I didn’t want to go. There was a wedding, and I didn’t want to go. My cozy home digs its claws into me as I lay on the couch in the dark. “I’m ok with this”. My TV talks to me, it wishes me well and tells me about the “unprecedented times” I get to live in. Woo-hoo :/ . I stare into my camera on the coffee table as it teases me. I hear the words of a profoundly lovely YouTuber cascade through my thoughts. “NO GREAT PICTURES HAVE EVER BEEN TAKEN FROM THE COUCH”!!! My first thought? This sucks butt. Though, my next move is far more important. I get off the couch, I grab my stuff and I call my friend. We are going to a wedding.
This is not a paid gig, this isn’t even a freebie. I’m going as a guest to my friends wedding. They’ve paid for their photographers. There is no need for me to bring any equipment, plans, or expectations. So what do you do at a wedding? Like, as a guest? EAT AND DANCE. And if they let you, AT THE SAME TIME! It was a wonderful time. Stone cold sober, grinding on the wind on the dance floor. I was a complete menace! A real Joy Boy! As security closed in and my friend gives me the signal (2 caws) we head for the car and make our escape. I hear the words of a profoundly lovely YouTuber cascade through my thoughts. “NO GREAT PICTURES HAVE EVER BEEN TAKEN FROM THE COUCH”!!! My first thought? Hekken yes brotha!
Where’s the creativity? Where’s the art in all of this. The surprising thing about this strange wedding on a rainy fathers day was not the remix of thriller with a gangster beat in such a elegant facility. It was all the little moments hidden within such a grand event. It was the video I caught of a Sweetheart giving their loving father a thoughtful gift. Capturing the smile between the two of them with a beautiful silhouette. It was the chickens that forced my hand into doing a complete solo shoot with a BBC (Big Beautiful Chicken) and it was the feral rose red sunset fighting the clouds one last time before nightfall.
I didn’t pick up my fancy camera once. Regardless, I was thrust into creative positions like some twisted Kama Sutra of creative frenzy. Now for the deep stuff… The most important thing for me in the moment was not setting the intention, But showing up. The drive to create wasn’t manufactured or handed to me, it wasn’t bought or rented. It was bestowed upon me, as much as all of us, by the universe. Raining down at the speed of life, drenching us in magical little moments. I hear the words of a profoundly lovely YouTuber cascade through my thoughts. “NO GREAT PICTURES HAVE EVER BEEN TAKEN FROM THE COUCH”!!! My first thought? Hekken yes!
