Scott Zielke Photography-The Blog

Well, for starters I must say this has been one of the most interesting photography experiences I have ever had. The day started off much like any other typical Saturday morning, other than the fact that it was ridiculously humid and there was no running water in our house. I had to be let into a neighbors house who wasn't home by another neighbor while she was there to take care of a litter of seven black lab puppies while I used the shower, like I said, just a typical morning.
And so Sierra (my trusty assistant) and I arrived at the property in Steinbach where the wedding would take place. Struggling to keep cool on this hot and humid day we waited for the horse and carriage to arrive so we could snap some shots of them getting ready. And so the day went about like many other weddings I had been to. A lovely ceremony, followed by a horse and carriage ride, then group shots and formals, and then to the reception. This was a complete outdoor wedding, and the reception of course was under a big tent. The reception started off great, with a bar loaded with any drink imaginable, and some of the best wedding food I must say I have ever tasted. Then as the speeches finished and we were all waiting for the cutting of the cake and the first dance everything changed. The rain began to pick up. And I watched through the opening of the large tent towards the house as a bunch of people began to brace the poles of a smaller tent. The wind began to roar and suddenly there was someone on each pole trying to hold this tent down. Then a huge gust of wind blew and the next thing you saw was the smaller tent go flying, people still holding on to the poles and all. I looked at my assistant with a slight feeling of concern and said lets get our gear, which was sitting under our table. As I turned around to start walking back, paper lantern's which were hung above in the tent began to fall and the tent started to rock wildly. I broke into a jog and turned around to see the tent lifting up from the corner. Now I was sprinting towards the table, looking back only to see that the tent was lifting up behind me as I ran. It was like a Hollywood film, I could picture myself running in slow motion, dramatic music playing in the background. There was no time to grab the gear I continued to run straight to the other side of the tent where I saw an exit. I was about 5 feet away and thought I was going to make it out when the corner pole came flying up in front of me. I made a last effort to jump out, again picturing myself in slow motion as a massive explosion was set off behind me, but next thing I knew I was clobbered on the side of the head by the pole and was knocked to the ground. It took me a couple seconds to get my bearings straight as I realized I was now outside of the tent lying face first getting completely drenched by torrential rains. The end of my lenses sunk into the now soaked grass, I look over to see my flash had broken off the camera. I grab the flash and get up in shock, not sure what to do, but realizing I have about $6000 worth of gear in my hands. I panic and begin to run, attempting to cover my gear from the rain (which did not work). I find my self running through trees in an attempt to find shelter when I get to the driveway and see the garage where everyone is running to. Once inside everyone begins to congregate into the garage, with a lot of expressions of shock and awe on everyone's faces. My assistant makes it in carrying my bag of gear, which was the biggest relief of the night for me. And then everyone is hit with the realization of, what do we do now? Being around some of the most easy going and fun people I have ever met, the situation was handled like nothing even happened. The bar was brought back into the tent, the cake managed to be saved, music started to play and suddenly the bridesmaids where decorating the garage with undamaged lanterns and candles. We all enjoyed a splash in the puddles in the yard as most of us were all drenched head to toe already anyways. And the first dance and cutting of the cake still happened. Although it seemed like everything had gone so horribly wrong, the atmosphere was still a happy one. Mostly everyone stayed, and the party continued and I must say I had a ton of fun. So much excitement and adrenaline surging through my body, I may never find another wedding as fun as this one. Definitely a wedding I will never forget.

Make sure to check out all the publicity this got in the links below!!!

The video that aired on CBC!
http://www.mts.net/~smolin/062610.MPG

The CBC Information 990 Interview
http://www.mts.net/~smolin/Sandy.m4a

The CBC Information 990 Weather Interview
http://www.mts.net/~smolin/JohnSauder.m4a

The Free Press Online Article
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/the-hail-you-say-bad-weather-hits-97254879.html

The Free Press Front Page Article!
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/nuptials-survive-violent-storm-97288489.html

The Stienbach Online Article
http://www.steinbachonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17902&Itemid=232

This past Saturday afternoon ended up being a great day for a family photo shoot. The sun was out, weather was balmy and the fresh smell of spring was in the air. We covered a lot of ground on this one from shooting in a large industrial elevator for a very different look, to shooting in the studio then heading off into The Exchange to do some exploring. The Exchange proved to be a very interesting place that afternoon as we stumbled across many a scene that had my clients burst out laughing! Talk to me in person if you want the details. The shoot was amazing and we all had some great laughs. Charis tells me that even now almost two weeks after the shoot, her and her family are still talking and joking about the wonderful day.

Take a close look at this image. We stumbled upon a little sign saying free gift of coffee. Where did the coffee come from? Three stories up, out of a window from a small tube!!! Just ring the bell!