so laid back and fun, and her wedding was just that.  It was outside in a friend's backyard on a lake in Loveland.  The weather was gorgeous (though super sunny - not so much a photographer's dream!), and everything was just fun.  I was feeling totally unqualified to snap pictures for someone's big day, but Mackenzie and her mom made me feel great and off I went! 

Here are just a few of the pictures (and a little slideshow) from their big day.  I'm SO happy for Jan - she found such a great fit for her and once you see her smile, you know just how tremendously happy she is.  It's awesome :)