The wedding speeches: Image of the week #1

Image of the week – the title speaks for itself really, on a weekly basis I shall be posting an image I have taken and explaining a little bit about it. Why am I doing this, images are subjective, each person sees an image in a  different way and perhaps notices different things in said image.

A great example of this would be the difference between myself and my husbands view point. Now I am a creative through and through, I see everything in a  artistic way, my husband however, is very logically and mechanically minded.  He would look and notice if the horizon is a millimetre out before he noticed the expression on anyones face, yet being a documentary wedding photographer I look into an image and see the story.

So that’s why I have decided to do an image of the week feature, to give and insight into the photographs and to describe how I would like the images to be seen.

 

The story of the photograph:

This photograph was taken at Alan and Nicola’s Wokefield Park wedding earlier this year. It was an overcast but very bright day so actually very good conditions for a wedding, nice enough to be outside enjoying the reception drinks, but not too hot that all the guests melted or got sunburnt.

This photograph was taken during their wedding speeches which Alan and Nicola decided to have after the meal, something I would whole heartedly recommend, I find speeches to be far better received when all the guests are fed and watered.

Speeches are always a fantastic opportunity to get some great photographs and this one is no exception. Alan was nearing the end of his speech and coming to the moment when he would compliment his new bride. I watched through my camera for a while and got in place so I could see the groom, bride and the brides dad and step mum, I felt having them all in the shot added to the scene. I then waited for the right expression and moment.

I took a few frames either side of this image but none of them work quite so well, the expressions on this shot are perfect. Alan is looking fondly at Nicola, Nicola and her dad and smiling about the compliment he has just paid her. What really makes it for me is that Nicola’s step mum is taking a photo, this is a moment that they want to capture and remember.

 

Now the tech bit:

Camera: Canon 5D

Lens: Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L

Aperture: f/5

Shutter: 1/125th second

Focal length: 125mm

 

The edit:

For me this photograph could only be black and white. Black and white photographs work so well in a documentary wedding photograph like this one, I want to show the story of what was going on at that moment and I don’t want to distract from that. The various colours that are in this image would have really taken away from the point, with it in black and white the viewer focuses on the faces rather than the green plants behind them or any other colourful elements of the photograph.

 

 

The photograph: