About a month behind on reading PDML. Whoops. Hope to catch
up soonish, maybe.
Photographed a Russian Orthodox wedding today. Two friends
whom I introduced to each other. They wanted me to shoot
the ceremony, but they really wanted me as a _guest_ at the
reception, so they recruited a family member (who they said
doesn't really like parties much) to shoot candids at the
reception and told me I was off duty once the ceremony was
finished.
Long. Heavy on ritual. Pretty. Intense. Priest told me
flash was okay and that I could wander almost anywhere to
shoot (there was only one place I wasn't supposed to go, and
it didn't limit me). Only two problems: at one point I really
wanted to be in two places at once; and the bride had a habit
of standing _just_ far enough back that it was hard to get
unobstructed shots of her face. (Did get a few though.) Backup
gear stayed in the backup bag; emergency last-ditch spare backups
stayed in the car; one flash shoe got a bit twitchy but other
than that everything basically worked (well, once I replaced
the batteries in the KX, which was completely dead when I pulled
it out of the bag). Did drop a 50/1.4 lens as I was packing up
at the end of the reception when I was really tired and my hands
were a little shaky (I did shoot a _little_ during the reception,
mostly using up the ends of the rolls that weren't completely used
during the ceremony). Will examine it after I've slept to see
whether I got lucky or not. (Fortunately it wasn't the _Pentax_
50/1.4.)
And a little girl who decided I was cool because I talked to
her about music and cameras, said that if I live long enough
she wants me at her wedding. (Very sweet, but just how old
does my beard make me look?) She's trying to talk me into
showing up there for Easter. I told her to tell the groom to
remind me every so often, and maybe I'd show up. Her mom
was friendly too. A lot of people there were friendly.
Late in the reception a few of us started a jam session (including
the groom ... both the bride and the groom had joined one of the
kids for a couple of tunes earlier on). I thought it was just
a few of us having fun in the corner until I looked up and
realized that everyone who hadn't already left had turned
chairs around to watch us and we'd somehow become an impromptu
concert.
And now I think it's an early bedtime for me. Maybe I'll get
to the television in time to find out how the Ravens and the
Redskins did today.
-- Glenn
