Bridal Party Hug – Farmers Image of the Week

One of the things I love most about wedding photography is that there are endless ways to interpret a scene – even ones we think we’ve seen a hundred times before. A bride and bridesmaids on a bed during bridal prep is one of those moments. Familiar. Comfortable. Easy to default to.

And yet, here, the brilliant Lauren Knuckey has completely reimagined it.

This image immediately reminded me of Scenes Of Life https://www.lensculture.com/articles/lucie-simon-scenes-of-life by photographers Lucie & Simon, where everyday moments are photographed exclusively from above. That elevated viewpoint introduces something slightly surreal – we recognise the scene, but it feels removed from how we normally experience it. It forces us to read the image in a more graphic, compositional way rather than emotionally first.

Lauren’s photograph works in exactly that space.

The overhead perspective strips away facial expressions and eye contact, shifting the emphasis to shape, proximity and connection. Arms overlap. Bodies curve inward. The group forms a near-perfect circle, pulling our eye gently around the frame rather than directing it to a single focal point. It’s calm, contained and quietly powerful.

Knowing that Lauren discovered this viewpoint through a hole in the floor above – and then had the foresight to bank the idea until the right moment during bridal prep – adds another layer of intent. This isn’t a lucky accident. It’s observational, patient photography. Seeing potential and waiting for the right emotional context to use it.

What really elevates this image is the emotional logic of the composition. Whether guided or instinctive, the circular embrace feels loaded with meaning once you understand that these women have been friends since childhood. It reads less like a posed photograph and more like a ritual – a moment of gathering, grounding, and shared history before the day unfolds.

There’s something cinematic about it too. It feels like a transitional shot in a film. The kind that might be followed by a cut to childhood sleepovers, whispered secrets, or shared bedrooms years earlier. That sense of time folding in on itself is rare in wedding imagery, and it’s handled with real sensitivity here.

There’s something cinematic about it too. It feels like a transitional shot in a film. The kind that might be followed by a cut to childhood sleepovers, whispered secrets, or shared bedrooms years earlier. That sense of time folding in on itself is rare in wedding imagery, and it’s handled with real sensitivity here.

From a technical standpoint, this image is quietly impressive. Shooting on film in an indoor environment from an overhead angle leaves very little margin for error. Exposure, focus, and framing all have to be spot on. The tonal balance is beautifully judged – soft highlights on the bed linens, enough depth in the darker corners to frame the scene without it feeling heavy. The colour palette is restrained, allowing texture and form to do most of the work.

I also love how linear the composition becomes when viewed from above. The edges of the bed, the rug beneath, the negative space around the group – all of it gives the image structure without distracting from the emotional core. Intimate without being intrusive.

This photograph is a great reminder that originality in wedding photography doesn’t always come from inventing new moments. Sometimes it comes from looking at familiar ones from a completely different angle – literally and creatively.

Lauren has taken something well-worn and made it feel fresh, thoughtful and deeply personal. That’s not easy to do. And doing it on film, under pressure, during bridal prep? That’s something else entirely.