Where do I begin?
Do you ever stop and wonder, "How did I get here"? That's what I've been doing recently. Those of you I see every day will already know this, but a lot of you will have no idea. You see, over the last six months, a lot has changed for me. How on Earth did someone just pay me to be their Wedding Photographer? I'm not sure if I even know how myself, as it isn't something I'd ever expected or thought of doing, so let's start from the beginning and figure it out, shall we?
You may know about my love and passion for audio engineering, but you may not know about my other passion that has come to the forefront recently. I've always loved art. I studied it through school and college, but honestly, I was a terrible artist. After realising this and really struggling with it, I dropped out of my college art courses and thought I'd left art behind for good with only old, half-empty sketchbooks to show for it. Years later, when the Pandemic came and disrupted our lives, I used it as a chance to boost my confidence and make guitar playthrough videos of my favourite songs, and while I'm no virtuoso and the videos didn't go viral or make me an internet sensation, I got several things from that process that were more important than I could ever imagine:
- My fiancée. By seeking a graphic designer to help with my audio and video work, I found the love of my life, Willow.
- I wanted higher quality videos than my phone could provide, so I bought my first DSLR camera.
- The confidence to chase my passions.
The combination of these three things were the catalyst that brought me to where I am now. I bought the camera purely for the purposes of making guitar videos, but I really put the time into studying how it works and very rapidly fell in love with taking photos. To be honest, the love was always there. At any concert or family gathering, I'd be the one taking all the photos, but it was with my Canon EOS 250D that I really fell in love with the process of taking and editing photos. Sure, you can take nice photos with almost any phone these days, but it's so much more enjoyable to use a real camera and really get your head around all the settings so that you can get exactly what you want out of a shot. It didn't take long for me to fall into the pit of Gear Envy, and so I made a bold commitment and upgraded to a Sony A73 and a F1.8 85mm lens, and really took my passion to the next level. Since then, Willow and I would often go to the woods and I'd take photos of her dressed in her beautiful cosplays or fairy outfits, just for the fun of it, just because we enjoyed ourselves. It was only after a friend saw those photos and asked me if I'd be her sister's wedding photographer, that things really changed. Of course, I said yes, but hours later I stopped and realised just what a responsibility that really is. What if all my photos are horribly over-exposed? What if they're all out of focus? What if I lose the memory card? What if I miss all the key moments? This is the most important day of someone's life and they've trusted me to not only be in their face with a camera all day, but to capture every moment that matters? Oh boy. The pressure I felt was unreal as it dawned on me. I'm not ready for this.
Ironically, I was reminded that in the Lockdown Days I'd made a video about Imposter Syndrome and how you should believe in yourself and break down those obstacles to achieve your goals, rather than hold yourself back. So I committed. I spent the next six months studying wedding photography specifically and practicing as much as possible while working full-time, preparing in any way I could and buying new lenses to cover my new requirements. I'd spent so long studying that by the time the Wedding finally came along I must've been the most knowledgeable yet totally inexperienced Wedding Photographer in the world! Thankfully, it went well enough that I felt brave enough to make this website, share my photos, write this very blog, and to continue offering my services. I already have a few more weddings and other events booked in and I can't wait to add more to my Calendar.
Where I am now is surprising to me, yet it also seems like it should've been an obvious path all along. Photography gives me a chance to fulfill my artistic desires in a way that I never could in the past, but it also provides the opportunity to forge meaningful connections with others, and give them something that they'll cherish forever. So how did I get here? Well, this is perhaps where I was always headed, I just didn't know it yet. Life's funny like that, isn't it? The next question is, what comes next? I honestly have no idea but I'm genuinely optimistic for the future and I can't wait to see where I can take this next. I'll try my best to keep you updated along the way!
Thanks for reading,
Daniel Bone
