Image of the Week #354

How cosy is this wonderful shot from the brilliant duo Rachel and Tonie? Many of these Images of the Week are from the main couple shoot but that doesn’t mean that is the only point in the day when as the photographer, you can take control of a situation. Later on there can be opportunities to make some more interesting shots for a couple. As Rachel and Tonie say, they might be more relaxed by this point and in my experience, they usually like an excuse to get away from the main party for a short while.

My advice would be to plan this in advance so you make the best of the minutes that they give you. Think about what would be relevant for the couple and fun for them but also comfortable. Remember, people will always remember how you made them feel at a point in time and this is what will make them connect to an image more than if you do something very clever technically.

Making them stand out the in cold for ages while you faff about with OCF, might not be fun for them but as Rachel and Tonie have done here, getting blankets for them, making it fun and so creating some fond memories for them, could help them to relate to an image more. I imagine that this couple love this photo. It captures the atmosphere of their evening reception and depicts a quiet moment of reflection and connection on what might have been a busy day. It’s just utterly adorable and inspiring.

Let’s see what the pair had to say about capturing this shot below…

Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon 35mm f/1.4L | f1.4 | 1/160 | ISO 1000

OWN PRESET

What RACHEL AND TONIE had to say…

“Lori and Gareth had marshmallows and some blankets for their guests to use in the evening. We thought it would make some beautiful photos of them both having the first shot of these. We set up some seating behind the fire pit, gave them some blankets to stay warm and told them to just get cosy and enjoy the moment. With it being the evening, the whole vibe was more relaxed which allowed us to just sit a little away from them and let this moment unfold with only occasional direction.

It was very dark being a November evening which means its far from a perfect photo but it doesn’t really matter too much to us! We used the fire and the overhead fairy lights in the courtyard for light and it did a pretty good job.

There is something really special about taking the couple out for some extra photos in the evening. There is no pressing time schedule, there might be some alcohol giving them more confidence in front of the lens, kilt jackets are taken off and the wedding dress doesn’t need to be as pristine anymore, and it’s bloody lovely.