The Wedding Photographer in Portugal | Santarem Wedding Photographer: changes until the wedding party

BUT…WHAT IS HAPPENING by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN SANTARÉM

Groom ready to drive the cargo moto bike, with the bride in the back until Quinta da Ramila, viewed by the wedding photographer in Leiria.

When the bride and groom change into a tricycle on the way to the wedding party at Quinta da Ramila in Ortiga, Santarém

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Attentive wedding photographer

Bride and groom change transportation for the wedding party.

We photographers at weddings aren’t always warned about certain things that are going to happen. Sometimes it’s because the couple themselves don’t know, or because those who do know never thought to inform the photographer, or because it was a top-secret surprise worthy of state-level secrecy, or even because it was a gift from someone who sees the photographer as completely irrelevant.

That’s why a wedding photographer needs to always be alert to any change in circumstances—any unexpected pause or unusual group movement. Everything has to be ready to grab and go, quickly figuring out where the car might be able to stop and spotting right away where the centre of attention is.

Wedding photos that might not have existed

Bride seated in the cargo place of a moto bike.

I’m saying this because of these photos that might not have happened if the wedding photographer hadn’t been on high alert and picked up on the slightest change around him. I truly had no idea what was about to take place. All I knew was that the church square, where it all unfolded, should be on my left-hand side—that was the only instruction for the route to the Quinta da Ramila: just go straight ahead.

This is one reason it’s always worth being the last to leave the ceremony and head to the party. Everyone seemed to know what was going to happen—except the bride and groom… and me. And no one thought of the poor wedding photographer. Though, I suppose I can’t complain—I’m always saying I like to be invisible.

Wedding couple seated in the back of a cargo moto bike in the road for the wedding party.

Point by point:

From time to time, the wedding photographer isn’t warned about something that’s going to happen during the day.
A group of the couple’s friends wants to surprise them—and it ends up being a surprise for the person responsible for capturing the story of that surprise, too.
That’s why it’s important to stay alert and even suspicious when something seems a bit off the usual wedding day flow.
That was the case on the way from the wedding ceremony to the Quinta da Ramila. As usual, the photographer was one of the last to leave the ceremony, and if I hadn’t been suspicious about a group of guests gathered near a roadside chapel, a great story would’ve gone untold.
For the first time, the wedding photographer won by being among the last to begin the journey to the wedding reception.

You need to know:

It’s true—I’ve often written here that I enjoy improvisation and the unexpected moments that pop up during a wedding day. They’ve given me some of the best photos I’ve taken. But not knowing what’s been planned can result in a moment being lost to the future—because, as the saying goes, if it’s not in a photo, it didn’t happen. It’s always a good idea to let the wedding photographer know.

Not that I mind surprises—on the contrary—but it’s best to let your friends know that if they’re planning something for you, they should give the photographer a heads-up. I won’t tell a soul. Better yet, let’s meet up for a chat—talk about what you know is going to happen, and take a look at what I have to show you.

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