• Personal

Yep! I was a bridesmaid; not a photographer.

The girls were so welcoming as I was the only one coming from Texas to Louisiana! Such beautiful ladies and such a blast to hang out with. It doesn’t go without saying- I am a photographer at heart. I really don’t see other photographers as competition. I am a firm believer in supporting each other and making us stronger together. I talk about it in my Mentoring Section. ANYWAYS– I caught myself taking photos with my iPhone just for fun. At one point I was like, “Leaha, drop the phone and get to your duties”. ha It was refreshing to not sweat, look pretty and get to dance with my husband! AHHHHH! Thank you to Cody & Erlyn for allowing us to be a part of their beautiful day.

A few things I learned as a Bridesmaid that will help me to be a better Wedding Photographer.

• There are so many cute little moments happening. Take your time and look up, down and all around. Sometimes “THE” photo is not the posed ones.
• Bridesmaids don’t like to take ‘silly’ photos HA!
• Shooting the brides hair & make up will be a shorter time in the future for me; I will focus on the details of the wedding longer.
• I will spend more time with the bridesmaids & bride right before the wedding starts. There were so many candid moments between the girls right before ceremony time. Such tender moments shared between mom and the bride.
• Bridesmaids all have a history with the bride and its important to know WHY they love each other so that you can really bring out their personalities in the photos. Let them walk, talk and giggle together. The REAL moments are so great and their love for the bride really shows.
• Put down your iPhone and enjoy the moments in REAL time. I found myself with my phone in my hand a lot. Snapping photos and documenting my day. I am a photographer after all! BUT, it did remind me of how much I hate people trying to document the entire day themselves and missing out on the small moments that end up being your biggest memories. I understand WHY people want to constantly have their phones, but I hope that I can encourage future wedding attendees to just ENJOY and I’ll do the snapping.
• Photographers work hard….very hard.
• I am so GRATEFUL to have a team. There is no way I would be able to pull off amazing weddings without my gorgeous husband and assistants! POPography has no “I” in it!

 

Photography by Bliss Photography

 

Some of my iPhone shennanigans….