As a Toronto wedding photographer, I learned that the wedding dress is a key element of a bride's big day. The bride to be put a lot of effort and time in finding the perfect dress to wear on her special day. That is the reason why I always attempt to take a few good photographs of the gown to include in the wedding album.
One of the biggest challenges for the wedding photographer is to style the dress in such manner as to look beautiful. Often, on the wedding day the bridal suite is so cluttered that is almost impossible to take a clean shot of the dress. In numerous occasions I photograph the dress in a separate room or hallway when I had more control over the environment.
Another constraint that the professional photographer faces is time related. Usually, before the wedding ceremony the bride is very tense and many things can derail even the most solid timeline. From makeup to hair and wardrobe malfunctions I've seen in all. In one case, even the dress was ruined when one of the bridesmaids stepped on it. Fortunately, the bride was very composed and one of the guests managed to saw the rupture. Still, I can see how such event can easily one of the couple's wedding day.
Fortunately, this Liberty Grand wedding was very well-planned and I was able to take quite a few beautiful shots of the dress in the same room where the bride was getting ready. For this particular photograph, I placed the dress on one of the beautiful walls adorned by for paintings. After taking the safe shots, I asked the bride to step into the frame, touch the dress and look in the camera. Her expression in this photograph is priceless. And it usually happens, things moved rapidly on the special day and we, wedding photographers, often need an extra hand. In this case it was one of the guests who helped us with lighting.
In addition to the natural light coming through the arched windows, I bounced a flash into the ceiling to provide some fill light. Because each of the ballrooms boasts huge arched windows, Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex is one of my favourite Toronto wedding venues.
For a photographer, lighting is the first ingredient that helps create beautiful images. Of course, moments between the bride and groom are also crucial in wedding photography but when one can marry good lighting, emotions and a beautiful location, one will achieve great success as a professional photographer.
While the bride and groom might not realize why a particular image looks good, the above-mentioned elements are the secret ingredients for perfect wedding photo. That is the reason why during my consultations, I ask the bride and groom to allocate time for the photoshoot during the golden hour when the light is soft and beautiful. Of course, in the greater Toronto area the cocktail hour starts at 6 PM followed by the reception. That is when I generally schedule the photoshoot especially during the summer.
Winter is a totally different story! While I love ambient light, I often have to shoot using artificial light because in the winter the sun sets much earlier. Also, that interferes with my mainly photography style which I call assisted photojournalism. Once you start setting up lights, the element of spontaneity is gone and the bride and groom feel like the are taking photos. Unless the bride and groom are answers is hard for the couple to express the love for each other genuinely in the photo shoot as I have to direct them. Often that ruins the mood.
Location: 25 British Columbia Rd, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3.
