This is a more traditional wedding day photo, and the day just wouldn’t be complete without a few portraits of the bride and groom. You can easily tell that the couple are thrilled with their special day. They’ve spent countless hours planning and preparing, and and it’s all paid off. They even had beautiful weather for their wedding day.
There are a few things about the photo that make it different from most wedding photography. First, notice their position. Rather than staying at the front of the church, we’re near the back. That allows a wide view of the beautiful sanctuary, and lets the image tell you about the couple and the setting. It also creates a composition with leading lines all around that point right to the bride and groom and lead your eye right to them.
I also really like the lighting. The bride and groom are being lit by an off-camera flash shooting through a umbrella. The umbrella creates a soft light with soft shadows, and the off-camera direction creates depth and dimension. I also added a second off-camera flash directly behind the couple pointing back toward the camera. That creates a little glow around the veil, and also adds the reflections to the ends of the pews.
I know I sound like a broken record, but lighting is so important. I see too many photographers shooting with simple, on-camera flash, and the result is harsh lighting with no depth. Recently, another photographer told me that he did mostly weddings, and only had time to use on-camera flash. I don’t buy it. For this photo, my assistant was holding the light, and it takes no time at all for him to move to the correct position. If you’re investing the time and money in a photograph, you should do it right and get the best possible result.