The Bride and Groom

The highlight at a wedding for me is the bride and groom together - the day is a celebration of their commitment and love for each other. Every couple, and every wedding therefore, is different. My personal aim at a wedding is to capture these moments. Reportage photography does not do everything here - as I find the bride and groom do not naturally spend a lot of time together on their wedding day, because there is so much going on and so many guests. So I try and spend a little time at every wedding with the bride and groom to get some lasting pictures of them. Here are a few, some are reportage photographs and some are posed:-


(Above) This is a posed portrait. It was taken towards the end of the day and I asked the bride and groom to go to the top of the stairs and then look down at me. I think it makes for a really nice relaxed picture.


This was a completely candid moment caught from some distance during the wedding service. The couple had a fleeting kiss which I caught on camera. The slight movement is because there was so little natural light that I had to use a slow shutter speed.


This was a set piece picture. I had asked the guests to form a tunnel for the bride and groom to walk through whilst people threw confetti. The picture makes for a great scene that is not too formal and captures some great expressions.


This is also a posed shot, taken at the end of the day - it was dark outside and the only light was from an overhead outside lamp. I like the embrace and the natural expressions, and it is not too cheesy either - it makes me think of a young couple in love.


I love this shot. It is slightly set up - in that I asked the bride and groom to walk down the path from the church together, but the expression between them is completely natural. It has an innocent, 'young love' feel about it - it just seems to capture the moment, and the day.

Grooms

So let's take a look at photographs of the grooms. This requires some reportage wedding photography and some more natural poses. The main focus of a wedding is of course the bride, in her beautiful dress, but it is also a special day for the groom. Taking pictures of the groom tends to vary according to the groom and the setting. Some are more relaxed in front of the camera and some less so. The skill of the photographer is being able to adjust accordingly. You will see all of the pictures selected are black & white - they just seem to work better with grooms.

Here are a few pictures:-


(Above) This is a simple and common wedding picture, but if taken right it still makes for a nice picture. The key is in the expressions, which in turn is linked to the timing of the picture and the way it is taken. This picture was taken during the drinks reception, when everyone was feeling rather jolly, as you can see.


This composition normally makes for a good picture. It is a posed picture but the main element is the expression of the groom.


Walking shots of the groom and the groomsmen is a favourite shot these days, perhaps too much so. But they can still make for a nice relaxed shot of the 'walking to church' story - and this case walking from the pub!


I like this simple portrait. The use of the nearby wall and the shallow focus adds depth to the picture. The sepia look provides a degree of grit and texture to the image.


This is a simple but effective portrait. Whilst it is obviously a wedding photograph, of the groom waiting at the church for his bride, it nonetheless makes for a nice portrait. In years to come the groom - and his wife - can marvel at how slim he was on his wedding day!

Brides

One of the great things about being a wedding photographer is the chance to take pictures of brides. Reportage wedding photography means that you can take many more natural pictures than with a traditional approach. A wedding is of course about many things but most people would agree that the centre of attention, and quite rightly, is the bride, as she is given away in marriage to her husband. It is a beautiful sight and a privilege to take the photographs. Well, that is what I think anyway.

So here are a few pictures of some of the brides that I have photographed:-


(above) I love this black and white image. It was taken a few years ago with window light only. I used a high grain film to provide the textured look.


I know this picture includes the groom, but the bride looks fantastic.


This is a candid moment, just after the service. The bride did not know I had taken this picture. Her expression is great, with people in the distance looking on.


This was also a candid moment, later in the day and a different wedding. The bride was blowing some bubbles - a perfect moment to catch on film.


This is the same bride from above. She looked stunning and this was a relaxed pose for the camera.