As a Toronto wedding photographer, I learned that the first and last spread of the album have to be stunning. This wedding at the beautiful One King West hotel was no different.
As such, for the last spread the wedding album, I selected a stunning photograph of the bride and groom captured at the entrance of the Grand Banking Hall.
This photograph was inspired from Vogue magazine and features the couple placed in a fashion like pose and has a more complex symbolism. Couple's love is apparent in this picture that was one of the last ones I captured on the special day.
As someone said, in the fashion pictures the couples don't look at each other and have a bit of an attitude. In a similar manner, on the wedding day I re-created some of the mood present in the fashion magazines.
To take a step back, it was drink a photo shop with the great wedding photography master Yervant when I learned to blend fashion with weddings.
While this technique cannot be applied in areas outside the GTA, in Toronto, my brides are in love with my fashion inspired photographs. In fact, that is an element of differentiation for my brand.
In my opinion every wedding photographer in Toronto should be able to replicate one or two fashion poses or lighting schemes because that is what differentiates us from the guy with the camera. A professional photographer should master three things. Posing, lighting and post processing.
Posing makes the subject look gorgeous. There is of the so-called corrective posing that on the wedding day can help the bride shed 20 pounds. Who doesn't love that? Combining that with a smart use of light and get the perfect wedding photographs.
Lighting can make a bride look skinny, can create a romantic mood if you use Hollywood lighting or can make the groom look more masculine if you use a split lighting scheme.
Post processing is another wedding photography element that can make the photos look stunning without being too photo shopped. In fact, the masters of post processing are those who make the pictures look polished without going too far.
I often tell my couples that the have a listing starts off sure the wedding day when I start editing the photos.
Sadly, few professionals in the greater Toronto area take the time to learn the three pillars of wedding photography: lighting posing and post processing.
Even worse, in a race to make quick profits, many Toronto wedding photography studios simply slap a preset/filter in Adobe Lightroom and deliver mediocre photographs.
This photo was taken at a One King West reception in the Grand Banking Hall at the end of the big day.
The bride and groom are surrounded by candles, which give the photo a very romantic look. Also, the image is special because of the balance created by blue and orange. I just love the classic colour scheme blue and orange, which gives images of very polished look. In fact, my photography style is darker, moodier based on the principles of chiaroscuro.
The composition is also impeccable as the bride and groom are standing at the intersection of three leading lines. I remember of the couple special day I saw the beautiful blue uplight that was illuminating every column of the wedding venue. As such, I placed the bride and groom in the spot where we were framed by the can the lights in the blue might in the background create a separation between them and the dark wall.
In terms of post processing, because the image was shot properly in the camera I had nothing to do. I just love when the image looks great in camera and the only post processing have to do is levels and curves, skin softening and selected vignettes.
Location: 1 King Street West Toronto, ON M5H 1A1.
