There are a few tools a professional wedding photographer has in his arsenal: posing, lighting, interesting vantage points, composition, shallow depth of field, post-processing techniques and personality. At this particular Chateau Le Parc wedding, I used all of the above.
In this particular wedding photo, I used a secret tool learned from one of the best wedding photographers in Toronto .
Most amateurs shoot at eye level using a kit lens and that makes the images look similar. However, a professional photographer's work should look different and that difference should be apparent. In this particular photograph, my secret tool was an unusual vantage point. To create this masterpiece, I was lying on the floor shooting up at the groom and his best man.
In terms of composition, this is also an outstanding image. By tilting the camera, I managed to position my subjects' hands alongside the sinister diagonal, which makes the image flow better.
The moment is simple: just the groom helping his best man put on his cufflinks.
However, their expression is priceless and the unique vantage point makes this a great photograph.
One of the challenges in taking this image, besides the awkward position in which I was literally placed, was focusing on the groom's eye. Because my subjects' hands were moving all the time, I was missing focus but once I nailed it, and waited for the right moment when both men smiled and then I pressed the shutter button.
We, professional photographers, do crazy things for our brides and grooms: we climb trees, jump on the ground in dirt, carry heavy equipment under extreme conditions, all of that in the name of the art.
To give this image a photojournalistic feel, I processed it in black and white, first in Adobe Lightroom, then in Photoshop.
I'm often asked to provide images for online or print publications in this type of imagery is among those preferred by editors.
Often, on the big day, the artist cannot control the lighting, posing and other elements but whenever the opportunity arises, we take control and create splendid masterpieces that combine perfect light, romantic posing and outstanding composition like I did here at Chateau Le Parc.
Location: 1745 Langstaff Rd, Concord, ON L4K 2H2.
