.png)
9th July 2022
Wow. This was the first word that Nathan said to me when he got home from shooting a dawn until end of party personalised package shoot for Cinzia and Armindo on a gorgeous sunny day in July. This wedding was the definition of a celebration; a celebration of love - but also a celebration of family and of community - and Nathan returned from the day feeling truly privileged to have been part of it.
The morning preparations were lively; busy and full of anticipation. Nathan was welcomed in by the couple's lovely children who made him feel right at home, and then it was a case of capturing the shots whilst staying out of the way of the busy preparations - what we call our "ghost ninja skill"!
As wedding photographers; a big part of our job is being open to listen & learn - every wedding is different and the meanings that we attach to the celebration of marriage can vary greatly between individuals and whole communities. We've photographed many different religious ceremonies, and this one was a particularly beautiful one - the culmination of faith, joy & love coming together in one space and being expressed through prayer, song & the spoken word made for a highly emotive experience - and an opportunity for Nathan to capture a very specific atmosphere and set of emotions, on camera to lock them in time.
Roundhay Park in Leeds made a stunning backdrop to the couple's private photographs after the ceremony - aided by wall to wall blue skies. We chose a colour grade for these photographs that emulated the sandy hues in Cinzia's floral choices for her day and muted the greens to match the eucalyptus that ran through her bouquet. We don't ask couple's to do anything their uncomfortable with in front of the camera; and its clear that Cinzia and Armindo are completely at ease in each others company in these photos - they're having a whale of a time - and so was Nathan photographing them!
We recently got asked if there were photos of groups that we've photographed at weddings, and it was an excellent question! The truth is that we tend not to share too many family and group shots online because we're not able to ask every single guest how they'd feel about being shared, so we hand pick slightly smaller group photos for the blog instead - unless we know that there's a group of people who are comfortable with being online. Cinzia and Armindo's photos with their groomsmen and bridesmaids are so striking - just look at those outfits! I don't know if they planned for the weather & the foliage to compliment their dresses, ties and suits quite as well as they did - but this colour scheme is just a dream!
There's a reason we're flexible about our finish time and don't charge a 'late fee' if we get away slightly later than expected - and that's because sometimes the best shots are the ones we get once everyone's relaxed and having fun in the evening! Cinzia and Armindo's party was the definition of a good time and every single photo that Nathan captured once the reception started was overflowing with smiles, laughter and dancing! We wish we could bottle this energy for those winter Monday mornings that we know are on the way...but for now, we've got these photos to look back on! We hope that Cinzia and Armindo can enjoy looking back on these photos which they recieved digitally, printed and displayed in a personalised linen-covered photo album, as much as we do.
