SOME THOUGHTS by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN ALGARVE

The photo is of the bride, a detail of her face painting her lips as she prepared for her wedding day

• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

Photographing a story is a memory to show others tomorrow

One of the main questions I asked myself when I decided to photograph weddings was: how? How should a wedding photographer present their work so that, firstly, it pleases the couple who chose them, and secondly, so that the one who brought them along to photograph the day ends up with a story and memory to show others tomorrow?

As time goes by, and when emotions, memory, or nostalgia lead one to seek out that book again to show the life that was built from that day forward, it’s also important that the photographer has the satisfaction of having followed their instinct, taste, and truth—and that the photographs prove resistant to the passage of time.

Towards the simple things, for wedding photographs

It’s not easy to bring all those elements together. Only time will tell whether we’re getting it right or if something needs to change—like a seasoning blend for a festive dish, we gradually adjust the method, the eye, the equipment, and almost without noticing, we find ourselves improving, taking better advantage of situations, and, most importantly, pleasing more.

As for me, I seem to move increasingly towards the simple things. The image reflected in a mirror, what’s just beyond a slightly open door, the gesture of adjusting a tie or putting on an earring, the eye-to-eye glance in front of the altar—or how a clump of bushes can turn into a cotton-like cloud as if it embraced and blessed a moment of love, important for the well-being of the universe. The life of a wedding photographer is not a bad one.

So, simply and beautifully.

Point by point:

• What should the wedding photographer do to please their clients?
  • Building a memory with the wedding photographs
  • Creating, from their work, a sort of revisiting point throughout that couple’s life because:
    • The photographs represent and show the starting point
    • The wedding day
    • Which must be truthfully told through the photographs
• Time and experience show the photographer what to do:
  • Be critical of their work
  • Keep correcting the flaws they find
  • Submit their work to criticism
  • Avoid being too rigid in their workflow
• I’ve always been drawn to the simple and direct things that happen on the wedding day. Through them, I build a story that I then deliver to the couple to tell the tale of their day.

You need to know:

• When I set out to be the wedding photographer for a couple, I know that I’m not photographing for myself. They are the ones to whom the wedding photographs will matter most. All of my work, based on experience and what I’ve learned over time, must be used solely for one final result: the story of their wedding day.

• A wedding day, beyond the symbolic importance of the rituals that take place, especially the ceremony with the exchange of rings, symbolizing the formalization of marriage, is first and foremost the transition of a couple into a shared life, with everything that entails. And only time will tell how that unfolds.

• That’s why my work collecting wedding photographs is so important. They will serve as proof that the “Yes, I do” actually happened—something that deserves to be revisited from time to time to remember the happiness of that moment and, at other times, to return to the beginning when life demands a moment of reflection.

• The story I’ll tell in the wedding album may serve that purpose when it’s time to recheck what truly matters. I don’t want to write about the life of couples after the wedding day because the only thing I know is what happened on the day they chose to marry—and when I was their photographer.

• Because of that, my harvest of wedding photographs must be as true as possible. I stick to what’s offered to me in the moments that the characters of the story hand over, staying as faithful as possible to them, with the taste and possibilities my lenses and cameras allow to make it visually beautiful without ever betraying the truth that must be there.

That truth is what I will always seek on your wedding day, through my lenses. Come and see the many photographs I have to show you. Book a meeting, and I will welcome you with great pleasure.

• You can see a full wedding story: