Thrilled & Elated

Two weeks ago, I got a call I'd been waiting for for a very long time. No, it wasn't the state lottery, or WILCO seeking a full-time photographer. It was more like the assignment lottery. The number on my phone appeared as a series of ones, which made for a singular spectacular jackpot of a phone call. It was The New York Times. The assignment was to shoot a wedding for their Vows section. Fate and love had finally crossed my path!

I'd been an avid (albeit closeted) reader of Vows for as long as I can remember. Not in an annoying, stereotypical female, 'I can't wait to see who got married' kind of way. Rather, it's been those spellbinding, too-good-to-true love stories that have kept me coming back every Sunday. Quirky, cool and shatter-proof - they've kept me believing in my own brand of true love.


And as a photographer, I've paid close attention to the bylines hiding underneath those gorgeous photos. Always imagining who those lucky shutterbugs were and who they had to BE in order to become the Times wedding photographer du jour.

Two weeks ago, that lucky shutterbug was me. Thrilled and elated, I couldn't wait to make beautiful photographs of two random strangers' most important day. I also couldn't wait to nail the assignment.

There was one hitch though - the stunning couple didn't want to hire a photographer of their own because they didn't want the intrusion of a "wedding photographer". Regardless of their wedding being featured in The New York Times (a competitive fete by anyones standards), I was instructed not to come between the couple and their guests, or move around very much, and if at all possible - to basically become invisible. My fantasies of capturing those cool and beautiful moments of the bride and groom came crashing down with several restrictions. Thank God for long lenses! Despite my disappointment, a need to respect those wishes prevailed, and I could only do the best that I could.

And so I did. And they said 'I do'. And it was published on a beautiful Sunday, in color no less!

I hope they call again.