04/11/2026
This is a long one;
Today, at a wedding, I was publicly called out by a priest and later spoken to in a way that left me absolutely shattered.
During the ceremony, I had quietly stepped in to fix the bride’s dress. I wasn’t taking a photo, making noise, or causing a distraction. I was simply doing what I always do-helping the bride, making sure she looked and felt beautiful. She even thanked me.
Despite that, the priest publicly called me out in front of everyone due to my “disrespect” and said he needed to “regain his composure” before continuing the ceremony. All because I was quietly doing my job.
Later, I went upstairs to take a few photos from above of the beautiful ceremony. After it ended, while I was upstairs packing up my gear alone, the priest approached me and told me I was disrespectful, a disgrace, asked “who raised me,” if I was “raised in the woods,” and even questioned my mannerisms.
I sat there afterwards completely in tears, questioning myself and wondering if I had somehow done something wrong.
The hard part is, I truly wish there was more to the story. I wish I could say I was rude, disruptive, or disrespectful- but I wasn’t. I was simply there doing my job and trying to help.
I was second shooting for another photographer, so this wasn’t even “my” wedding, but I still poured my whole heart into it the way I always do.
I was so grateful for everyone around me. They saw what happened, and they saw me.
I’m sharing this because behind every photographer is a real person. We carry the pressure of getting every moment right. We care deeply. We pour our hearts into our work, into our clients, and into making sure every little detail is taken care of.
To my past, present, and future clients: thank you for trusting me, appreciating me, and treating me with kindness. I will always continue to show up with my whole heart, because that’s who I am.
And to anyone who has ever left work questioning themselves because of someone else’s words — you are not what they said about you.