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I began shooting weddings in 1999… The year Y2K was going to knock out video machines and banks all over the world -so that went well. For the longest time I avoided wedding photography… and why not? I was an art school graduate and I was going to make something of myself... LOL. At the time wedding photographers were not considered “artists” rather a low rank camera operator with an attachment to highly stressful situations… or so I thought.
I was married in the summer 98 and that began “the shift”. Our wedding was a creative control freaks dream! I had ridiculous amount of flowers everywhere and hand-made 120 ceramic cake plates for each guest. I threatened to have a camera instead of a bouquet and because that idea was rejected I don’t have a single photograph to prove that the plates existed. I do remember the wedding… and it was beautiful. In the end I promised myself that if I ever found myself shooting a wedding I would remember to look for the details.
10 years and a million details later I can say that I have been blessed with an awesome opportunity to travel all over the world and witness hundreds upon hundreds of different expressions of Love. Imagine for a moment being invited into a group of people you don’t know, being welcomed in with open arms and then allowing you to walk amongst their friends to catch snip-its of their conversations, the warmth in quick glances and sunshine in everyone’s face. Now layer the feeling of love for tradition, family, friends and marriage. Embrace the love for nature, food, celebration and giving thanks. Consider the love you would absorb just by being a witness. I lived IN that LOVE almost every single spring and summer day over the last decade.
To all my wedding clients BIG LOVE and GRATITUDE for allowing me the
opportunity to be present in your love and forever changing my soul.
As a business, this is like any other and comes with its own unique assortment of glitches that have kept me on my toes. Not only have I held the title of photographer I could easily add seamstress, hairdresser, make-up artist, florist, social worker, event planner and courier.
I have watched a toddler in Incredible Hulk underwear suck back a beer while watching TV as the groomsmen ran around to get ready. I’ve attended a candle lit wedding that started so late that 50% of the candles were burnt out and the other 50% were a minute or two behind them saying I do. I’ve been to a wedding where the caterers had had a food fight with the wedding cake and helped themselves to cases of wine…and the bride’s fathers car was stolen with the brides wedding dress inside. And there have been days when my clients left for their honeymoon and their luggage was lost along the way. What would you think if I told you that THIS happened all on one wedding day?
I’ve re-done the hair for an entire wedding party because they went to a “small town” hair salon and all came back looking like Strawberry Shortcake. I’ve sewn women into dresses, replaced zippers in men’s pants and I can find a clothes button in any church office in a pinch. And I seem to be really handy with Gatorade when a member of the wedding party suddenly faints during the service.
To date this is one of the most curious experiences that I consistently have. And it is totally true- if someone is going to faint they usually stiffen up like a board first… and then… no one moves to help for quite an awkward moment. I’ve figured out the process, first there is the faint, then the awkward pause which gives me enough time to put down my cameras, grab my Gatorade and run to the front before anyone moves… (I wear 4 inch heels) every single time.
I’ve watched a bride fart in the microphone during her speech and witnessed goldfish take their last breaths as they baked in the sun in a floral arrangement. I’ve walked behind a tent of a different wedding to find the ‘clean up crew’ dumping beta fish out on the grass because the ‘night was over’. That was the day I added aquatic pet rescuer to my resume. I’ve experienced hysterical brides because their flowers arrived the wrong color and coached grooms through cold feet and wanting to call the wedding off… the night before.
To capture these moments I use a number of specific tools. I am a film shooter. More specifically I am a medium format film shooter. I equate the camera to a paintbrush that accurately allows me to transfer what is in my minds eye onto film with incredible precision. Mama-miya is one of my favorites and you might hear me say that this camera produces gold. She is the most incredible tool I can use as an artist and I can say without a moment of hesitation that 99.9% of the images are perfect. If you listen closely you won’t find many photographers who can promise that. I use another camera as well that sounds more like it was named after a Russian grandma and it creates the multiple exposure images that are in rotation on the headers of this site.
Recently, I have begun combining my painting ability with my photographic talents.
I actually describe it like this… For years I have been holding chocolate in one hand and peanut butter in the other and I didn’t realize that I could put them together. In other words… I’ve been a photographer for so long that not many people know that I was a painter first. For years I felt internally that something was missing… and then it dawned on me. I have only been sharing 50% of my talent with the world (the part I learned in school)… the other 50%, painting -my innate gift, I dismissed because it came so naturally to me. From now on there is only 100% REINE.
Finally, this site is a reflection of where I have been and where I am now. Some of the images I have pulled out of the archives and some are from this season. I realized this year that my quality and dedication to detail has withstood the test of time and should be celebrated instead of packed away collecting dust.
Thank You for visiting my site and I look forward to crossing paths.
BIG LOVE,
Bless the Planet,
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