It’s such a weird time right now, and I literally can’t stop thinking about this virus. But I know what matters most is what I do with the time I have in front of me, so I wanted to share with you today why I have been focusing more on wedding and event photography!
One of my most surreal experiences happened to me during the last catastrophic event in Napa during the fires. It REALLY ingrained in me why photography is so important to my life. My significant other Jay’s friend had a home near the top of one of the mountains in Napa. He and his parents were all out of town, so they asked us to check on the home for them, to one, see if it was still standing, and two, to just grab all of the wedding and family photographs off of the walls. Nothing else, just those photos as those memories were more important than any other physical thing in their gorgeous Napa home.
As we were driving up, we saw a fire crawling forebodingly across the mountainside nearby Jay’s friend’s home and couldn’t tell if was on fire.
Once we reached the home, we could hear the fire whooshing and crackling. We look over the mountainside and see it crawling up towards their pool in the backyard. We had no idea how much time we had before it would engulf the house, as we were certain it would. We thought there was no way it could avoid the house. We run inside and start frantically taking down all of the photos and loading them into our car. We are hustling! I smell the fire and hear it crackle outside more and more. We take off as soon as we can with all of the wedding and family photos we could find.
The next day their road was closed off and we could no longer see the home from the closest vantage point as it was covered in thick smoke. The dad was able to come back to check on the home, but even law enforcement wouldn’t let him through to get to his home. It was about a week later before we knew how the house was, and maybe a week and a half before we could see through the smoke from where the road was closed.
Lo and behold, it was still standing! Both neighbor’s homes were lost, and the barn behind their home burnt down. We couldn’t believe their house was ok.
Being a photographer, that experience really solidified my purpose.
Wherever I can tell a story I will. Weddings are notably packed full with stories! I love the heightened emotions and having the honor of capturing something so important. I love knowing that the images I create will be on someone’s wall and shown to children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren! Being the catalyst between a beautiful moment, and having that moment saved in memory for countless years to come is incredibly fulfilling to me!
Falling somewhere between an introvert and extrovert, wedding and event photography is so perfect for me. I love to interact with people, but also love to observe and hide stealthily behind my camera to try my best to really capture the vibe of the event. My favorite thing to do is to grab photos of impromptu moments that you didn’t even know I was there for!
I love being in the middle of the action, and get just as excited to photograph an event as if I was invited to enjoy it as a guest! I love to dress the part, blend in and experience the thoughtful creativity that the planner of the event created.
I believe that we are a culmination of our experiences that not only our personalities reflect, but our life’s purpose appears through. We are individual puzzles, and I love being open to different ways of putting the pieces together. Photography allows me to observe many different worlds and paths. Being an open-minded individual, I love to see other’s lives, or rather their stories, and tell them as beautifully as I can.
<3 Mary