a beautiful candid moment - Just as it happened
This post shares "why I love a particular wedding photo" from my perspective as a London-based documentary wedding photographer.
I'm passionate about candid wedding photography, and I love capturing genuine, unplanned moments as they happen throughout the day. I spend a lot of time looking for and anticipating special “moments.”
This was a Christian wedding at a community church in London.
If I had to choose a single word to describe this wedding, it would be love. I know that sounds obvious for a wedding, but the love here wasn’t just between the bride and groom. It was from the whole congregation. There was so much joy and happiness throughout the day, and it was such a pleasure to be there amongst it all. Photographing a full-day wedding can be very tiring. It’s full on with little chance to sit down, so when there is such a great energy it spurs me on and helps me push through and keep giving my best.
As you can see below, I have included some of the other lovely photos from this wedding, but the reason I love this particular photo is that it captures a very special, intimate moment between the bride and her father. We were all waiting for the bride to arrive at the church. For me, it’s a bit of a rush because once I photograph her arrival, I will scoot back down the aisle for a few candids of the groom and get ready to photograph the bride walking down the aisle.
On this occasion, I knew the bride’s father happened to be waiting in a small room, so after I got the arrival shot, I waited close to the father inside. Sure enough, there was this lovely moment between the two. Being a good wedding photographer isn’t really about waiting for the “moments” to happen. It’s about anticipating them. If I have a good idea of what I think might happen, I can make sure I am in the right place and prepared to capture it.
I also think it’s a good example of documentary wedding photography and why I love it. Technically, it’s not the best picture in the world - it’s not what you’d call beautiful or fine art, but it is fun, real, and natural and captures the mood and feeling of the day. You couldn’t set something like that up and for me, it’s much more meaningful than the obligatory family group shots. There’s a place for those, for sure, but for me, these kinds of candid moments are the most precious.
I often describe photos like these as those I can almost "feel." They transport you back to the very moment, allowing you to sense the room's atmosphere and the energy that filled it. To me, this is what defines a great wedding photograph – the ability to evoke the laughter, the love, and the unique ambiance of that singular moment. As my couples look through their wedding album in the years to come, it’s these kinds of photographs that will undoubtedly bring back memories of their wedding day and the genuine moments that made it truly special.
If you're planning a wedding filled with these kinds of moments, I'd love to discuss how we can capture the essence of your day with the unique moments that will make it special to you. Let's connect and discuss the possibilities of documenting your unique love story.
YOUR LONDON BASED DOCUMENTARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
If you're looking for more than just posed photographs, if you want your wedding day to be documented authentically, capturing real emotions and heartfelt connections – then you've found your documentary wedding photographer. Get in touch and let's create memories together. If you want to know more about me, click here.
