Six months ago I was walking down George Street in Sydney, well past dark, shooting images with the new wide angle lens I’d just purchased at a small camera shop in Sydney’s central business district earlier that day. I had just wrapped up 6 straight days of cat grooming seminars and workshops in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney – a whirlwind of a trip. I was exhausted. I was tired of cat talk, tired of cat hair. I had one day off before boarding a plane to make the long journey home. I was spending the day completely, utterly, wonderfully alone – my camera as my only companion.
After shooting sunset photos over Darling Harbour, I slowly made my way back to the hotel on Campbell Street, stopping briefly to test out my new lenses’ capabilities in near darkness by shooting the image above. The tree against the old church had caught my eye. After grabbing a few shots, I stood under a tree, earbuds in my ears, music filling my head and drowning out all thoughts of work. I was rifling through my images just captured, thinking to myself how much I love photography, how therapeutic it was, how less-stress it was compared to my usual work. I was literally saying to myself, “I think I’d like to shoot weddings, to be a wedding photographer. I’d love to shoot a wedding in Sydney. Would’t that be fun?” when a young man interrupted my thoughts by tapping me on the shoulder.
I was a bit startled at first. After removing the earbuds, the young man asked, “Are you a wedding photographer?” I kid you not.
I can’t tell you Lenox’s side of this story yet, but I can tell you mine. He told me his wedding date was scheduled for February 28th. I told him it was possible I could return to Sydney then to photograph his wedding. Today, as I write this, I am back in Sydney with my son and Fourth Dimension Photography business partner, Joel. It is February 26th Sydney time. We are shooting Lenox and Keira’s wedding in two days.
I keep this photo as a reminder that when I feel stuck or limited, I am usually the one limiting my ability to make a change. Miracles do happen. Dreams can come true. I’ve always been a dreamer and often have an overinflated optimism that near-impossible feats will be accomplished. Item #8 on my list of 10 things you probably didn’t know about me is that barely 6 months ago I was thinking it was time for part 2 of my life, time for a change, time for some serious photography. I was, very specifically, wanting to shoot a wedding in Sydney, Australia. And here I am in the Land Down Under, camera gear ready, meeting the lovely bride Keira for the first time, and excited about capturing the beauty and emotion of her marriage to Lenox on Sunday. It’s going to be a culturally diverse wedding celebration, one I greatly look forward to sharing with you all!