WOODS WITH OLD TREES by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN PORTUGAL

Some photos of the bride and groom during their evening session in the woods, next to Quinta da Cheinha, at the wedding reception

• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

Delight for the wedding photographer and the photographed

When Hélia and Ricardo challenged me to go beyond Guarda to photograph their wedding, I had no idea how full the day would be. I won’t tell the whole story, but I can say I got to know a bit of the area, as I only knew the city of Guarda.

But what gave this wedding photographer great satisfaction was the outside of the venue where the celebration took place. I’m not saying that within the walls, Quinta da Cheinha in Pinhel isn’t a great subject for wedding photographers, because it is.

But for someone like me, who is obsessed with groves of old trees, paths made for carrying people, partridges, rabbits, and the occasional fox, trees with trunks that—through the trickery of my lenses—turn into valuable frames, the outside was a delight for both the photographer and the photographed.

Delighting in the photographic walk

In fact, I have an attraction to these environments, the visual effects that the trees, trunks, and foliage can bring to my photographs. So, whenever I have such manna at hand, I never miss the chance to dive in with my couple and delight in a photographic walk. Indeed, this wedding photographer has never actually seen a fox there, but who knows—they’re around, that I’m sure of.

Point by point:

• Whenever I know there’s a grove near the venue where the wedding celebration takes place, I go check right away:
  • If it has good conditions for photography
  • What type and size of trees are there
  • How the light behaves through the leaves
• In the one next to Quinta da Cheinha I immediately noticed:
  • It was perfect for photos with the couple
  • It had paths and trails to walk
  • The trees had trunks perfect as frames in the photos
  • It offered an excellent place for the end-of-day photo session
• The wedding photographer likes these places to photograph the couple:
  • For the atmosphere they provide
  • The quiet during the shoot
  • The effects the lenses create with the trunks and branches
  • The layered scenery that allows for portraits with personality

You need to know:

• A wedding day, the way I photograph it, has two completely different moments in terms of method. First, throughout the day, I don’t interfere at all in the events. The photos are captured as they appear to me, and, in the end, there’s a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

• But, to my great pleasure, there’s a second moment where my method is exactly the opposite. I’m the one who decides how it will go, where, and at what time. It’s the photo session with the couple at the end of the wedding day. That’s when I want the bride and groom to follow my lead. This doesn’t happen because I want to turn them into puppets of a scene I’m trying to tell for some story.

• It’s the opposite. I’ve spent the whole day with them, I’ve gotten to know their personalities, I’ve taken enough photos to understand what makes them look their best, and there, in that twilight and in the place I’ve chosen as the best, I want to bring those characteristics to the surface. I also have to admit that it’s a unique moment for me, a great admirer of portraiture and a true amateur—one who loves to create it.

This will be the method I’ll use to photograph your wedding photo session. But for that to happen, you’ll need to give me a call so we can schedule a meeting. I’ll be at your full disposal for any questions you’d like answered.

• You can see a full wedding story: