I made a pact with my college classmates on graduation: If ever in the future any of our paths would re-cross and any of us were shooting weddings for a living – you were obliged to kill that person and put them out of their misery.

That was the first thought that ran through my head when my cousin called me and asked if I’d take pictures at his wedding…. Only second thoughts made me ponder the presumptive nature of calling someone you haven’t seen or spoken to in close to a decade and ask them to photograph your wedding for free.

I warned of how I and my lens selection were really best suited for shooting buildings ..

He answered with deadpan silence.

Figuring if an armed member of the Webster Media Photo Class of 1994 should show up on my doorstep, I can say I didn’t do it for money and was merely a victim of the playing of “the family card”… I said sure.

I’m pretty isolated from my family so the Jerry-Springeresque dynamics of the union were lost on me – but I got a primer in the church’s kitchen from my mom… who was similarly asked to cater the event. She obliged by preparing the standard, South-St. Louis culinary cliché spread of: roast-beef and Mostaccioli.

Got plenty of shots… it wasn’t that bad, hard or mundane really… Not sure what we were all so afraid of back in college. Considering that “wedding photographer” is in the top-ten most overpaid jobs in the US – it sounds like aside from having to work a lot of weekends – they have it pretty good.

Maybe it’s all some conspiracy started by a secret order of wedding photographers who’s mission is to discourage students from entering their field by creating the notion it’s the lowest possible rung on the photographic career ladder.

Regardless…. It wasn’t all that bad… I’m not buying a black suit and placing ads in STLBride anytime soon either oh look a chicken.