When the look says it all

I enjoy this camera angle during wedding ceremonies a lot, and it’s not one I see other wedding photographers using much.  I will favour the bride as the main subject as I am generally already on the opposite side to her during the ceremony, plus brides are generally more expressive during the vows and ring exchange.

For this image, the groom had just finished saying his vows ,  and his bride couldn’t resist smiling with joy.   I expected this reaction and I was ready for the shot.  When I go behind the groom for this angle, it nearly always isolates just the two of them, with rarely anyone else in view.   The simplicity of the shot leaves all emphasis on the bride’s expression, and you can see her feelings as she will also remember fondly when viewing this picture.

The shot is lit entirely with natural light from the window behind me and produced a pleasing cast of light and shadow as she tilted her head.  With the differences in height between the bride and groom my timing was critical so as not to loose her face behind his shoulder,  which I would have if she had tilted her head to her right.

Finding interesting angles for routine sequences during a wedding is great fun.  The result can often be very memorable.

Visualsnap | Kent wedding photographer