Why I love this image…
It’s time for part 4 in my new series of blog posts where I pick one of my favourite documentary wedding photos from each wedding this year. I took this image just round the corner from the very charming Great John Street Hotel in Manchester city centre. This particular photo gives you an idea of how I approach the more formal “couple shots” on the day.
I’d say that over 95% of my photography style is based purely on observation rather than orchestration. It is very rare that I will set anything up for a particular shot, and during the part of the day where I take some time to photograph the couple on their own, I try and make sure a minimum of intervention is required from myself.
Shooting a city centre wedding has it’s challenges as you usually have to work a little harder to find locations suitable for the couple shots. If you look hard enough there are always areas within the urban landscape that make for interesting backdrops; and they don’t all have to be conventionally beautiful as this photo demonstrates, with Amy & Mark stood in front of some grey ventilation slats from a multi-story car park adjacent to the Great John Street Hotel.
I love the striking parallel lines, and given that the slats are a neutral grey colour, this means the bride & groom really stand out from their surroundings. I shot this image from the other side of the road to give the couple some privacy, I asked Amy & Mark to stand close together, left them to it and continued snapping away while they smiled and laughed with each other, obviously still on a high from the fact that they were married about 30 minutes earlier. It’s one of my favourite images from their brilliant Manchester city centre wedding.
You can see the rest of the images in the series in my blog archives. Thank you so much for all your ongoing support, I genuinely appreciate it.
Peace is free
Steve x
Image is © Steve Grogan Photography.
