This is the first of my Image of the Week posts, which I hope will build into an interesting series of photographs.
I took this image at Kate and Dan’s wedding, outside the church at New Milton, a stone’s throw from the sea near the New Forest in Hampshire. This was in bright sunshine, and everyone was outside the church congratulating the couple after their ceremony. It’s a lovely time of the day, one of the big hurdles is out of the way (speeches yet to come!) and everybody is relaxed and happy.
I had my workhorse lens on the camera, my 24-70mm f2.8, and this image was shot wide open at f2.8 to separate the subject from the background by minimising the depth of field. The shutter speed was 1/8000 and the ISO was 200, and the zoom lens was at about 50mm. I was wandering around watching and discretely recording the interaction between the guests.
The bride’s grandmother is hugging Dan, and over his shoulder you can see her daughter looking on in approval. Dan was part of the family for many years before he popped the question, so all the family were delighted for the couple. The composition works with the main subject almost centred in the frame (this is un-cropped, by the way) with Dan’s mother-in-law on the right balancing the guest on the left side of the shot, and the strong V shape of Dan’s bent arm links these two figures, adding more structure. The curves of the two hats also links the two women.
Every wedding is full of significant moments, and this is an emotional and joyous acceptance of Dan into the family by his new wife’s grandmother.
