Capturing The Moment

What makes a moment? Some wedding photographers might claim that the very notion of 'creating' a moment disqualifies it from actually being a moment.

A moment is not two hands, two rings over the bouquet, the flowers, the wedding dress - those are traditionally, and as importantly, details to your wedding day.

When the wedding photographer takes images of detail such as the rings, gown or flowers, we capture those images within the context of a real moment.  The bride might have gone to several florists before she found the exact bouquet she wanted and not knowing how important such an image might be to the bride, we will photograph her bouquet in a scene which is truly in the moment.

Whenever we as wedding photographers ask the bride, groom or guests to do anything specific, the moment becomes staged and the wedding photographers then become a part of the moment instead of the person capturing the moment.

By definition, a moment is that time when the wedding couple is so involved in what they are doing, that they are totally unaware of the wedding photographer capturing that moment. Good moments are fleeting. Good moments are one-of-a-kind. Once they are gone, they are gone forever, which is why anticipating the moment is so crucial to the wedding photographer.

Considering the fact that a wedding is in essence a fixed set of proceedings, established by tradition and mostly governed by the Ceremony and Reception time restrictions, very few wedding couples are successful in living their own spontaneous moments until much later in the day during the portrait photo session.  It is during these portrait photo session when we as photographers encourage all wedding couples to live their experience and bare their emotions - not what they thing might be there best profile or angle.

Considering the anxiety a couple endures leading up to their wedding day, guidance by the wedding photographer is crucial while knowing the wedding couple’s contempt zone and thus occasionally a “moment” needs to be inspired by the wedding photographer due to the fact that all wedding couples are not professional models and spending time in front of a set of cameras could be further emotionally demanding.

Our wedding photos are real moments within reason.  The wedding couples are not always perfect subjects and always claim to be non-photogenic but their moments are real.  As wedding photographer it is our goal to get the wedding couple to remember and re-live that moment of emotional tie rather than noticing any possible imperfections and to have the wedding couple remember their day in a way where art and reality coincide.

Since the wedding photos are to last the wedding couple a life time, the wedding photographer needs to apply his or her expertise in inspiring a moment where needed BUT still allow the wedding couple to develop it further into their own scenery.  Therefore the importance in meeting with the wedding couple several times before the wedding day to gauge their photographic potential and guide the wedding couple to specific events where care should be taken when, for example, “putting on the rings" or “kissing the bride”. Those are moments found at every wedding and should not be rushed.

The biggest compliment a wedding photographer can ever receive from a wedding couple is – "That's exactly how I remember my day.”