The Wedding Photographer in Portugal

YES…I DON’T REMEMBER by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN SINTRA

With the light of a candle from the altar of the Church of S. Pedro de Penaferrim in front of them, the bride and groom smile as they listen to the priest, seen by the wedding photographer in Sintra, Portugal.

A small selection of photos from the wedding ceremony at the Church of S. Pedro de Penaferrim in Sintra

• Pode ler este artigo em Português.

The Wedding Photographer and the Kind Church

The bride walks arm in arm with her father to the entrance of the S. Pedro de Penaferrim Church.

That little church. I hold a deep affection for that little church. The wedding photographer was still in the early stages, almost unsure if he would become one, when he first entered, cameras in hand, very nervous, into this beautiful church in São Pedro de Sintra, named Igreja de São Pedro de Penaferrim.

It was a name that never left my emotional memories, associated with places and significant points in my life. I remember so well when I entered there; it was the first church that would offer me wedding photographs. I was completely bewildered—now what do I do, what is permitted, and what should I not even consider doing? Where can I go, and where is it absolutely forbidden? What distress.

Besides the freshness of my role as a wedding photographer, it was also here, in this church that I had known since Sintra entered my life many years before, on the way to camps during school breaks, towards the areas of Monserrate.

The Novice Photographer and the Kind Priest

The moment the bride arrives next to the groom at the altar of S. Pedro de Penaferrim Church for the wedding ceremony.

But I was lucky. As I arrived a bit early and was conducting a preliminary study of the space to determine my essential vantage points, I saw an elderly gentleman with kind eyes and more energy than I had.

“Are you the priest?” I asked timidly. “I am; I see you’re the photographer.” “Yes, I am,” I said, still with little conviction and fearing what might be proclaimed to me, as I had already heard complicated stories between priests and photographers at weddings. “Could you tell me if there are any limitations to my work?” “Do you know how to say Mass and conduct weddings?” “Well, no, that’s never been my task.” “Then let me handle what I know how to do, and you do the same and be very happy with it.”

Beyond Memory, Except for the Wedding Photos

General view of S. Pedro de Penaferrim Church in Sintra, with the bride and groom for the wedding ceremony and their guests.

You can understand the wedding photographer’s relief. As soon as the bride began her first steps into the church, arm in arm with her father, proceeding down the central aisle towards the altar where her prince charming awaited, I only remember photographing again already in the churchyard where everyone celebrated, congratulated the newlyweds, and began preparing for the next phase of the day, which would involve eating, drinking, and much celebrating.

What happened inside, how it happened, where I photographed, if I tested the priest’s patience—who, in the end, very kindly wished me a continued good day of work—all faded from my memory until today. I remember well the before and after, but honestly, I have no idea how I did what I did, which I later saw had been done.

Returning Always to This Church for Other Weddings

Looking at the groom, in the presence of the priest of S. Pedro de Penaferrim Church in Sintra, the bride places the ring on the groom's finger.

But it wasn’t poorly done, so much so that, from then on, the wedding photographer has returned many times and to so many others and is certain to go to many more. I couldn’t have chosen a better and more suitable place for my baptism as a wedding photographer… in churches.

It wasn’t with these photographs from Maria and Duarte’s wedding. It was for a colleague’s wedding many years before, and I have nothing to show in my archive. But it will forever remain in my memory… what remained.

The bride and groom leave the door of the Church of S. Pedro de Penaferrim after the wedding ceremony under a mantle of petals of many flowers.

Dot by dot:

There is a church for which I have a very special affection. It was there that I photographed my first wedding ceremony: Igreja de São Pedro de Penaferrim.
Of course, I didn’t know what to do inside. I knew what I had to do, but I lacked the where and how. How to behave as a photographer at the wedding. I was saved by a kind priest who put me at ease to do my work.
The only problem that morning of the first wedding ceremony is that I remember nothing. I remember the bride entering with her father and the couple leaving as husband and wife. What happened inside, nothing.
But the work, in the photographs, wasn’t poorly done. So much so that I’ve returned there many times and hope to return many more.

You Should Know:

The photographs are from the ceremony, but from another wedding as explained, at Igreja de São Pedro de Penaferrim in Sintra.
Even if it’s not in this church, I would be delighted to photograph your wedding ceremony. Contact me, and I will be there.