Before the longer days of summer began I received an email from Daniel and Shikha asking to discuss photographing their July 2014 wedding. I was so excited, especially after meeting them! Shikha is from India and they would be having a traditional Indian ceremony there before their wooded Oregon wedding at Daniel's childhood home. I absolutely loved the idea of filming this intimate forest wedding. 

Then, one of my biggest fears came to life. 

12 days before Daniel and Shikha's big day, I fell on Spencer Butte and broke my wrist so severely that surgery was required. I weighed my options: 

-Back out, return their deposit and help them find another photographer. 
-Attempt to find a second shooter to help me with the heavy lifting. 
-Buy a monopod and film the wedding without holding the camera. 

The third choice was what I wanted to do but I had to make sure I could actually still use the fingers of my right hand to steady the camera and push the button. I picked up a monopod and tested it out with great success. Now it was time to tell them. 

I emailed Daniel and Shikha to let them know what had happened and what I proposed to do but also gave them the option of finding someone else. They responded saying if I felt I was able to still photograph the wedding that they'd prefer to have me do it instead of attempting to find someone else. 

I was very nervous on the day of the wedding. I purchased a few bottles of water to stay hydrated in the July heat and had a good night's rest as well as a big breakfast. I was as ready as I could be. 

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Nestled in the woods of tiny Walton, Oregon at Daniel's childhood home, there were so many beautiful vignettes and details. Daniel and Shikha were relaxed and excited for their non-traditional wedding day. The monopod worked very well and after five hours, I was tired, sore and thrilled with the shots I'd captured. 

Here are some of my favorite photos from Daniel and Shikha's wedding day: 

Daniel and Shikha

001 004 005 Daniel and Shikha 011 Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha

056 057 Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha

081 Daniel and Shikha 082 Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha

103 110 115 102 Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha Daniel and Shikha