PORTRAITS, PORTRAITS, PORTRAITS, AND WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
The photos are from the pre-wedding session in a garden with horses
• Pode ler este artigo em Português.
Wedding Photojournalism Mode
We all know that every photographer eventually develops a way of photographing that gives their work a recognisable identity. There is no need to show examples, but in my case, portraiture is always at the heart of my work, even when I am photographing in a wedding photojournalism mode.
Following the action of a wedding does not simply mean recording whatever happens in front of the camera. Within all that movement, there are constantly small moments that are, in themselves, authentic portraits. You have to recognise them quickly because they appear and disappear just as quickly.
- Portraiture remains central, even within a documentary approach.
- The right moment can last only a few seconds.
- The technique combines spontaneity, observation and intention.
- A wedding photographer needs to capture people and emotions while everything is happening around them.
A Good Portrait
Of course, Sofia and Ricardo’s engagement session is probably not the best example of what I have just described. Since it is a couple’s session, I like to construct the portrait a little more consciously, always paying attention to the way the two people in front of my camera react to its presence.
What really gives me pleasure is finding a good connection between the bride and groom and the atmosphere of the place we have chosen for the session. When those two things come together and begin to work in harmony, a simple photograph can become a good portrait.
I think I managed it with them. And the wedding photographer was happy.
- An elopement session can also reveal very strong portraits.
- The way a couple reacts directly influences the result.
- The space and the light become part of the photograph.
- The connection between bride and groom matters more than a perfect pose.
- A good portrait often comes from the relationship between the people and the place where they are.
The People at the Wedding and the Photographs
As you can imagine, it is not simply the pleasure of being at weddings so often that makes me want to be at one all the time. To someone on the outside, many weddings may look similar. But anyone who is part of one, as a bride, groom, or guest, knows that each wedding is completely different.
There are people to meet, things to say, emotions to share, and stories constantly unfolding.
The thing is, there are a lot of people at a wedding. And I have always loved seeing people in photographs, long before I had the possibility of photographing them.
Perhaps that is why I enjoy being at a wedding so much: to observe the people who are there.
Not only the bride and groom, but also their parents, friends, guests meeting again, people laughing, becoming emotional, getting distracted or, for a moment, standing completely alone in the middle of all that company.
That is where a wedding photographer finds much of the raw material for the work.
- The motivation comes from people and the way they relate to one another.
- Observing before photographing is essential.
- Every gesture can become a portrait.
- Wedding guests add stories and meaning to the photographs.
- Photography is also about waiting for a situation to become an image.
A Wedding Photographer Looking for Portraits
From the engagement session, when the couple asks for one, through to the photographs on the wedding day, there are always opportunities to make portraits.
There are moments when the photographer knows perfectly well that a portrait can be made and does not need to do very much to achieve it. People at the wedding understand that. In those moments, when it is time for a portrait, nobody particularly minds the presence of the camera.
But these are not the only portraits I am looking for.
The ones that appear without warning are often the ones I like most.
They depend on me very little, apart from my ability to recognise them and photograph them at exactly the right moment. I have to quickly decide which angle to use, which framing works best and, above all, when that situation has stopped being simply a situation and has become a portrait.
I have no control over these portraits.
I have to wait, observe and, in a way, guess when they are ready.
It is one of the most interesting parts of wedding photography.
- Timing can be more important than preparation.
- Spontaneous portraits have a truth of their own.
- Every moment of a wedding happens only once.
- The ceremony, the gathering, and the party all offer different opportunities to observe people.
- A wedding photographer works with technique as much as with instinct and patience.
In Conclusion: Portraits Are Why I Go to Weddings
Portraits are why I go to weddings.
Knowing that there will be people there in so many different forms and moods means that the wedding photographer is constantly motivated to look for them.
Some will be deliberate portraits, the kind where I tell people where I would like them to be and how I would like them to position themselves. Others will appear in the middle of the noise, a conversation, the party, or some apparently insignificant moment.
Those are the ones that force me to stay alert.
I have to look for them, recognise them, wait for the right instant, and take them with me.
Even those that, at first glance, do not look much like portraits. Because, when you look carefully, some of them turn out to be the good ones. The kind that make for happy wedding photographs.
The Photographer for You
If you are looking for a wedding photographer who values real, spontaneous portraits and pays close attention to people, I am ready to tell your story with authenticity and sensitivity.
Whether during an engagement session or throughout your wedding day, I look for what happens between the two of you and among the people who are part of your story.
Without turning everything into poses, but without allowing those moments that deserve to remain to pass unnoticed.
