Growing Without Losing Your Style | A Baltimore Wedding at the Engineers Club

There are people in your career who teach you intentionally.

Then there are the people who just hand you an opportunity and trust you'll figure it out.

For me, that's Sadie.

For the last couple of years she's brought me along as her second videographer on some incredible adventures. We've driven to the Outer Banks more than once, survived a trip to Ocracoke where a storm nearly stranded us on the island, and even had one weekend where her car broke down and we spent the ride home laughing more than stressing.

Working with Sadie is always an adventure.

But one wedding stands out more than all the others.

Because it terrified me.

"Wait... You Want Me to Photograph?"

Most of the time when I work with Sadie, I'm filming.

This time she asked if I'd second shoot photography.

Now, that shouldn't sound like a huge deal. I'm a wedding photographer. I photograph weddings all the time.

Except...

I was photographing for Sadie.

When you admire someone's work, the pressure is different.

I didn't want to simply take good photos.

I wanted to create photos that fit her story.

And there was one giant obstacle.

The Flash That Scared Me

Anyone who knows my work knows I don't usually use direct flash.

It's just never been my style.

I love natural light, bounced flash, and letting fast lenses do their thing.

Direct flash has always felt... harsh.

Except when Sadie does it.

She somehow turns it into a storytelling device. Her images feel nostalgic, cinematic, and intentional instead of flashy.

So naturally, before the wedding I was asking every question imaginable.

"How do you do this?"

"Where do you point it?"

"What's your thought process?"

Like every experienced photographer...

Her answer was basically,

"I don't know... I just do it."

Not exactly the tutorial I was hoping for.

So I decided I'd just have to figure it out.

The Breakfast of Champions

The wedding was at Baltimore's beautiful Engineers Club.

Historic architecture.

Dark rooms.

Moody light.

Exactly the kind of place where learning direct flash would either look amazing...

...or become a complete disaster.

Naturally, I prepared the only way I know how.

A breakfast from 7-Eleven.

A sandwich.

And a Code Red Mountain Dew.

Look, I'm practicing for Japan.

Don't judge me.

Then Something Clicked

The groom was quiet.

A little shy.

Honestly...

My kind of person.

Helping reserved people relax is one of my favorite parts of photographing weddings, and suddenly I stopped thinking about the flash.

I started thinking about the people.

About the story.

About creating something that felt like Sadie's work while still trusting my own instincts.

Somewhere during the day, everything clicked.

I stopped fighting the flash.

I started using it.

Growth Doesn't Mean Becoming Someone Else

Looking back through those images, I'm genuinely proud of them.

Not because they changed my style.

Because they expanded it.

I'm still going to bounce my flash whenever I can.

I'm still going to reach for my f/1.2 lenses.

That's still me.

But now?

Dark reception halls don't intimidate me quite as much.

Historic venues feel like an opportunity instead of a challenge.

And if I want to create something dramatic...

I know I can.

Learning a new technique didn't replace my style.

It gave me another tool.

Thank You, Sadie

One of the greatest gifts another creative can give you is trust.

Sometimes they don't even realize they're pushing you.

They simply say, "I think you can do this."

And suddenly you're standing somewhere you never thought you'd be.

So thank you, Sadie.

Thank you for inviting me on the adventures, trusting me with your couples, and pushing me to experiment—even if you didn't realize you were doing it.

I'm still not going to become a direct-flash photographer. I'm still going to bounce my flash whenever I can and let my f/1.2 lenses do what they do best. But because of you, I walk into dark venues with a lot more confidence, and I have another creative tool when the moment calls for it.

Looking for Film Photography?

One of the things I love most about this industry is that every photographer has something they're exceptionally good at.

For me, that's creating authentic, candid moments with digital photography and video.

For Sadie, it's that and photographing weddings on real film.

Not presets. Not filters. Actual film.

It's a craft that takes patience, experience, and an incredible amount of trust in your instincts. I have so much respect for photographers who dedicate themselves to mastering it, and it's a skill I'm happy to admire rather than pretend to offer.

If you're planning a wedding and film photography is part of your vision, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out Sadie's work. You can see her portfolio here https://sadielynnfilms.com/

I'm grateful our industry has room for photographers with different strengths, and I'm even more grateful that one of them believed I could grow beyond my own comfort zone.