Why I love this image…
I love photographing children at weddings. Naturally, younger children are free from the shackles of self-consciousness, and observing & capturing their playful behaviour during a wedding is a delight. In this new series of blog posts I’ll be telling the story behind some of my favourite wedding images from this year.
On Friday I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Kathryn & Stu at the stunning 18th century manor house, Bartle Hall in Preston, Lancashire. As a documentary wedding photographer many of my images are taken in between the traditional “key moments” of a wedding day such as the ceremony, speeches and the first dance. This is where people are more off-guard and relaxed, so I enjoy observing the guests interacting with each other as these often provide me with the moments that I’m looking to capture as part of my natural style.
Shortly after the ceremony I popped outside to pick up a couple of umbrellas from my car to use during the photographing of Kathryn & Stu; it had been raining for a while but I was keen to get the newlyweds outside for a few minutes, if it rains on your wedding day then I truly believe some of the images should document this, it’s part of the story after all.
You know when you get that feeling that you’re being watched? Well this is how I felt just before I took this photograph. On my way back from my car I had the strange feeling that someone was watching me, a quick glance over my shoulder confirmed this to be true as I saw these two adorable children watching me through the window. The little boy is Kathryn & Stu’s 3 year old son & the little girl is their niece, if my memory serves me right.
My instincts kicked in and I quickly took the photograph before they both ran off to play elsewhere. I love this photo, it pretty much sums up the innocence and playfulness of childhood. I love the little patches of mist from their breath on the windows, I love the way the white window frames both the children, it provides a visually pleasing symmetry. The white window frame and the windowsill kind of reminds me of those old Polaroid photographs. I converted the RAW image into black & white as I felt this helped to tone down some of the distracting elements such as the patterned sofa behind the little girl.
It’s only a simple moment from a playful childhood, but I hope it will be an image that the parents will love for years to come.
Thank you to my couples who put their trust in me and allow me to capture moments like this. I think I have the best job in the world.
Steve x
Image is © Steve Grogan Photography.
You are right Steve I absolutely love this picture, you have captured our terrible duo perfectly. From the photo’s I have seen already you captured the day beautifully and cannot wait to see the rest. Xx
Thank you so much, Michelle. It was lovely to meet you on Friday. 🙂