THE JEALOUS by THE LISBON WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

About photos of groups of friends of the bride and groom at the wedding party at Quinta da Cascata in Cadaval

• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

Eye Watching Through the Camera at a Wedding

Wedding photographers know that friends have this thing — they just can’t go long without each other and tend to get very jealous when they see someone doing something that looks like a lot of fun. I notice this often and, sometimes, I’m even the reason for it — the envy. Some people are just like that, even at weddings.

At a certain point in the party, the mood lifts, reactions become as quick and unpredictable as flashes of light, and the wedding photographer needs to be ready for it. Not only must he have a well-trained eye to keep one focused through the camera, but he also needs to use the corner of his eye to notice when someone is about to start something whose ending no one can quite predict. And off he goes.

The Wedding Photographer Won’t Miss a Shot

Then, sequences like this happen. A small group gathers for a photo. Suddenly, those jealous guests notice — I’ve never figured out who alerts them — and they start running and jumping like long jumpers to either make it in time or be the first to arrive. Of course, the wedding photographer isn’t going to miss a photo until, finally, everyone’s where they should be — together, loud, and happy.

After all, this kind of envy is a good one, and it should stay forever, whether in a photograph or life.

Point by point:

• It’s not just the photos I take at weddings that make me enjoy being there. It’s also the people. The couple’s friends and the things they’re capable of doing:
  • Big displays of affection for each other
  • Taking fun and games to very loud levels
  • Constant shows of deep friendship
  • Challenging the wedding photographer into wild adventures
• They’re the ones who bring a special and intense energy to the entire wedding day.
• Sometimes they get very jealous: when a small group asks for a photo, suddenly everyone else joins in so they’re not left out.
• That’s the kind of good envy a wedding photographer loves.

You need to know:

• Although I like photographing the wedding day without interfering with what’s happening, I often become the hidden protagonist. Without appearing in any photos and taking them all, it’s often my presence that brings people together at the wedding for something that always ends in a photo — and, therefore, a memory. That’s why I’m here.

The circumstances that can end up in a wedding photo are countless. I indeed love the ones that happen naturally, without my doing anything — but there are always many others that only unfold because I’m there. And they’ll come with me, of course. Yours will, too. Let’s set up a meeting so I can show you those… and the others.

• In Quinta do Castro In Cadaval, Portugal