Improv on the Spot

No, I didn't switch to Canon (lol), but please read :)

One thing I've learned over the years about shooting weddings is you have to be able to improvise on the spot, whether it's adjusting for curveballs in timelines, logistics, or even equipment. Yesterday, while I was in the office doing some editing, I got a call from Alan. He was shooting video for a wedding in Waikiki, and apparently, the photographer, who had been hired from another company, never showed up and the ceremony was supposed to start in 15 minutes! He asked me to be on standby, in case the couple decided to go with me as a backup. A few minutes later, we got the green light. I quickly grabbed some dress clothes, and Lester drove me over to the hotel. There wasn't enough time for me to go home to grab my gear, so I when I got to the ceremony site, Alan gave me one of his Canon 5D mkIII bodies (pictured above). I've shot video on this camera a number of times, but never attempted to shoot photos on it before. I basically had 5 minutes to learn the photo functions on the camera...that was an adrenaline rush! Figuring out how to switch to RAW, reviewing the ISO, aperture and shutter dials, single shot and AI servo...good to go! The ceremony began, and I started clicking away. It was a really intimate ceremony, with the just the couple, the officiant, musician, and Alan and I. Shooting with one camera during the ceremony was definitely something different for me, and I found myself changing lenses a few times to get all the looks I wanted. I also had to slow down a bit because I had to really think about what all the dials did on the mkIII, compared to my D4s. After the ceremony, we did some formals for the couple, and they were really a ton of fun to work with! Easy going, happy to get married in Hawaii, and grateful to have us at their wedding :) This experience definitely made my week!