Jess and David were married on rare cool July day in Colfax, N.C. in a simple DIY backyard wedding. Jess is a photographer herself, so we speak a common visual language. I had a great time working with her – she knew exactly what she was looking for in wedding photographs and she, David and their families were fun. The simplicity and organization on her and David’s wedding day made me forget I was actually working. Her family’s hospitality made me miss the Colfax area – I went to high school not far away at Northwest Guilford near Oak Ridge. Everything was do-it-yourself – from friends who BBQed, to her mom who baked, to a friend who officiated – and the result was an intimate experience that I was glad to celebrate.
Jess was gracious enough to do a short interview about our collaboration:
1. You could have picked a photographer from anywhere, what made you decide to pick me? What set my work apart?
I too am a photographer. I love working with alternative processes and B/W film photography. The world of digital photographers scares me because with most of the wedding photographers I looked at all I could see was the box of Photoshop actions they bought. I wanted to look like me [in my photographs]. So I started looking for a documentary photographer (I love documentary photography- favorite photographer of all time is Bruce Davidson) because they know how to tell a story. That’s when I found you. I first looked at your documentary web site and then your wedding blog. I knew at once my wedding would be in good hands.
2. From booking to delivery of images and seeing the results, what in your mind made it the right choice for us to collaborate?
Communication – We talked on the phone first, then met in person to discuss the wedding, you kept me updated via e-mail, and became my Facebook friend 🙂
3. Did you foresee any part of your wedding day being difficult logistically or emotionally? Did I make it easier? If so, how?
I made plan ahead of time that I was not going to over complicate the wedding – David and I wanted it to be relaxed. You were great with helping us in this because you had e-mailed me beforehand asking about what posed shots I wanted and once those were taken you were Mr. Invisible photographing our amazing day.
4. What was your favorite moment that I captured? Was there anything unexpected that I captured?
All of them 🙂 but I’ll give you three. I love the image of my Aunt Tracy buttoning my dress, Heather and Hailey laughing with me in the dressing room, and most of all when David and I are dancing and I’m laughing again.
5. What surprised you about working with me?
Hmm… I don’t think anything.
6. What is the first thing you want to do with the images?
I showed them to everyone!!!!!
7. For all the brides out there, what advice do you have for them in planning a wedding?
You can be stressed out and crazy before the wedding day – example it rained all week and I was soaked during our rehearsal for our out door wedding – but on your day “let go and let God” as I was always taught. It is your day and when you look and your photos you want to remember how happy you were in those moments not how fake you smile looks. I told people to bring umbrellas if it rains it rains – thankfully it didn’t though, and if it did I knew Justin would take some awesome underwater photos.
8. What is next for you as a couple? Any big plans?
We are taking it easy right now. All are big plans started a couple weeks before the wedding when David received a teaching job in South Georgia and we had to pack all our stuff up and move. My car broke down at Walmart of all places when we got there so we got it fixed and then it broke down again with a different problem when we tried to come home for the wedding. So we had to drive David’s old tiny car which sounds like its going to die every time it is driven (my car is the reliable one we take on long trips). So we are taking it easy and enjoying married life.
