anatomy of a photograph . expression

Moments like these seem to always sneak up on me.  If I'm honest seeing the in-between moments are one of the hardest aspects of my craft.  This scene unfolded as the bride and groom walked out of the church amidst a shower of white confetti.  Overall a beautiful and timeless sight and sure to be a great photograph.  All my attention is on that moment as I know it's something special and my clients want that captured.  Just after, I flipped around to observe the crowds and saw the flowergirl "dusting" off her hair, freeing it from the confetti that floated into it.  With her mother's help and her cousin (the other flowergirl) joining in, I took a single photograph.

Only after did I get to see the angelic expression on her face, and the wonderful cluttered chaos of the frame.  This frame was instinctual, not crafted; maybe that's what I love most about it.

This is one of those times I love the simplicity in the way I chose to shoot.  Selling most all my gear last year and choosing only a few "fixed lenses", like the 35mm 1.4 I used for this frame.  It kept my mind on the moment and not the process.  At the end of the day, is it the right way?  No, there isn't a right way, just a way that best suits each of us.

 

Steve Stanton1 Comment