Another win in the SLR Lounge Contest for Boston Massachusetts Wedding

I’m happy to announce that another image of mine won an award in the SLR Lounge photo contest! This one was from the amazing wedding of Paula + Marc (definitely check out the blog about their day HERE to see more of this day) and not only did it get an award in SLR, it also previously won in the Wedding Photojournalist Association contest last year making it a double winner, yay!

In the SLR Lounge, it was rated to be in the top 2-3% of images submitted which means it won the Summit Award and I’m honored to add that distinction to my portfolio. The rest of the winners in this round are incredible and I love seeing my name amongst them – view the entire article HERE to see the other award-winning images – scroll to the Wedding Photojournalism section to see mine in the mix.

As I’ve said before, Paula + Marc’s wedding was one that will continue to live in my heart until the end of time. There was so much about their day that I love reliving – it was one of the busiest weddings with incredible moments happening everywhere combined with one of the warmest, funniest, and energetic families that truly gave me so much space to be creative. Their trust in me all throughout the day and their willingness to be open to me during each and every meaningful part of the day gave me the ability to capture all of the energy and love that exists on the wedding day.

In this image, the crowd that gathered for the ceremonial exit from the church was huge filling the entire sidewalk as well as the stairs they exited from! I put my wide angle lens on and got as close as I could to the front, adjusted for that afternoon sun coming in from the side and ended up capturing all of their excitement and the pandemonium of celebration that rained down upon them. When I got home and saw this image uploading I couldn’t have been happier to share it with them.

Weddings are full of the spontaneous and the unplannable so being at the ready, trusting your capabilities, and having the right gear for the right moments are things I pride myself in. Had I not had this lens or not known that it was the one I needed to have on my camera, or if I didn’t have the guts to be in the midst of the crowd and get right up in there, or had I not been comfortable working in the bright harsh light of the afternoon sun, this image wouldn’t exist and this moment would be lost.

Pictures that happen in the calm, quiet moments where you have the time to work through any issues are no less incredible, but for me I am the proudest when the situation is full of pressure and quick thinking and I still create some photo magic.

I hear the term “wedding photojournalist” used a lot by different photographers but for me it’s a lot more than just capturing candid guest moments, it’s about being in the thick of it like I was here (and for the other WPJA awards!) and conveying the emotion that fills the spaces no matter what else is going on around me.

Honestly, it takes guts to get in close and ask for couples to allow me into moments that are filled to the brim with emotion and it’s something that I push myself harder and harder because the resulting images are always some of my favorites. I’m thankful for my photojournalism roots in photography that continues to give me the courage to get close and get dirty for the pictures.

Paula + Marc, thank you yet again for having me on your wedding day! Your faces are the poster children for another award, YAY!!