Almost one year ago today, I saw what I still think is the greatest picture I've ever seen in my life. I'm in it of course but that's not the reason.
Last July my kid brother got married to the love of his life and he and his wife hired a photographer out of Toronto named Jeremy. He might actually read this column.
Anyways the assignment that reminded me of this guy was the Sacred Heart high school graduation that took place on Saturday; I was taking pictures and it reminded me of the photo shoot he took of the wedding party.
We were on the waterfront just outside of downtown Toronto. The four guys in the wedding party were standing on top of a rock. We were on a high angle so the photographer had to hold the camera so it was pointing slightly towards the sky. When a professional photographer is arranging for pictures, he usually tells the subject (us) to do something. He didn't say anything to the others, but he told me to look up at the sky (funny to this day I still wonder why?).
Anyway, he showed me the picture on his high tech digital camera and I knew instantly I had to get a copy of this picture. Four months later and it's mine.
This photographer came out with the coolest pictures I have ever seen. He took everything he had to work with and made it look out of this world.
He is a professional wedding photographer. Not like it's any of my business how much he and his girlfriend make a year in revenue from shooting weddings but I've heard good things about the money some of them make. $2000 or so for a shoot.
I've never shot a wedding nor do I ever plan on shooting one but over the weekend, thanks to the one assignment I never thought I'd get this past weekend, I felt like it was the next best thing to shooting a wedding. This was the only time I ever thought about taking pictures of all kinds of people who are all dressed up from head to toe.
On Friday night around 10:30 p.m., is when I got the assignment to take pictures of the Sacred Heart High School graduation ceremony.
I don't think a graduation is anything like a wedding. The only similarity is that everyone is all dressed up.
It's the only time I ever could actually see myself going completely on instinct shooting this and shooting that. People everywhere, all dressed up, and me running around trying to figure out the best place to get that picture that looks amazing. Surprisingly, a couple of them did come out cool. To go from a sports guy to a graduation photographer for an hour or so on a Saturday morning is quite the change, and a challenge.
There's no 'action' at a graduation unless someone slips on a banana peel or spilled 7Up or something.
If they have anything in common, it's that the sooner you take the camera out, the more pictures you are going to take. Four or five pictures turns into 145 really fast. It's also really cool when sometimes someone looks at you and they smile instinctively, you don't have to tell them to. The best are those candid shots you get when you have the camera out and ready to go right at that moment. It can't possibly look like it was staged.
The graduation ceremony and the wedding ceremony both require experience and I didn't have any until Saturday. Check www.yorktonthisweek.com to see some of the pictures.
If there's anything you'd like to see covered by Game 7, please forward your suggestions to the Yorkton This Week sportsdesk by phone (306) 782-2465, or email jeff@yorkton this week.com.
