Farmers Image Of The Week #276

 

Nikon D750 , Nikon 35mm 1.8 | ISO 200 |  f4 | 1/250

Own Preset

When did weddings get so moody? I've seen quite a few wedding films recently that might be achingly beautiful and cinematic but where is all the joy? We have our everyday lives to mope about being straight-faced, weddings are fun, weddings are happy. Let's not forget that, OK?! 

Speaking of which I came across this image by the lovely Tom Aizenberg when I was going through his portfolio in a mentor session this week. Doesn't this shot just make your day? This frame could not pack in anymore happiness and then when you hear the couple's backstory.. it's so heart warming. Dear John Lewis.. THIS should have been your Christmas Ad this year. These boys have so much style and just look at the grins on every single person's face in this. I simply love a good confetti shot. Nobody can walk through a cascade of confetti and be moody!

"Paul and Amir have been together for a long time, and as rights for same-sex couples have progressed, they have been at the forefront of this. Before civil partnerships were a thing, they had a ceremony which was non legally-binding. Then, when it was possible to have a civil partnership, they had been one of the first to have one. Once same-sex marriage became legal, it was inevitable they would want to get married. And so they did. 

The wedding took place at a church in Peckham, where Paul is actually the vicar. I’m not fully aware of the ins and outs of the rules, but sadly, the church would not allow Paul and Amir to get officially married on their premises. But, being enterprising souls, they had a friend of Paul’s - from the days when he was training to become a vicar - come to the church to officiate and lead a ceremony which, for all intents and purposes was an official and religious wedding between two people very much in love. The guests were a mixture of the South London congregation, and relatives, many of whom took me aside to tell me about Paul and Amir’s desire to have their love officially and legally recognised, and how they’d been there every step of the way.
 
Despite some challenging lighting conditions (churches, eh?), it was one of the most enjoyable weddings to work on. The couple wore legit vintage Vivienne Westwood suits, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the best man, in his leopard print suit, gave a moving speech about Paul and Amir’s journey, and their love of each other, but also of people in general. I’ll never forget working on this wedding, and hopefully this image captures how it felt for them to finally get married - in a church - surrounded by loved ones."