So when my buddy popped the question, I got roped into being best man. Cool, right? Then they told me their budget… almost zero for photos. Gulp.
I figured, how hard could pictures be? Told the happy couple: “Don’t sweat it, I got this.” Spent that whole night Googling. Realized I was in way over my head.
The Plan (Sort Of)
Okay, panic mode. Needed gear. Rented nothing. Zero. Grabbed:
- My beat-up old DSLR that mostly collects dust.
- My phone (the newer one).
- A shaky tripod hiding in the closet.
- A pal who kind of knows how Lightroom works.
What Actually Happened
Day of the wedding? Pure chaos.
First, lighting inside the venue? Awful. Yellow overhead lights that made everyone look sick. Tried turning on my phone’s flashlight near flowers – got yelled at for blinding Aunt Mildred. Disaster.
Then, tried getting “candid” shots during vows. Got stuck behind Uncle Bob’s giant hat. Missed the ring exchange completely. Saw my phone reflection in the groom’s teary eyes later. Smooth.
After the ceremony, corralled folks near some trees. Took fifteen minutes just to get everyone looking vaguely in the same direction. Kids ran off. Cousin Steve kept making rabbit ears. My borrowed “good” lens started fogging up.
Begged a guest with a decent phone to snap some reception pics while I wolfed down cake. He got blurry shots of the empty dance floor.
Later, scrambling for golden hour. Dragged the exhausted couple out as the sun was basically gone. Got maybe three usable frames before the last light vanished.
The Aftermath & My Ugly Truth
Sent the photos to my Lightroom pal. Waited. He sent them back. “Bro, this is… rough.” Yeah.
Most were too dark, weirdly colored, blurry, or just plain awkward. That “artsy” shot where I focused on the wedding arch? Yeah, the couple looked like blurry ghosts.
Felt terrible. But! Somehow, through sheer luck and my pal’s editing magic, we scraped together around 30 okay shots. Enough for a small album? Maybe.
4 Brutally Honest Tips I Learned The Hard Way
- Ask Guests: But Actually Tell Them What To Do! Saying “Send pics!” gets selfies. Tell specific people (Aunt Susan by the cake, Techy Tim at the dance floor) to capture specific moments. Be bossy.
- Timing Beats Fancy Gear: One decent golden hour shot is better than 100 bad reception pics. Scout sunset times. Drag people outside early. Don’t get stuck fixing Steve’s tie.
- Phone Lights Are NOT Strobe Lights: Don’t blast phone flash at people. Borrow simple clip-on LED lights for indoor portraits near windows. Or just embrace the natural light (and its flaws).
- Editing = Your Secret Weapon: Find someone who “gets” Lightroom, even just the basics. Fixing color (that nasty yellow!), brightening shadows, cropping out Uncle Bob’s hat? Magic. Worth begging a favor.
It ain’t perfect. My shots scream “amateur”. But? They saved maybe thousands. And the couple actually teared up seeing a few good ones. Guess sometimes real and scrappy beats staged perfection. Mostly.
