ALWAYS SEARCHING by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN SINTRA

Some photos from a wedding party at Quinta das Palmeiras in Sintra

• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

The Friends Who Love a Good Joke at the Wedding

We like you very much. That’s what the presence of all these people at the wedding party means. They are close and distant relatives who are here today. They’re childhood friends from the neighborhood. They’re the schoolmates with stories to tell—well… not all. They’re the college friends and others whom the journey brought together, as it often does.

It’s up to the wedding photographer, without having to search too hard, to find, like gathering flower stems for a grand decoration, these bonds that spill out under the shade or in full sunlight, some drawing attention, others avoiding it, and others doing both.

Compositions Always Worth Photographing

So there’s no shortage of material for the wedding photographer to capture affections, connections, and stories—some well told, some not so much—that always offer frames and compositions ready to be photographed. Like the waters of a generous river, they transform and complete themselves, giving no rest to the curious eyes of a wedding photographer.

Point by point:

• When I’m working as a wedding photographer, there’s a moment I particularly enjoy: the socializing right after arriving at the venue and before the meal.
  ◦ All the wedding guests are there because they like the couple
  ◦ They share affection and joy
  ◦ They provide endless photo opportunities
• There are many reasons why they are there:
  ◦ They are the couple’s relatives
  ◦ Childhood friends
  ◦ From college or high school
  ◦ Neighbors
• Depending on their relationship with the couple, they express themselves differently in the photos:
  ◦ Friends are loud
  ◦ Relatives are affectionate
  ◦ Acquaintances are more formal
• All of them, in their way, give me photographs that will later allow the couple to revisit their wedding day from completely different perspectives than what they remember. That is the value of the wedding photographer.

What you need to know:

• When everyone arrives at the wedding venue after the ceremony, sipping drinks and nibbling snacks, they quickly spread out into small groups, depending on their relationship with the couple. Conversations begin, jokes are shared—loud or quiet, depending on their bond and age.

• Children run and play in the garden. The couple’s friends gather to tell stories about each other. The older guests relax after the emotions of the wedding ceremony. Suddenly, an ecosystem of connections forms, filled with all the possible emotions and affections.

• Of course, the wedding photographer wanders randomly through it all, collecting the photographs being handed to them. The group taking over the benches in the middle of the garden, the couple quietly sitting on a low wall gazing at the landscape, the kids playing on the swing under the big tree, or two guests deep in conversation, very serious from the look on their expressions.

• All of them will provide me with photos showing the couple how present everyone was and how ready they were for the big day that was just beginning. The couple does a bit like the photographer, moving through the space, receiving affection from everyone, more or less intense depending on the nature of their bond.

• In short, I won’t say it’s my favorite part of the wedding day—because in another article, I’ll probably say it’s a different moment. I’ve learned to make the most of every photo opportunity that each part of the day offers me, and my favorite is always the one I’m capturing right now. It’s part of my day as a wedding photographer, and I’ll take advantage of everything.

What’s great about a wedding day is that every part offers me something I enjoy photographing. Yours will too. Come and meet me for a meeting where I can show you my work and talk about the day you’re planning. I’ll be waiting for both of you.

• You can see a full wedding story:

• In Quinta das Palmeiras in Sintra, Portugal