“My good friend David Anthony Williams recently wrote to me with the following thought:
:Who do we actually photograph a wedding for?  The participants? Not really.  We record these events for those that weren’t there or those yet to come.  It is to leave something tangible for those the couple love.”

This quote is taken from the opening pages of  Wedding Photography A Guide To Posing

I tried to go on reading beyond this quote, but I kept drifting back to it. Reading and rereading.  Letting all the subtleties of the message ignite a new awareness in my mind.   In honesty I have more than once told a bride their wedding photos would me so much to their children and grandchildren, but never really giving total thought to why I’d say that.  David’s quote crystallized in my heart.

I have put a link to David’s website above.  He is an incredible photographer and educator.  I cannot possibly capture a decent description of him in one sentence, paragraph, or blog post for that matter.  If you are a photographer you owe it to yourself to take one of his seminars… Almost Alone with David Anthony Williams.  Your photography and your life will change in those three days.

In the very same book I ran into the author saying there was usually a copy of Vogue in plain view during the interview with the possible new clients.  Time is needed to create the beautiful cover of each issue… as much as a four hour session and hundreds upon hundreds of images.   It is important for wedding couples to realize the need to leave time for their photographer to have some special quality time with the bride and groom.    Let it be food for thought if you are reading this.

In a recent interview with a couple I found myself trying to secure two 15 minute sessions during the reception when there was no demand on their time.  The groom’s position was he wanted to be with family and friends and didn’t see the need for time away.  This same groom expressed over and over his desire for intimate, personal, romantic images of him and his bride.   The couple’s wishes will always win out, but it should always be remembered………you cannot have it both ways.  You allow time for us to create………..or…… you don’t get some of the magical photos you saw on photographer websites when you were searching for your own photographer.

You, the photographer, time, and the location all go together to create the magic.  So!  With David William’s quote above, what are we creating and leaving for the ones that were not there and the ones to view them in the future?   There is so much to capture with endless possibilities.

This couple moved their formals outside to Rivermont giving us more than an hour to capture these and many others around the grounds.  They followed it up with a picnic for everyone.  The formal shots in the church were exactly 5 shots.