Y’all!! Lindsay and Jess have been married a freaking YEAR!
And to celebrate?! I thought I’d share with y’all how I photographed their rooftop first look!
Even when you’re used to them, first looks can be a little intimidating to shoot. You want to be in the right spot at the right time to get the best expressions and reactions but you also want to tell the story by showing the environment and you don’t want to ruin the moment by being too close to the bride and groom (ha!) and you really, really don’t want to miss anything. So! When Lindsay and Jess had their first look on a rooftop overlooking Little Rock? I had Andrew move some furniture so we had a clear path for Lindsay to walk, attached my trusty 35L to my camera, took a big step back and made a decision: I wanted to see both Lindsay and Jess but, since we were on a rooftop patio, I also wanted to see the building and the city in the final photographs. If I had taken a step closer to Lindsay and Jess, the city would not have been included in the final photograph. If I had taken a step (or two!) father back, the photograph would have been much more chaotic: the frame would have included patio furniture, an overwhelming amount of the city, and the chaos in the frame would have eclipsed Jess’ expressions when he saw Lindsay making it so that the viewer may not be 100% sure where to look the first time they saw the photograph.
Also! I totally didn’t think of this while I was shooting but, for me, one of the reasons this photograph works is the color: Lindsay’s white dress, the white building, the delicate white trim of the patio, and the sunlight all create a really neutral palette. Jess’ blue suit totally pops in this environment and, taking it to the next level, the green of the tree is super similar to the green in Jess’ boutonniere and, as a result, these photographs blend color with emotion really, really well – since Jess is wearing the biggest pop of color in these, the viewer is automatically drawn to him before his expressions even registers. And when you see his amazing reaction to his soon-t0-be-wife’s wedding day look, you can’t help but grin huge!! These two are such a golden, fun loving couple and their wedding was a dream! Love these!!
And one more tip! When you shoot a first look, KEEP SHOOTING! It can be easy to put your camera down after the first moment or two the groom sees the bride (or the bride sees the groom or the bride sees the bride or the groom sees the groom!) but so many of my favorite moments happen right after the first look – photograph them, y’all! This is such a wonderful part of wedding days so have fun with it and don’t be afraid to move until you’ve got the frame just right!
Weddings | Engagements | Seniors | Families | Personal
Read More From This Wedding Series Here!
