The photos on this slide show are my favorites from this past year’s wedding season. I photographed 30 wonderful weddings in 2010, all of which provided opportunities for capturing documentary moments. Not every wedding is represented on the slide show, however. This year, I decided to be very discriminating in the selection of photos that made my favorites list, unlike previous years where I made sure to have at least one photo represented from each wedding. The photos that were chosen, best represent my ultimate objective when photographing a wedding: finding powerful, meaningful and artistic documentary imagery that transcends time.
In all of the photographs I capture in the wedding day, I seek to find the following three elements: an interesting composition, great light, and wonderful expressions. The images on this slide show are those captured that, I believe, have a fourth element, which is what makes them so special. It’s difficult to describe what makes up the fourth element, but it is that “something” that draws you into the photo, a story that is either conveyed concretely or, perhaps, not so concretely, but lingers as a mystery that causes you to stop, stare, and wonder. The photographers that I admire the most are those who are masters in finding these moments. In years to come, I hope to continue mastering my ability to find imagery that has “the fourth element.”
That is what pushes me each year to be better than the last. I am a wedding photographer today, because I am passionate about finding these moments: that split-second where there is a combination of elements colliding simultaneously as if in concert with one another. Most of the images are pre-composed. I see the unique setting and possible composition in front of me. The natural, available lighting is there for an exquisite photograph. I see the people nearby and anticipate the possibility of a unique moment developing. Suddenly, the person or people step into the frame of my camera at the perfect millisecond…the camera clicks…and a moment is cemented forever. I hope you enjoy what I consider my favorite wedding stories of 2010. Please share your feedback.
There is one image that I would like to provide some background history. It is the very first photograph you will see in the slide show. This bride is my hero, not only for 2010, but for the entire span of my wedding photography career – which dates back to 1992. The bride’s name is Terry. When this photograph was captured, Terry was suffering from stage-four, breast cancer. If you already watched the slide show, my hope is that you didn’t even notice that Terry was missing her hair, which was due to the results of her chemotherapy treatment. Rather, you were locked in the beauty in her reflection. In Terry’s reflection – you see her beautiful eye. The eyes are the windows of our souls. Our soul is the true essence of who we are and Terry’s soul has now passed on to her next life. She passed away just before Christmas in 2010. Terry will always be loved and remembered by me. I am truly honored that she selected me to photograph her wedding and invited me into her world. My heart goes out to Terry’s husband, Chip, and the loved ones she’s left behind.
