SILHOUETTES by THE PORTUGAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

When the bride appears in profile at the great door of the Igreja Matriz de Santo António de Reguengos de Monsaraz, for the wedding ceremony

• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

Silhouettes and the wedding photographer

Wedding photographers are no different from others and also take advantage of the handful of photographic clichés that have accompanied photography throughout its existence. A sunset on a beach with palm trees, a group of bare trees with the sun above, an old wall with a wooden gate worn down by time, a half-cracked blue enamel plate with a house number, etc.

One of these, and perhaps my favorite, is the silhouette. Typically, it is a human figure outlined against a bright background, showing only its shape in space without any texture details. Church entrances are perfect for providing wedding photographers with silhouettes that will remain in memory through photographs. But hold on—it’s not that easy. If it all depended on the photographer’s technique and equipment, it might seem like a simple matter of showing up, taking the shot, and moving on.

Turning That Moment Into This Photograph

But it’s not. A whole series of elements—let’s call them coincidences—need to align in just the right way. With the help of my mischievous little angel friends, who sometimes assist me and other times make things tricky, that moment—just that one—comes together perfectly, allowing the silhouette to bring a wide smile to my face when I edit the photograph.

That one, just one. Now you get it?

Point by Point:

• The so-called photographic clichés have always been used by all photographers, and wedding photographers are no exception.
• One of my favorites is the silhouette. The high-contrast outline of the main subject—such as a bride entering the church door—is always unmissable.
• It may seem like capturing a silhouette is easy, sometimes even accidental. But anticipating it through the camera’s viewfinder and creating the right conditions for it to be a stunning wedding photograph is another matter entirely.
• A wedding photographer needs both theoretical photography knowledge and, equally important, a keen perception and execution ability honed through experience.
• The photograph of the bride entering the church, which illustrates this article, turned out perfectly.

What You Need to Know:

• This is why you need to hire a professional and well-established photographer for your wedding. Anyone can take a fantastic photo, one capable of winning awards. But spending an entire day with you and capturing images that tell the story of your wedding day—and the many smaller stories within it—to publish a beautiful book that preserves these moments is something entirely different. Choose a professional carefully.

I would be honored to be with you, capturing the essence of your big day in photographs. Come meet with me to see what I can do with my cameras and lenses. Ask questions, and then take me with you.