In today’s post I’m going to wrap up the series on my portfolio pictures and talk about the ‘little’ things. Over the last few weeks, I’ve taken a look at two of my couple shoots and one wedding, but I want to take the opportunity now to explore some of the finer details that make an already special day even more special. From the all important rings to the subtleties that still mean the world to you on your big day; the shoes, the dress detail, the flowers…all of the inanimate objects that are so much more than just…well…. inanimate objects!
Everything holds a greater meaning and tells a story of it’s own on such a big occasion and that is something that I have always tried to capture in my images. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that it’s the people that make a wedding truly memorable, but everything surrounding those people contributes to your memories of the whole day. This is one of the main areas where some of my other photography skills leak into my role as a wedding photographer and fuse with skills I’ve learnt since I’ve been taking wedding photographs. The challenge here has always been reflecting a couple’s personality in something as simple as a necklace, but for me it really is that important.
Feel free to call me ‘artsy’, ‘stuffy’, maybe even a little pretentious when it comes to this and absolutely feel free to call me over-sentimental, but any old necklace isn’t just any old necklace on a wedding day. It could be one that you’ve bought simply because it matches your shoes, yet it is part of a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. These kinds of pictures really are a big deal to me, as hopefully they are to the people looking back at them years down the line. I suppose the reason for this is that the photographs of the happy couple tell stories and evoke emotions through their expressions, whereas these can tell their own stories through their symbolism.
So in short, yes, it’s a pair of cufflinks. It’s a champagne bottle. It’s a watch. Thanks for this really enlightening blog post, Matt. Next week I guess you’ll be raving about the haircut the vicar was sporting at the altar. Well, I guarantee you that those cufflinks, the bottle of champagne and the watch all mean something a little more to the married couple.
(Maybe not the vicar’s haircut though…)
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