Quad. As in four.

Four weddings. In four days.

I remember booking that second wedding, thinking “okay, a double header is tiring, but I can totally do it.”

Then I booked the third wedding thinking, “this MIGHT be the most insane weekend ever, three weddings….wow….but okay, I am pumped, lets do this!”

Then I got the call. “Kaitlin….pleaseeeeeeee tell me you are free for this date, I HAVE to have you there!”

With every fiber of my being I was being torn in two. If I say yes, will I be over doing it…will I be able to be the best I can be for all my brides. CAN I handle this, truly!?

I took a deep breath, sent a prayer up to God and with my husbands encouragement and blessing, I said “Yes!”

So, there I was. Quad header wedding weekend. It was a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday wedding. I mapped out that my second shooter and I would be driving 1700 miles in four days with a combined total of 16 hours of driving, and 4 weddings totaling 44 hours of shooting. Straight!

So after 240.00 in gas.

$48.00 in tolls. 

14 hours of sleep in 4 days.

8 coffees (for me, alone!) 8 sodas for Chris!

24,000 photos (rounding up from 23,784) images taken.

2 WAY tired photogs……THAT COULDN’T be happier!

This experience- Priceless!

Now, lets be clear, would I ever shoot more than one quad- header a year? No! Will the opportunity to ever shoot 4 in a row ever really appear again, most likely NOT. It was a rare opportunity. A weekend filled with brides that I am sooooo glad are mine. And it was a personal challenge I can proudly say I conquered. More and more I am seeing photographers take on double headers and are scared by the thought. Then I see those that think they are out of their minds for thinking about taking on 3 in a row. Then I think, I not only shot four weddings in a row, but 3 of those brides (working on the last one today) got their images back in 4 weeks and I shot 9 other weddings since their big days! SUCESS. We have redefined insanity and I am hoping these helpful tips help you through your double, triple and the rare, QUAD-headers!

1. Your team. You are only as good and as strong as those around you that support you, INSPIRE, and encourage you. For me my team consists of my husband, mother in law, mom, brother in law and his awesome girlfriend, and babysitters. Without them, I could not be away from my babies for 4 days like that and leave knowing they are in the best hands and having way too much fun. Next, one of my best friends. A guy that is beyond selfless, talented, a true blue: My second (although he is WAY more than that) shooter, Chris. Thank God for him. He dumped card while I drove or took a nap. He carried all of my gear for 4 days straight. He brought the same level of passion and energy into each day. He made me laugh. He covered the bases I couldn’t. He connected with my clients and made them feel comfortable. I dont know what I EVER did to deserve him, but you can be sure I thank my lucky stars, and God for him in my life….not just as a VITAL part of KNP…but as my friend. And truthfully, my family. I just love him!

This is what the hotel rooms looked like after a wedding, they became the command dumping stations! : )

But on the way to the wedding, we were getting files backed up immediately!

TIP: Hire a second shooter, assistant, “TEAM” that you don’t have to worry about or second guess. Trust is a huge part of being able to take on a challenge of FOUR weddings in a row. Know without a doubt they will be a second version of you while you are not there to represent your company and that most importantly, they will be able to capture moments you can’t see. Be sure to thank them for their efforts after as well.

2. Hydration, Diet, Stretching, Physical Health. Meds. Standing 12+ hours a day may not SEEM crazy….but 4 days in a row of standing, running, climbing stairs, lunging into poses to get your shot, carrying 20-30 pounds of gear, holding a 8lb camera all day….ITS A LOT. And its very taxing on your body. So be prepared!

Do as I say, not as I do, right!?!? This was POST weddings when we had to raid the vending machines because all food stores were closed! : P

TIP: The days leading up to the weddings, go for walks, stretch, work out. Build up that stamina. Make sure to drink a TON of water and try to stay away from fatty foods and gluten. (Breads, pasta, etc.) Try not to consume any alcohol, soda, or energy drinks. Coffee is fine! : P And REST! Take it easy and rest those piggies! For day of, I love QUEST bars and a SPARK energy packet from the Advocare line. Super healthy and a great drink to break up my gallons of water and coffee. I also take 2 Advil in the morning and 2 more 1 hour into the reception. IT MAKES A WORLD of difference!

3. Apparel! Shoes, outfits that can breath, outfits for each type of event (black tie wedding, beach wedding, etc). Make sure you are comfortable, dress appropriately and bring shoes you KNOW can get you through. Making sure you preplan outfits can really be a stress reliever and time saver the morning of a weddings when getting up is one of the hardest parts of the day.

 

Tip: Shoes. Invest in good ones. There are a million recommendations out there from other photographers, but I tend to wear Tory Burch flats to start, then I wear flip flops or NOTHING while driving in between locations. For receptions, strictly my black or rose gold glitter Toms! : P For outfits, I dress for the wedding. Some require a black dress, some I know black pants and a flowy top will do. For example, I know on a beach I wont wear a short dress because I do not want the wind to blow it up while shooting. If its a field wedding, I wear pants to avoid bugs attacking my ankles/calves. You get the idea!

There are a million of tips and tricks that come with experience and practice. But in terms of the technical aspects, invest in 2 portable G drive hard drives to dump your cards to and then back up. THIS IS SO SO important while on the road. I will write another blog post that goes into how I back up my images and what I have learned from my own mistakes and failures along the way.  Stay tuned!!:P

xoxo, Kaitlin Noel