Wedding in the Woods Sampler

Technically, the wedding wasn’t in the woods. We did the formals in fairly wooded areas, though. And the ring shots.

Hard to believe this is a park in the middle of Langley. A fella with a leaf blower was coming uncomfortably close to us, so I backed down. Never go head to head with a leaf blower when wedding rings are on the line.

Wedding are something of an emotional affair for me. I enjoy them so much. Start to get amped up at the preparation shots, get really excited while I’m doing ring shots, run around during the ceremony. A few weeks ago I had a bride describe me in a review as, “He was like another enthusiastic guest at our ceremony.” I honestly don’t think I could do any other job.

Getting ready was an interesting affair. The groom did a great job keeping his cool while the groomsmen struggled with their ties and butane lighters. It’s a long story. I’ll explain some other time.

The ceremony took place at an Anglican church. I LOVE Anglican churches, and I love Anglican ceremonies. In a time where everything, including marriage, seems to be taken for granted, it’s wonderful to see a minister give the bride and groom good advice that we could all take to heart. It had that personal touch. You could tell the minister cared very deeply, and it came through in his heartfelt speech and advice. Prayer is always a little emotional for me, and there were several heartfelt and sincere prayers. It helps ground me, I suppose.

After that, a whirlwind! Large group photos. Fun fact: I’m starting to acquire a name for myself in the field of group photos. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea how this happened. I’m getting weekly inquiries from large family reunions coming in from all over Canada. Well, for those of you looking for me to arrange a group photo of you and your family, here’s a fun sampler of a medium sized group! You’ll notice we have no blinkers, gaps, out of focus faces, and pleasing background blur. We also have a fairly good looking family, but I can’t guarantee that in every case. Contact me for your family shoot today!

Next up for the formals! Look at that bouquet line! Just in case, here’s a close up.

Wow! I hear they were hand arranged too! I’ve got to see, just a stunning array of flowers. This was a painstakingly planned wedding, and it’s evident in the details.

Before we knew it, the reception was over. The bride, groom, and I snuck off to a fairly wooded area to take extra photos. A lot of people don’t know this, but I always WANT to take more photos. When we’ve got it, we’ve got it, and at that point I might put a stop to it, but generally, I’ll always be pushing you for a few extra shots.

I like taking photos. I love arranging them, puzzling over color theory (we used a two tone palette here – orange from the sun to signify excitement and new growth) the mix of soft and hard light (all hard light here – but a splash of soft in the veil. Edgy and risky, but fantastic payoff). Our rules of depth, our special cropping, chaos vs ordered elements, and the texture of the photos. Just a few things. Once it all comes together, like a medley of instruments in an orchestra, they produce something heartbreakingly beautiful.

But the real point of this photo? The way she looks at him.

We trundled around, we got dirty. We climbed a tree. These are all things you’ll have to wait to see, though, because it’s going to be a few weeks before I’m done processing the album. In the meantime, why don’t you check out my galleries, follow my instagram, or maybe think about booking me for your own special shoot? Talk to you in three days!