7 Weddings Later...

7 weddings later... and I think I've had enough...

Been very priviledged to be asked to shoot for my close friends' weddings since 2001. And it's been 7 weddings that I've covered since...

I've just finished processing my last wedding coverage which took place in late October, and yes, I've owed the happy couple their wedding photos for nearly 2 months... I'm so ashamed of myself. The longest I've delayed the photos was 4 months. Maybe that's a reason why I should stop commiting myself to shoot weddings...

But seriously, I'm quite tired of shooting weddings. Although it's a joy to share the happiness and bring some smiles to friends with their wedding photos, I'm just beginning to feel tired of processing the sheer amount of photos, sitting in front of the computer for long hours, staring and adjusting the contrast, colours and brightness of the photos.

What's driving me on for 7 weddings has been the commitment to capture the happy and memorable moments for my good friends. I've contemplated doing this as a sideline, providing such services as a side line to earn some gear-acquisition income. But I finally figured out that I'll have absolutely no motivation to do such assignments if I don't know the wedding couple at all...

Moreover, I also began to feel pretty callous and numb towards weddings... I think I've covered enough weddings and attended enough weddings to figure out that what goes on on that blissful day is all but another day on their long journey of a lifetime together...

Whatever vows that were made, whatever meaningful proceedings that took place, whatever games that were played, regardless of how many guys that were present to fool a blindfolded bride and choose her groom by touching his hands, whatever songs that were sung by the groom to impress the bride, whatever promises that were made on stage, whatever foolish acts that were done to show their love towards each other..... All these aren't important at all...

All these would just be a beautiful shell, witnessed by hundreds of friends and relatives (just in case things don't go too well, the couple would hesitate to do foolish things cos' there's too many people to explain to), if right down in the core of it all, the foundation on which a marriage should be built on is absent...

I've seen a handful of weddings which I could really feel very right about... I could feel and see that these couples were really made for each other... It's hard to explain, I'll know when I see one... And I'm very happy for them for they are so blessed and I really envy them...

Having said so much, I'm just but a wanna-be photographer, observing marriages through my camera viewfinder... I'm not married, and neither do I have anyone whom I can marry in mind as yet... So what do I know about marriages?

Well, at least I know I won't marry for the sake of marrying, marry because of convenience, marry because others think it's time to get married, marry to please others, marry and end up realising that the person is not right, marry because it's part of my long term plan, marry in case I can't find another better one, marry in case I get too old, marry in case I'll be lonely when I'm old...

But really, what do we all know about marriage??? There'll always be a risk... How much risk and and ultimately how much commitment am I prepared to give?

I saw this beautiful quote in a gift shop at Christchurch Cathedral (New Zealand)... "Leap, and the net will appear..."

And to take the leap, there must be faith...