I’ll never complain again…

I’ve shot wedding days for 15 hours straight. I’ve captured one wedding in the middle of a hurricane. I’ve been sick while shooting. I’ve missed just about every Clemson football game. I’ve been sore from holding my camera during a 30 minute toast that I thought was only going to be a couple minutes and absentmindedly didn’t grab a tripod. I’ve driven 8 hours in a day on top of filming a wedding just to avoid paying for a hotel. I’ve skipped so many meals. I’ve missed family holiday gatherings. And I’ve almost been ignited by drunk sparkler wielders more times than I can count.

But nothing… nothing… compares to filming a wedding in Liberia. And I’ve done it twice…

Let’s start with the obvious. Liberia is a much poorer country, and therefore crime is much more prevalent. Photographers/videographers in the US take for granted how lucky they are to have a designated safe spot for all their gear. In Liberia, you must have your gear on you at all times. And even then, someone could swipe a lens or camera body from your bag while you’re distracted. I actually hired one of my friends to wear my bag on his chest for the day and follow me around. But even then, taking so much expensive equipment out of my house and exposing it to the world is risky. And even taking a break to fly a drone comes with its own risks. If I land it too far away or if I crash it and I’m not nearby. It’s most likely gone and I’ll never see it again. Also good luck finding a spot to safely charge your batteries. Most places don’t even have power.

Then there’s the heat. Liberia is a tropical country, so most days are like a summer day in the south. Hot. Humid. Muggy. Stuffy. And very little breeze. Unlike the American south, however, there is very little access to air conditioning. So the ceremony? Oven. The reception. Furnace. And the portraits? Sauna. The entire day is one sweaty mess and it is absurd how much one sweats when wearing the special African lappa shirts that are required for all those participating in the wedding. That material rivals a tarp for its waterproof properties and functions as a literal toaster oven for your torso. Sweat trails crawl down your body like a constant stream of little ants forming neat lines and piling up on your waistband.

Oh, then there’s the schedule. Spoiler alert - there isn’t one. African cultures (and many cultures around the world) don’t operate on strict time schedules but are instead event-centric, meaning that the timing of the event isn’t really as important as the event happening whenever it feels right. So whatever plan you have, add or subtract a couple hours from each, delete half of it, add several spontaneous speeches or shoots, and then you’re probably just as close to what’s actually going to happen. Both weddings I’ve shot I think delayed the ceremony almost 3 hours, and that’s pretty normal. If you show up on time, you’re going to be taking pictures of decorations for a very, very long time.

Liberians also have two ceremonies, a traditional and a Western ceremony. The traditional is hours of organized chaos. The families sit on opposite sides and improvise the most adorable skits, designed basically to extract money from the groom’s family and transfer it to the bride’s family. It’s cute and fun to watch, but if you’re shooting video, get cozy, because you’re going to be moving around and filming something for literally hours. They expect full length videos, and you won’t get much of a break. And that’s just one ceremony.

The final obstacle to capturing a Liberian wedding is the people. I’ve heard this is pretty common in other areas of the world, but the organization and structure that we’re accustomed to in the West is mostly absent at wedding ceremonies in other parts of the world. Whenever something meaningful is happening, about 2/3 of the audience is walking around, filming with their phones, and shoving their way past you to get a shot that they will definitely never look at again. So you have to take your sweaty body and squeeze past the crowd and force your way to the front to capture important moments. Yes, that includes the first kiss.

So the next time a wedding planner forgets my vendor meal, I’ll be aight.

Here’s the highlights I made if you wanna check em out!