Hewan and Robert were married at Frogner church in Lillestrøm on a summer day in August. It was half Norwegian, half African, and the first wedding in African style I had photographed. The reception was held at a venue in Lillestrøm — the colours, the music, the energy, the clothes. A day that felt like two weddings folded into one.
I was in close contact with them before the day and throughout the wedding. That’s how I like it to feel — that it never seems like I’m in the way.
At this wedding I had hired a colleague to take the stills while I focused on the film. It’s a way of working that usually goes fine. I checked in with her several times during the day and asked whether the photos were turning out well. She said yes. I believed her.
After the day it turned out that wasn’t quite the case. Hewan and Robert weren’t happy with the portraits from the day. They loved the film, but on the photography side something had slipped.
That’s one of the harder messages to receive. And it’s one of those things you learn from: that if you put something out under your own name, it’s your responsibility — no matter who pressed the shutter. You can’t redo a wedding day, but you can take responsibility for what went wrong.
We agreed to redo the portraits a week later. Lisa, my partner, came along as a second shooter so I’d have two perspectives this time. We met at the Botanical Garden in Oslo on a late afternoon and gave ourselves plenty of time. The photos from that day make up most of the gallery here, alongside a few from the wedding itself.
It’s a lesson I’ve carried with me: trust in this industry isn’t something you can verify in a quick check-in mid-day. It has to be built up beforehand. When I collaborate with other photographers now, I do it with people I’ve seen deliver — or I deliver on my own.
Hewan and Robert were generous all the way through. That’s the kind of couple that lets you be honest about what didn’t go to plan — because they met us with grace when it happened.