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Storytelling Wedding Photography

Image 3 of my best of 2016 explained


2016-best-003

 

True Storytelling

This picture is from Sarah and John’s wedding at The Ashes Wedding Venue in Endon. This is their daughter and she was actually the ring barer for them during the ceremony. All during prep she was so excited to be a bridesmaid and to carry the rings, full of life and excitement. As soon as I knew she was going to be the ring barer I as looking for this photograph. It can often be a really hard photograph to capture, because the ring barer very often has his/her back to you as they come round the front of the couple to hand out the rings. Luckily for me Sarah and John’s daughter didn’t do this and I had a clear shot of her.

That look

I waited for her to hand the rings out and then as the couple took each other by the hand and started repeating their vows I stayed with their daughter, just waiting to see if something might happen, a little tear, or a smile or a look and then just for a fraction of a second she looked up in awe at her mum and I grabbed the frame. I chose this photograph in my best of 2016 purely for that look, I love the composition of the picture with John’s hands holding Sarah’s but with the focus clearly on their daughter because it’s also about her moment. Seeing her parents marry, looking up at her mum in awe and pride.

Composing for context

The composition and depth of field in this photograph isn’t random. I took it just the way I envisioned it. I wanted the hands to be in the picture to add context on what we are looking at. It’s not just a lovely expression on the little girls face that matters. It’s who she is looking at and why. By including the hands in the bottom of the frame we understand where in the wedding we are and who she is looking at and those two pieces of information are key to the picture. I chose an aperture that put the focus on the little girls face but that still rendered the bride and groom in the foreground recognisable to assist with the viewers understanding of the picture.

You can see more of my 2016 best of here. Or watch the slideshow below

best of 2016 from Joe Scrivens on Vimeo.

The following suppliers all helped Sarah and John to have a fantastic day

Sound Solutions DJ
Caro Millington Makeup
Di Shackson
Nero String Quartet