Oooooh my gosh, you guys. The story of the experience of putting together The Studio’s First Gallery Viewing is one I want to remember forever.
It was more than I could have ever asked for.
I was overwhelmed that my family made being there a priority. My parents drove over the pass just for it. My brother and his wife made the trip from out of state. (They were visiting but not on my side of the mountains!) Family friends came to show their support. Lastly, I had couples from 2016 all the way through a wedding I haven’t even documented yet present!
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to every one who came and all of my love to those of you who RSVP’d and couldn’t make it. Even your RSVP showed me your support. Thank you so much!
Lastly, a shout out to Neil from Emerald City Cocktails. He was such an amazing contribution and really made it feel like a full blown celebration. He is an amazing bartender and I loved having him around. If you reach out to them, definitely ask for Neil!
Now, let’s rewind. Way back to weeks before the event even took place.
Planning this event…shoot. Let’s start with why I even wanted to do this in the first place. I knew I wanted to celebrate when I hit 100 weddings. I knew I wanted to take time to reflect on all of the stories that have been documented and take time to absorb each unique wedding day. As I complete final edits on each wedding, there are so many moments that make my heart swell. EVERY SINGLE GALLERY has a couple photos where I just paused. Teared up a little. Then, moved on.
After 100 weddings, I knew I’d forgotten so many of those moments and exact images as I have delivered WELL over 100,000 images in the last four years. I don’t want to forget them. They helped build me. They are for you, but they are my legacy.
So, I spent time reflecting on each wedding. Each memorable moment…and trust you me, all of you have one. ♥ I scrolled through gallery after gallery and picked a favorite memory or image that I was so proud could live forever.
I will admit, I drastically underestimated the time it would take to print these images. On display, at the gallery, I had about 50. It was enough. Everything was perfect. It was a bummer every wedding was not represented. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t spend time picking out a photo and scrolling through every gallery. I didn’t “make cuts”. We just started printing and printed as much as we could until all local stores ran out of PIXMA 8 ink…and didn’t have time to order more. I literally printed the last photo while putting my tights on in my office waiting for it to print (with two ink shades missing). I did make sure to print a photo from every wedding of couple’s who had RSVP’d.
Well, you could say those hours of printing and printing and printing got me stinkin’ hooked. HOOKED. Now, I can print a stunning photo, right in my studio, whenever I want to see what it looks like in the physical realm. It’s addictive. It’s beautiful.
More photographers need to print their work. I’m not talking about one or nine a year…I’m talking about every freaking wedding. You deserve to see your work printed. You created a beautiful digital concept…and you got so close to seeing it become a real thing. PRINT.IT.
IF YOU RSVP’D AND WOULD LIKE YOUR PHOTO THAT WAS ON DISPLAY: DM me and come pick it up from my studio in Milton anytime Mon-Fri 12:00pm-4:00pm. I meant to hand each of yours to you on the way out but forgot! In my head you guys would just grab it from the clips when you left. Sorry for the communication error!
My biggest regret? I didn’t hire a photographer. How funny is that?! I thought I could take photos and enjoy, but such was not the case.
I have just a couple photos I snapped in a hurry, and a few photos of friends who I asked to sit for me if they were near me while I was by the flash.
Will The Studio host another gallery viewing? ABSOFREAKINLUTELY.
This was one of the most valuable and amazing experiences of my career. I plan to pick a theme and host one every other year…but we’ll see how I’m feeling mid-next-wedding-season.
Venue: Union Club Tacoma
Bartending: Emerald City Cocktails
Prints: Jaclynn Wilkinson | Studio of Fine Art
The Studio’s First Gallery Viewing
Previous Posts:
Seattle Commercial Photography
Wedding: Cabin Creek Lodge
Wedding: Ruston Chapel
Wow! WOW!
All that support, well deserved!