The easy words to write here would be that the last year has been roses and rainbows, but it hasn’t been. There has been an amazing amount of growth, and with that growth came a lot of growing pains.
Today, January 7th, is the one year anniversary of Janelle shooting her first wedding with me as my solely designated second shooter. I think that she explained it as ‘like someone to be all time “it” in tag, but fancier and way more fun,’ on her blog. I’m not sure that she still considers it fancy though.
We started off the year shy and polite with one another. Even though it was Janelle’s first wedding with me, she had spent about 6 months tagging along on engagement shoots, hearing my feedback, changing her shooting style, and learning to try to read my mind. So, it was her first wedding, but it didn’t really seem like it was her first time at the rodeo either. I had already planned that I would shoot this first wedding as though Janelle wasn’t there, so there wasn’t a ton of pressure on her. Even though I didn’t know her very well yet; I knew that even though I wasn’t applying pressure, she was. It is one of the things that I like about Janelle the most. She doesn’t settle. She doesn’t fail. She makes sure that she is doing the job that she is hired to do at the best of her ability.
We shot two weddings together that January (Happy Anniversary Nancy & Paul — and — Francesca & David!!) And then we started back up again in late March. Our next wedding went swimmingly easy. But some growing pains were about to hit, and they were about to hit hard. Our next wedding was a lot more difficult. The light didn’t play in our favor, I wasn’t happy with several things that were happening with the timeline, and then the coordinator decided to tell a bit of an untruth when she said that the lighting for the indoor, nighttime ceremony was going to stay like it was… and then a minute later the bride started to walk down the aisle and the lights plummeted. Plummeted, I tell you. And so did my stomach. And then the death stare came. And I really really really needed Janelle to read my mind. And she couldn’t.
Tears were shed. Walls were built. Communication was needed, but it seemed like the last thing either of us was capable of. Tears were also shed at a few more weddings, but we shared some moments of friendship, as well. We were beginning to get to know each other, but were unsure if that meant that we liked each other any more or any less.
To be blatantly honest, Janelle was so incredibly amazing during this entire process. I had been shooting weddings with myself from the beginning, obviously. I knew every thought that was in my head, and the reasoning behind those thoughts. I knew exactly how I wanted photographs to look, and when I wanted those photographs to be shot. She was required to be a mind reader… because even though I knew what I wanted her to do… I had never had to communicate it before. And I wasn’t good at it.
At every turn it felt like I was barking an order, correcting a thought process, and selfishly molding her into what I wanted her to be for me… and even though I was also giving positive feedback, the stack of corrections could never compare. But by the time May rolled around, it seemed as though we were getting into a bit of a routine, and that we were going to weather the growing pains storm. We really were coming out on the other side.
Until we weren’t.
Until we had to travel across the world with one another. And we had to do it twice in a month. We cracked. We broke.
We didn’t even know each other, yet we had to live with one another. And it was hard. But seeing it in hindsight, it was the best thing that we could have done.
We came out of the other side, for reals this time, and we will hopefully be forever stronger because of it. And not just our business relationship, but more importantly, our friendship.
Janelle has grown leaps and bounds this passed year. I basically asked her to learn to shoot what I wanted, which meant that she had to abandon her own style of shooting. It is so inspiring to have watched her take my direction, and turn it into something that I could have never even imagined. She adds so much more depth to our couple’s wedding collections, and quite frankly, I’m often jealous of her work when it is compared to mine. She has pushed me to be a better photographer, a better communicator, and a better person. Janelle has this ability to capture people that I simply don’t have. I often refer to her as my people detailer. She can see intimate moments before they happen, and then capture them in an insanely gorgeous way… and the best part is that people never even knew that they were being photographed.
I really could go on and on about Janelle’s work, and how fantastic she is behind her camera… but the most important part that I need to share with you all is about what is behind her smile. Janelle is steadfast, and genuine. She is true to herself, and to you. She is a good friend to all around her, and her hugs can make you feel at home even if you’re miles away from where you rest your head. Janelle will be your friend without hesitation, and without conditions. She is polite. Let me say that again, she is so incredibly polite to everyone around her. She is smart enough to be a walking encyclopedia, and if Google hadn’t have come up with Google then Janelle would have been the person that the world came to for information. But the most amazing thing that she has done, that I simply can not believe… she has put up with me for an entire year.
Thank you, Janelle. This year has been wonderful and insanely difficult at the same time. I’m excited to start 2015 off with you next month, but I am even happier to know that I get to continue getting to know you… and that I get to call you one of my best friends.
Touching. Thank you for sharing your heart.