When I look back through Kay and Andrew’s wedding photographs, I keep coming back to the way they look at each other. There’s a smile during the first look, a face turned toward the other during the vows, and a quiet moment together at the reception. Each photograph is small on its own. Together they tell me what the day felt like.
A first look with room to breathe
The first-look sequence starts with Kay walking toward Andrew. My favourite part is the photograph that follows: she’s smiling as they wrap their arms around each other. I like leaving enough room for a moment like that to take its own shape. A little direction can help someone know where to stand; the reaction is theirs.
The ceremony, close and wide
I like to photograph a ceremony at more than one distance. A wider frame lets you remember the room and how it looked that day. A closer frame holds the things you might miss from the back row: the expression on someone’s face as they read their vows, or the way two hands meet during the ring exchange. In Kay and Andrew’s gallery, those photographs feel more complete next to each other.
When the room comes alive
At the reception, I look for what’s happening just outside the obvious photograph. A speech is also a chance to see the couple listening. A photograph of the band can bring back a room you remember mostly by sound. I like putting those frames beside the portraits. They give the gallery a sense of the people who were there and what it was like to spend a day with them.
If you’re planning your own wedding, think about one part of the day you’d like to remember clearly. It might be the ceremony. It might be a few minutes with your family before it starts. Tell me about that when we talk. It helps me understand where to be and what to pay attention to.
See Kay & Andrew’s full wedding gallery
Tell me about your day
