raleigh wedding photographer – image of the week: no. 13

I’ve spoken before about the use of light and it is something I try to focus on with my work, especially during portrait sessions and the times of the day when we have some time to actually go out and “make some pictures”. On the wedding day itself, however, time is normally a precious resource and it’s not always easy to conjure up nice images out of thin air. There are many factors to work with: light, trying to work out how to make the most of the environment you are in, distractions from the wedding party itself, etc. This week’s image is a good example of how just a little bit of legwork and thought can help find a great spot to work with. It was actually taken on a hiking trail about ten yards away from the back of the patio area where the reception was being prepared after an outdoor wedding. The band is setting up just to my right and tables and chairs are being moved around behind the bride and groom.

When I first went to find a spot to grab a few minutes with the couple, all I could see around me was dirt trails with people hiking, biking and walking their dogs. The sun was in and so I found a clearing about thirty yards away with a couple of benches that I was considering using. As I walked back to the lodge though, I could see the sun was about to break through the clouds and that the trees were about to become a riot of light and colour. I grabbed the bride and groom and asked them to come with me quickly (I could see the clouds were large and moving pretty quickly, so I wasn’t sure how long the sun was going to be out for). I found an area with a nice break in the foliage that was allowing enough light to illuminate both the bride and groom and just asked them to interact naturally. The result was a really nice series of images that we took in literally about five minutes. Would I have preferred more time with the couple? Of course! Would I have got a better picture than this? I doubt it. Will I still ask my brides and grooms in the future to give me an hour or so for pictures? You bet!! We were very lucky with the light and the location on this occasion, so the rest was very easy. I would still recommend budgeting as much time as possible to get pictures like these whether it’s with me or any other photographer. You can never have too much time!