Tina and I were fortunate enough recently to photograph Erik and Nikole’s wedding in Southampton, Bermuda. To say it was ridiculously beautiful would be something of an understatement! For the sunset shot above we left the party for a few minutes as the skies turned to orange, and took these in the last remaining light.
Black and white with a high key style for this brief moment of chill in the morning. Truth be told, the whole day was very calm for a wedding; that tends to be the case with the second time! More fun, less stress. Better hair.
I mostly just hang out in the room for a little while with these shots. I can be surprisingly unobtrusive for a 6’5 human, so you can just let the moments happen.
I love doing first looks. I’m not sure if it’ll continue as a trend, though I hope it does because it generally makes the rest of the day flow much better for both the bride and groom and their guests. This was taken with the Sigma 135 1.8, which let me stay a significant distance away from Erik and Nikole while they enjoyed the moment. The look says it all.
Also, you can’t see from this shot, but they’re standing on the edge of a grassy lawn with deep blue Bermuda water off to the right. Beautiful. And still a British colony, which I didn’t know until we landed there and they had a portrait of the Queen in the customs area! Bonkers. And the accent there is a kind of playful mix between super-posh British and… I guess Caribbean? Either way it’s brilliant, musical and great to listen to.
They did a lot of little touches like this. It’s really a joy to be able to capture the details as well as the big moments. Note to anyone ‘hosting’ a destination wedding in the future - supplying a goodie bag of food so your guests don’t have to use the expensive hotel mini-bar is a genius idea, and much appreciated!
Man, I love this shot. I love the empty space and the creamy smoothness that draws your eyes around it - it’s actually a defocused pillow! - before leaving you in the focal center and those beautiful rings. If it was just filled with the rings it wouldn’t be half as captivating.
Yes, yes, yes. I lurked on the far side of the dance floor when the sun was low, just waiting for shots like this. Erik and Nikole center stage with that lovely backlighting and flare, wedding guests dancing all around them, and that amazing sky. I definitely recommend getting married in Bermuda, if you can swing it!
I have to end with this one just for the cool factor of Erik casually flinging his sunglasses out of the frame, or trying to! It’s the chance shots that you don’t see until you go through the images later that are often the most unique and fun.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed your tea. More to come.