appearing on her forehead.
‘Um, well, I’ve taken quite a lot of pictures at friends’ birthdays and I did an awards ceremony once.’ Back when I worked at
Marbles,
my boss let me have a go at
some boring industry awards.
‘Have you got anything to show me?’ she asks.
‘I didn’t bring my portfolio with me from Australia, but I’ve got a bunch of shots on my laptop.’
Maria smiles encouragingly while Rachel clicks through the images. I watch her nervously, feeling the pressure.
‘How’s it going at work?’ Maria asks.
‘It’s okay.’
‘Have you seen much of Alex?’
‘Not really. He’s been in and out of meetings.’
The glass-walled meeting room is right opposite my desk so I’ve had a perfect view of Alex steadfastly ignoring me since getting back to the office after the photoshoot yesterday.
I notice Rachel pausing on the occasional picture, taking time to study it. My nerves intensify and I take a large gulp of my wine. I love photography and I want her to be impressed.
‘This is great,’ she says finally, looking pleased.
‘Really?’
‘Perfect. Just the sort of thing I’m after.’
I exhale with relief. ‘So what will you need me to do exactly?’ I ask. ‘I mean, I have a camera.’ I invested in one when I started getting some freelance work. ‘But
I’m not sure my two lenses will be good enough.’
‘No need to worry. My assistant, Sally, will be happy to lend you her kit.’
‘Are you sure she won’t mind?’
‘Not at all.’ Rachel tuts. ‘She owes me, dropping me in it at the last minute like this.’
‘Why did she pull out?’
‘Her boyfriend wants to take her away for the weekend.’
Rachel can’t be very happy about it. Maria gives me a pertinent look, answering my unspoken question.
‘Where is the wedding?’ I glance at Maria.
‘It’s near Cambridge, about an hour away, in a village a few miles from where I grew up,’ she reveals. ‘We can all travel up together in Rachel’s car on Saturday
morning.’
‘Great.’ I look down at the stack of books on the table and Rachel notices.
‘These are some of my weddings.’ She picks up the book on the top and hands it to me. The cover says ‘Pippa and John’ in swirly script on the front and there’s a
beautifully romantic shot of a groom dipping a bride backwards while planting a gentle kiss on her lips. Rachel talks me through her work, explaining how a wedding package tells the story of the
wedding from the getting-ready part, sometimes all the way to the last dance. It’s a far cry from the traditional leather-bound albums that you usually see of fifty formal, stiff-looking
photographs of the wedding party in various staged poses. Rachel’s books are packed full of natural photographs of relaxed and happy people enjoying what looks like the best day of their
lives.
‘I’m so glad you like it.’ Rachel smiles warmly when I tell her how impressed I am. ‘I learned everything I know from a wedding photographer called Lina Orsino. She and
her partner Tom work as a team. Eventually I hope to have the same set-up – a partner, rather than an assistant – but one step at a time.’
‘Sounds great,’ I say. ‘So what will you need from me?’
She leans forward and I sit up straighter. ‘The service will take place around the corner from the bride’s parents’ house, so you can come with Maria and me for the bride
preparation shoot and hang out, see how I do things. Then, you’d need to go to the church ahead of time to take photographs of the little details. People rarely appreciate how much goes into
a wedding, but we do, and we need to capture it for posterity. So take photos of the flowers, the candles, the church...’
My heart jumps, but I force myself to listen carefully, wishing I’d brought a pen and paper. Actually... ‘Do you have a pen and paper?’ I ask.
‘Sure!’ Rachel looks pleased as she gets up from the table and hunts them out. Maria gives me the
‘Um, well, I’ve taken quite a lot of pictures at friends’ birthdays and I did an awards ceremony once.’ Back when I worked at
Marbles,
my boss let me have a go at
some boring industry awards.
‘Have you got anything to show me?’ she asks.
‘I didn’t bring my portfolio with me from Australia, but I’ve got a bunch of shots on my laptop.’
Maria smiles encouragingly while Rachel clicks through the images. I watch her nervously, feeling the pressure.
‘How’s it going at work?’ Maria asks.
‘It’s okay.’
‘Have you seen much of Alex?’
‘Not really. He’s been in and out of meetings.’
The glass-walled meeting room is right opposite my desk so I’ve had a perfect view of Alex steadfastly ignoring me since getting back to the office after the photoshoot yesterday.
I notice Rachel pausing on the occasional picture, taking time to study it. My nerves intensify and I take a large gulp of my wine. I love photography and I want her to be impressed.
‘This is great,’ she says finally, looking pleased.
‘Really?’
‘Perfect. Just the sort of thing I’m after.’
I exhale with relief. ‘So what will you need me to do exactly?’ I ask. ‘I mean, I have a camera.’ I invested in one when I started getting some freelance work. ‘But
I’m not sure my two lenses will be good enough.’
‘No need to worry. My assistant, Sally, will be happy to lend you her kit.’
‘Are you sure she won’t mind?’
‘Not at all.’ Rachel tuts. ‘She owes me, dropping me in it at the last minute like this.’
‘Why did she pull out?’
‘Her boyfriend wants to take her away for the weekend.’
Rachel can’t be very happy about it. Maria gives me a pertinent look, answering my unspoken question.
‘Where is the wedding?’ I glance at Maria.
‘It’s near Cambridge, about an hour away, in a village a few miles from where I grew up,’ she reveals. ‘We can all travel up together in Rachel’s car on Saturday
morning.’
‘Great.’ I look down at the stack of books on the table and Rachel notices.
‘These are some of my weddings.’ She picks up the book on the top and hands it to me. The cover says ‘Pippa and John’ in swirly script on the front and there’s a
beautifully romantic shot of a groom dipping a bride backwards while planting a gentle kiss on her lips. Rachel talks me through her work, explaining how a wedding package tells the story of the
wedding from the getting-ready part, sometimes all the way to the last dance. It’s a far cry from the traditional leather-bound albums that you usually see of fifty formal, stiff-looking
photographs of the wedding party in various staged poses. Rachel’s books are packed full of natural photographs of relaxed and happy people enjoying what looks like the best day of their
lives.
‘I’m so glad you like it.’ Rachel smiles warmly when I tell her how impressed I am. ‘I learned everything I know from a wedding photographer called Lina Orsino. She and
her partner Tom work as a team. Eventually I hope to have the same set-up – a partner, rather than an assistant – but one step at a time.’
‘Sounds great,’ I say. ‘So what will you need from me?’
She leans forward and I sit up straighter. ‘The service will take place around the corner from the bride’s parents’ house, so you can come with Maria and me for the bride
preparation shoot and hang out, see how I do things. Then, you’d need to go to the church ahead of time to take photographs of the little details. People rarely appreciate how much goes into
a wedding, but we do, and we need to capture it for posterity. So take photos of the flowers, the candles, the church...’
My heart jumps, but I force myself to listen carefully, wishing I’d brought a pen and paper. Actually... ‘Do you have a pen and paper?’ I ask.
‘Sure!’ Rachel looks pleased as she gets up from the table and hunts them out. Maria gives me the
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