Norwegian-African wedding in Lillestrøm, and a round in the Botanical Garden

Hewan and Robert got married at Frogner church in Lillestrøm on a summer day in August. It was half Norwegian, half African, and the first African-style wedding I had photographed. The party was held at a venue in Lillestrøm: the colors, the music, the energy, the outfits. A day that felt like two weddings became one.

I had good contact with them before the day and throughout the whole wedding. That's how I like it to be: that it never feels like I'm in the way.

At this wedding I had hired a colleague to take the still photos while I focused on the film. That's a working model that usually works fine. I checked in with her several times during the day and asked if the pictures were turning out well. She said yes. I believed her.

After the day, it turned out that wasn't true. Hewan and Robert weren't happy with the portrait photos from the day. They loved the film, but on the photo side something had slipped.

That's one of the toughest messages you can get. And it's one of the things you learn from: that if you send something out under your 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 arranged to retake the portraits a week later. Lisa, my partner, joined as a second photographer to make sure I had two perspectives this time. We met at the Botanical Garden in Oslo one late afternoon, and gave ourselves plenty of time. It's the pictures from that day that make up most of the gallery here, along with a few from the wedding day itself.

It's a lesson I've carried with me: trust in this business isn't something you can check in a conversation on the day. It has to be built beforehand. When I collaborate with other photographers today, I do it with people I've seen deliver before. Otherwise I deliver alone.

Hewan and Robert were generous the whole way through. They're the kind of couple who make you dare to be honest about what didn't go as planned, because th