Surprise Second Shooting Experience

I have been working on my photography business for a little over a year now, and to say I love what I do is an understatement!  I had been focusing my time on shooting lifestyles (children, families, etc)... but my business just wasn't going where I wanted it to go.  I knew what I wanted/needed to do to grow, but I was scared... like many people are when you venture out and try something new.  But I knew I needed to just take a leap of faith and go for it; if I didn't ever try then I would be stuck wondering"what if".  So, on my week off of work I decided to watch the CreativeLive workshop by Jasmine Star "How to Start your Wedding Photography Business".  I intently listened, took very detailed notes, and prayed a lot so that I wouldn't lose confidence!  I watched if every second I could (that was when Mady napped and after she went to bed!)  By Wednesday, I was super excited about the journey I was about to start for myself =)

I opened my Facebook not too long after finishing my workshop and there it was... my first opportunity!  I did a double take because I couldn't believe it was happening that fast... was I dreaming... was Jasmine Star channeling through me and putting my wishes out there in the universe.  So I finally I opened the message from Kristin Partin Lewis... she was asking me to be a second shooter at a wedding that weekend on September 10th.  It took me 0.5 seconds to hit the reply button to accept her offer!

The wedding took place in Old Town Petersburg on September 10th... I knew nothing about how to get around Old Town Petersburg, so I'm sure the on lookers watching me navigate my way to the wedding had a good laugh!  Whew, I made it there... with my heart racing, I stepped out of my car and told myself, "You can do this!!"  I found Kristin and we had a quick Hello and over view of the camera I would be using.  Then she looked at me with an, I'm really sorry, look on her face; she quickly sent me to photograph the guys getting ready.  Ok, so I had never done that before but I was going to rock this, so I reassured her that I was up for the challenge and off I went.  I luckily found the guys at an Inn down the street and got to witness guys getting ready (lots of football watching and not much preparation!) I introduced myself to the groom and then started shooting away...

After finishing up with the guys I went back to join Kristin at the ceremony site.  Even though Kristin was busy focusing on her job, she would add in little tricks and make sure I was ok.... she also taught me how to put on a Boutineer, without pinning anyone =P

The afternoon flew by and I had made it through... when I realized that I did it!  I had such a great feeling about that afternoon and I knew I had made the right decisions for myself and my business.  I'm so excited to see where my journey takes me and glad you guys will be able to witness my growth and pure happiness for what I do!!

I have posted some pictures from the day... hope you enjoy them!  And thank you so much to Kristin Partin to giving me such a great opportunity and being such a wonderful/fantastic person!!!  Make sure to check out her blogsite www.kristinpartin.com and her Facebook page Kristin Partin Lewis, she is an amazing photographer!!!

Thanks for reading,
Allyson