I remember this moment so clearly - my siblings, mom, aunts & uncles, cousins, and my grandma were all out on the dance floor. Holding hands in a big circle. Bobbing our hips and swaying side to side. Smiling. My smile was probably the biggest of all - my heart was bursting it was so full.
And my grandma - my dear sweet amazing grandma - was right there in the middle of it all. Her family. That she and my grandpa started so long ago when they had a little wedding of their own.
I cherish this photo for the memory and, most importantly, the feelings I associate with it.
As a photographer, it is easy to be very critical of my own work. Very easy. To be upset that I didn't have the absolute perfect locked in focus and tack sharpness I strive for. To be mad if the composition is unoriginal and boring. If the exposure is way off. If the white balance is horrible.
BUT... this photo of my grandma and I? I love it not because of the technical aspects - it was taken with a point and shoot with an automatic flash and is totally out of focus - I love it because of the content. Of the memory I will now forever be able to look back on.
So, to all the wedding photographer out there, shoot for content over quality. Strive for technical perfection - do your very best to capture each moment perfectly. But remember, these are peoples memories you are capturing. Of their one and only wedding day. Believe me, just capturing those precious fleeting moments - of a hug or a glance or a tear filled eye or a grandma on the dance floor - is so much more important than capturing it with technical perfection.
People are more connected to the emotional value of a photo than the technical aspects that it is made up of. Make sure you aren't deleting those amazing moments because of it's not 'your best work'. I bet you the bride won't even notice and will just be happy to have that moment captured in a photo. To look back on forever.
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