90%

Sometimes I wish I remembered what I was thinking on my drive over to Shelley's the afternoon I first took pictures of little Nick.  Did I know it would be a new start?  Did I know it would be big?  Did I think anything of it?  Doubt it.

And I definitely did not know that five months later, I would be spending the day with a wedding photographer, snapping shots of giggling bridesmaids, nervous parents, and a beaming bride and groom.

But here I am, doing an internship with Sam Stroud Photography this fall, and I couldn't be more excited.  I had the pleasure of working with Sam himself this past weekend (he has numerous photographers working for his company), as well as one of his assistants, Kristin.  I was nervous going into it, but once I had my camera in hand, the rest was easy, natural.  I did the only thing I know to do - look for the perfect moment to capture and capture it.  Get the real emotions; get people being people.

My favorite moment of the entire day:  the fact that we were literally the last people the bride made eye contact with before walking down the aisle.  She gave us this nervous smile like, "Hey, I'm about to sign my life away," but at the same time it was so full of promise and hope for what was to come.  Don't know why I loved that so much, but I did.

I also loved the free dinner we got - a delicious filet with potatoes and broccoli with cheese.  And we weren't rushed to eat or anything - there was so much more downtime than I expected.  I guess I always imagined a wedding photographer running around, crazily trying to grab every single moment possible, but it wasn't like that at all.  It was nice to have that time to get to know Sam and Kristin a little better, to talk cameras and businesses and backgrounds.

Along with learning some things about my new "boss," I learned so much about being behind the lens at weddings.  I learned about cameras and lighting, and even some about what happens after the shoot.

And of course, I realized yet again that this really is something that I want to do.  I want to take this passion and go somewhere with it.  Sam and I discussed how 90% of being good at this profession is having a love for it.

Well, I guess I am 90% there.