One of the most important goals of our unposed, documentary style of photography is to bring out people’s personality in the frame. We want to see laughs, we want to see affection, we want to understand a person by the way those around them react.
Children, of course, can’t help but be themselves. They are unbound by expectation and live moment to moment; their every action a showcase of who they are. They are a natural source of spontaneity and affect others with their behaviour, making them an easy source of interest and seed of a story for the documentary photographer.
But what about when there are no children at a wedding? How can we find that same playful, unguarded energy amongst adults?
One of the first ways we look to achieve a state of spontaneity is with our own actions. We never ask people to move to a different position or adopt a particular action on a wedding day because we want them to feel completely relaxed and free to do what comes naturally to them. We don’t pretend to be invisible but we do try not to draw particular attention to ourselves so the guests never feel watched and we smile when we are observed. We want your guests to feel that photography is part of the experience, not something they need to watch out for, so they can relax into the day.
Secondly we look for the moments in-between. Weddings can be quite a formal setting – people are dressed in their finest, there are traditions to uphold and strangers to interact with. But if we keep watching and look beyond the obvious, there are always unguarded moments to be found where we can glimpse through the cracks of the front people often present.
And thirdly, of course, we’re often aided by the environment that our couples create. Ed and Imogen’s wedding had all the hallmarks of a classic wedding but, in their French chateau setting, all the feels of a holiday with friends. We knew from previous weddings that this pair (and their amazing family) would bring the party and they certainly didn’t disappoint – a wandering band during the reception got everyone in the mood and with the couple cutting loose throughout the day everyone followed suit. Once the dancing started nobody sat down until 2am when the buses finally dragged everyone back to their accommodation.
Here are a few favourites from a destination wedding where we were made to feel like family.
