Olga and Jacob…Chesapeake Bay Wedding Photographer

Sometimes the turning points in one’s career aren’t always clear. You make progress at something gradually, build a body of work, and then you look back several months later not really able to remember major milestones, but able to appreciate how far you’ve traveled from point A to point B. And then, sometimes there are major milestones that you’ll always remember, that make you stop and take a breath, and decide to change things up a bit…

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity that was nothing if not a major milestone in my professional photography career. My First Wedding. Olga and Jacob trusted me to capture their intimate ceremony and reception on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. I was honored, thrilled and nervous. So much so that I barely slept the night before. Throughout the day, I kept the wise words of a wonderful photographer and mentor, Carla Ten Eyck, in my head. “Expose before you pose!.” There were moments when I looked at Olga and Jacob, shrugged and said, “I’m not loving this, we’re moving on.” And, there were times I just worked through the fear. Which, in the end, felt really really great.

This wedding has a great back story. Olga is from Russia and Jacob from the US. This is one of two weddings they will celebrate; in September, they will travel to Russia to have their second wedding ceremony and celebration with Olga’s family and friends. Originally, the US ceremony was intended to be small with just Jacob’s immediate family and a few close friends. Then, it exploded many times over. I’m told that the major details of the event were planned  two weeks prior to it. Pretty amazing! And, even though they were far away, Olga found some clever ways to incorporate her Russia family into the day. They streamed the ceremony and parts of the reception from their iPhones, and a few times I caught Olga iChatting with friends in her homeland. So special. I hope she’s happy that I captured some of these special moments.

Olga and Jacob, thank you for letting me join you on your special day. I wish you love, luck and good wishes.

xoxo,

Carrie