Why I am a Photographer {San Antonio Wedding Photographer}

I am in the midst of attending several photography classes (as I do every year) when I was asked what made me different as a photographer. My knee jerk reaction is "Well I take some great photos, make my couple feel good about themselves, have fantastic customer service, know my equipment inside and out. I love what I do..." basically something almost anyone in the class could say. What then, made me different from the people sitting next to me? Assuming our pricing was the same, why would anyone CHOOSE me over them? What made my images different? Again, knee jerk reaction, "They are more candid, natural photos. I see things differently and portray them in a different light. I don't use flash...." and as before, any other photographer in the room could have the same answer.
I was a little frustrated with myself at that moment. What did make me different? Why would somebody choose me over the next person? As the instructor continued on I began to think about my own wedding, 10 years ago, before digital was really around. I thought about my personal wedding photography and contemplated which of my images were most meaningful to me.

I got married on a shoe-string budget (think under $2,000 for the entire event). My Uncle Scott took all of my photos with his Nikon film camera. I have some great photos, especially for the *free* price-tag. Out of the many images which were captured, there are two that I can say, without a thought, are the most powerful to me.



I know, they are pixelated and the white bal... I am going to stop myself there. The important parts of these two images is not the technical aspects of the actual image, but the story behind them.

Kimin and I were taking a break after being photographed for an hour or so... I think my uncle was focused on extended family photos or something. Anyhow, we stepped out of the way. At that moment, there was
no chaos
no family
no photos
just us.
We hugged and Kimin pulled back and said "Janet, we did it. We're married!" It wasn't until after this tender moment, shared only between us, that we realized he was even taking any photos. They are not the most technically correct or even "attractive" photos but to me they are the most honest and true photos of the day.

While photographing wedding after wedding and time after time sorting through the hundreds of images captured I am drawn towards these photos most.
These are the moments I look for while photographing a wedding
These are the photos that I cherish the most
These are the images that take my breath away

This is why I became a photographer.