So I'm nursing a few bruises tonight after an embarrassing incident at yesterday's ceremony. I was up in the choir loft being all stealthy when I stepped backwards for a moment, forgetting their was a huge step behind me! I crashed into a cabinet with the left side of my body making a huge noise in the big echoey church right before the first reading. I was too humiliated to think about being hurt. After the ceremony I realized my left wrist was swelling and it hurt to for me to use that hand to brace the 70-200.

Thankfully it seems nothing is broken. And at least I didn't fall *over the balcony. But I'm still feeling pretty dumb. So please, please tell me that someone else has done something clutzy at a wedding!!!

Glad to hear you're ok, and yes, good that you didn't fall over the edge!

Last week I broke a toe hours before a wedding. No glamorous story to go along with mine... I just accidentally walked into a chair... hard. I had a tough time limping around all day with a toe that looked like an eggplant, but fortunately I was able to find someone last minute that could come help me cover the day.

My friend Amber has a good story, but of course I'll let her share.

Corey

That is kinda funny glas your not too hurt did everyone whip around look up? Yikes... wish it was on video? maybe it is.

I have dropped a lens hood here or there but nothing major. I heard a story from Gary Fong about a lightsphere falling off a flash and rolling up the isle when the Bride was walking down with her fatherand. The Bride picked it up and handed it to the...photographer now that's embarassing.

I'm afraid I fall down at most every wedding!
I broke my foot at a wedding last year, and ended up shooting the thing on crutches!

The best thing is that it makes for good comic relief at weddings... kinda!

I'll tell the story because Alisa never posts here.... But at a wedding this spring, alisa was unloading her gear and carrying it into the church when she tripped UP the brick steps of the church landing and SKIDDING on her knees. She tore the knees completely out of her dress pants and shredded her knee caps. She bandaged herself up but had to shoot the ENTIRE wedding with her pants in shreds. She still has scars.

Last year, while photographing the bride and groom at another location, a sweet rainbow came out. Well to get the perfect shot with my limited 50mm. I sat down on a catus. I has about 50 needles in my butt, and it itched the whole night at the reception. The bride and groom actually rode with us in our car to the reception. The laughed the whole way, because I couldn't sit on my right cheek, and had it lifted in the air as I was driving.

OK, now I'm glad I'm not shooting weddings! It hurts too much!

My wedding photographer (when I got married) sprained his ankle scouting locations before he took a single shot. He limped all day as well. Watch out for holes!

Thanks Corey...

I'm pretty sure I win "Clutzy Girl" award... I can tell story after story after story...

Today, I'll share two.

1. At a wedding. 8 months pregnant. Bride and Groom are leaving the reception in their getaway car. I go around the other side of the car to photograph them leaving with the venue and the crowd across from me/behind the car.... the car pulls away, I step backward to make sure i'm out of the way, and my foot hits the curb, and I fall completely over, just as the car pulls off. I'm in a skirt and the crowd cheers and laughs... at/with me. Ack. That's just one of a million Amber falling over at a wedding story...

2. The best story ever... at a baby session. I was standing on an ottoman. PHotographing sweet baby Reese in her crib. I took a shot, and was frustrated because I just wasn't quite tall enough, even standing on the ottoman. So up I went on my toes. Worst idea of my life. I went up on my toes, the ottoman tipped forward, I freaked because I thought I was going to fall on the sweet sleeping baby, so I overcompensated and leaned backwards, flipping the ottoman over and myself backwards. Camera flew across the room, wrist went behind me and snapped like a stick. I heard it. Lifted it up, and knew immediately it was broken. Ew.

Images from that day, here

4 days later at an all day wedding... argh.





Images here.

So nope, you're not the only clutz.

i have had so many broken toes.. and the thing is, they hurt like hell and can pretty much disable you!

I was running to get a lens from my bag a few years ago, and someone had spilled something on the gym floor. I cut that corner and my feet went out from under me. I landed on the point of my right elbow, but it was either that or land on the D2x in my hand, and that weren't happening, nosirreebob. It swelled immediately to a softball and I couldn't unfold my arm for about a week. Pretty colors too.

Let's face it if you don't have a little bit of "geek" in you, your probably not a good photographer. Look forward to more stories.

Ouch!!! I'm glad to know I'm not alone, but I think I'm having sympathy pains for all of you.

Corey, I did the broken toe last November the night before a beach wedding. Trying to walk on the beach with a big purple toe....not enjoyable! Although it did give me a good excuse to get out of dancing with random intoxicated people at the reception

Amber, that shot of you in the cast with the swollen thumb makes me ache!!! What a trooper you were!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories. The season is still young, and with my clutz factor, I'm sure I'll have more to add!

Well my biggest story was at a wedding last summer, it could have been a doosy. Biggest event of my carrer- 400+ guests- multi million dollar wedding on top of Aspen Mtn. They had a huge tent for the ceremony built on the side of the hill. I was photographing behind the altar standing on about a 2 ft wide plank that ran outside of the tent--- I tried to step backward. I did the flailing of the arms to catch my balance- grabbed the pole of the tent and managed to catch myself. The bride and groom didn't actually notice- I have no idea how- but who knows how many guests saw me and the musicians sitting there all just about had a heart atack. It was at least a 50 ft drop to the ground on a very steep slope, so I wouldn't have stayed put once I fell. Once I recovered- one of the memebers of the band actually grabbed me and mouthed- please do not go back there again!!! I told him it was not a problem!!

Would have been very very bad.....

Oh, and I've tripped on stairs, dropped lens caps and back caps during ceremonies and last week I actually got stepped on by a drunk guest dancing very fast in her high heels. She got the heel right in the top of my foot (and I had sandles on!) and never even stopped. I actually limped off the dance floor and started crying and realized I was bleeding pretty good. Had to go bandage myself up and limp through the rest of the reception.

Last year I was shooting an outdoor wedding and was standing in front of the mother of the bride, waiting for the bride to come down the aisle. The tiny little flower girl was coming down the aisle and, being a tall person, I squatted to get the shots. When I tried to get up my quads somehow gave out on me and I fell. Backwards. On my butt. The mother of the bride helped me up.

I was pretty mortified but managed to pretend that I was over it!

This is a terrific topic! It's good to know you're not alone...

Ross, me too! Sat on the cactus during an e-shoot and had to hike 20 minutes back with them embedding themselves. Good tip... duct tape will pull out those nasty tiny ones. Add that to things I never thought I'd know...

And Jess, I pulled Alisa's fall but at the end of the ceremony. I was crouched at the front to get the kiss and the groom suddenly sweeps his bride up into his arms. In my excitement I turn the aisle to get the shot and the 100+ heat and accompanying sweat brought me right out of my shoes and onto my knees in front of the bride and groom. Duct tape patched up the knees of my pants to get me through the reception, I've still got the scars too.

I try to be much more careful, but this stuff just happens. And these are just two of the reasons duct tape goes everywhere with me...

I always have a roll of black duct tape with me too. Who knew there were so many other uses?

I'm such a clutz, I'm sure it's just a matter of time for me.

I can't say that I've ever really hurt myself at a wedding (tripped and fell over several times with no incident).

* knock on wood *

But I can certainly share my most embarrassing story.

We were shooting a beach wedding in late December. San Diego is good like that . Incident number one happened as I was cruising around behind the guests on a little hill. I walked to the top of the concrete steps and took a few overall shots. When I had finished and was about to walk back down the steps, my fisheye lens somehow managed to squirt out of my shootsac and landed on the top step. Then it rolled off to the next step. And the next. All the way down to the bottom near the back row. That lens hit EVERY step down, about 15 or so, and rolled to a stop next to a guest, who picked it up for me and gave me a "Oh your poor thing" look. A few days later, I brought it in to see if it was fixable, and can you believe it? Not a scratch, not one ding...it worked just fine! Thank goodness.

But the most embarrassing part of this wedding happened about 10 minutes after the ceremony ended. Everyone was milling around, and I was taking some great candids. Suddenly, a squadron of pelicans flew over and targeted my head with laser accuracy. I don't know if you have ever actually seen a pelican poop, so please allow me to describe this nastiness. My hair, both shoulders, chest, back and front of my pants were SATURATED in green, smelly, fishy pelican dookie. I was MORTIFIED! And no. I did NOT have a second set of clothes with me. Thank goodness everyone was sympathetic to my plight and was laughing with me for the rest of our time together. It gave me a great excuse to just stay in the background and shoot long during the reception.

Sorry for the "gross out". It had to be done.

This is what I looked like to the pelican --->

This thread was cracking me up, especially cactus butt, but now I'm scared to death. I am a huge klutz!

totally normal (though it never stops being embarrassing)

i've fallen down stairs (mostly just bruises), tripped (and chose to catch the camera rather than myself), sprained an ankle, been in a fender-bender, and once puked while second shooting (no one noticed...thank goodness).

life goes on well...so long as you keep shooting

Oh. my. word. I would absolutely die! Note to self: Always take an extra pair of clothes!

I had a wedding this year on the 4th of July at the smallest church you could possibly imagine. (Only seats about 20 people.) It's a beautiful place though located in an arboretum. Anyway the doors were kept open during the ceremony because it was so hot. During the recessional The bride and groom were walking out of the church and I was backing up (I was shooting with my 1.4 50mm which I LOVE by the way.) And there was a step behind in which I stepped off wrong. Needless to say I busted my butt on concrete and somehow twisted my ankle and my knee. I tried to hold onto my camera but it dropped! But luckily I had my backup camera with me. My ankle swelled and I was hurting BAD! But my main camera ended up being ok. My amazing technical hubby fixed it!

I think we have ALL had our clutsy moments!

[quote

But the most embarrassing part of this wedding happened about 10 minutes after the ceremony ended. Everyone was milling around, and I was taking some great candids. Suddenly, a squadron of pelicans flew over and targeted my head with laser accuracy. I don't know if you have ever actually seen a pelican poop, so please allow me to describe this nastiness. My hair, both shoulders, chest, back and front of my pants were SATURATED in green, smelly, fishy pelican dookie. I was MORTIFIED! And no. I did NOT have a second set of clothes with me. Thank goodness everyone was sympathetic to my plight and was laughing with me for the rest of our time together. It gave me a great excuse to just stay in the background and shoot long during the reception.

Sorry for the "gross out". It had to be done.

This is what I looked like to the pelican --->
[/quote]

I don't know when I have laughed so hard! This was the funniest thing! I think one of you talented people should write a book of funny things that have happened at weddings.

Oh my gosh, so sorry that happened to you! But yes, almost every wedding I do something to injure myself, whether I fall of my step ladder that I bring with me, walk into the corner of something (which I do quite often), or once I stepped in a hill of fire ants and had to run to the fountain to get them off of me. Yes, just the nature of the job I guess.

That's also why I wear long black pants and comfy shoes.

Oh man, this thread has me dying laughing. Broken bones, bruised and battered, and - of all things - getting showered in pelican poop?

Studio work has never been so appealing before...

(And yes, I'm pretty sure that my days are numbered, though I'll take broken bones over pelican poop any day!)

Taking shots of the bridal party walking along a path, I decided to jump up on to the low wall beside the path to give me a little more height, missed my footing and fell straight off the other side.

My wife thought it was funny to watch me landing on my back with the camera held up to protect it. I bruised my ribs and elbow and really dented my pride, but I saved the camera.