One of the really nice things about photographing weddings is the positive feedback you get afterwards.

A card arrived from New Zealand the other day from a couple who booked me to photograph their wedding in Ireland last September. “The photos are fabulous!” the card says.

Truth is, I didn’t take the pictures. My friend Donagh Glavin did. Regular readers will know that I had to drop everything to attend my sister’s funeral in Australia last September. Donagh covered for me, and as you can judge from the card, he did so wonderfully.

Why mention it?

A couple of reasons really. Firstly, I have to say how great it is to receive a card from a happy and satisfied couple, even though in the end I was only the intermediary as regards their photography. Donagh was the real star.

Secondly,  it gives me another opportunity to thank a friend for stepping in when I needed it. In fact, Donagh covered three weddings while I was away, ensuring that three couples weren’t let down. From my business’s point of view that is incredibly important.

A very successful wedding photographer once told me (well, not directly me in the 1-2-1 sense; I was one of 50 people in the room listening to a talk he was giving) that he doesn’t even recommend other photographers if he gets an enquiry for a date he has already booked. Personally, I couldn’t live in that sort of vacuum – but then I’m soft. Moreover, because Donagh and I are friends as well as competitors, three couples didn’t go without pictures on their wedding day, and that has to count for something. It’ll come as no surprise then that Donagh is one of three photographers that I recommend if I get an enquiry for a date that’s already taken.