Woodinville Wedding Photographer: Document, Don’t Direct
A few years ago when I was just starting out I photographed a wedding where the bride and groom opted for a “walking up the aisle” first look, having been separate the entire morning. I was standing in the aisle with an 85mm lens locked onto the groom to catch his reaction. Right as the bride rounded the corner and he saw her for the first time, the groom’s mother stood up directly into my eye-line blocking the shot.
On that day I panicked, stopped shooting, and started waving at the mother to sit down, which of course drew the eyeballs of several people (including the groom). Of course the couple were happy with the photos and I had managed to get one shot of his reaction before my view was obscured. But in retrospect, I had exactly the wrong reaction. I was too worried about control and not about the moment.
Flash forward to this photo, taken in 2024. as Daniel and Taylor kissed for the first time as Husband and wife during their Persian wedding ceremony at Willows Lodge, the groom’s mother stood up to come around to the bride’s side as part of the ceremony. This time I didn’t stop shooting as the groom’s mother crossed into frame and looked right down the barrel of my Leica Q3, realizing in that instant she was stepping into the shot.
I love this photo because it represents to me a growth point in my documentary wedding photography journey. For me and my style, trying to direct or overly control the scene never makes a better photo. Previously, when I saw my photo being interrupted and I felt control of that moment slipping, I tried to direct what was happening and in doing so probably detracted from the moment.
Now I don’t see my role as directing. I’ve given up control. Sometimes a planner, or a parent, or a DJ/Emcee will suddenly turn to me and say “what should they do?” looking for me to direct some element of the day. Usually my response is “whatever they would do if I wasn’t here”. My role is to document, not direct.
So when the mother of the groom accidentally walks into frame I don’t panic, I just keep shooting. It happened, so it happened. Is this a photo they are going to hang on the wall? Probably not. They may not have even thought much of it on their initial look at the gallery.
But, 5, 10, 15, 20 years later, when they look at that photo they are going to laugh. Tell their kids about Grandma. That’s the long game and that’s the game I want to play. Not what looks good on instagram tomorrow, but what will make your kids pause as they flip through the gallery in the distant future.
Even when I “pose”, my directions are usually, “hold hands over there” or “hug over there” (I find often in giving vague direction the process of people trying to figure it out often makes the best photos).
I have dozens and dozens of photos of the bride and groom’s first kiss. I have dozens and dozens of photos of the groom’s reaction to seeing the bride walk up the aisle. But I only have one photo of mom accidentally walking into frame during the kiss.
Woodinville Wedding Photographer: Sample PhotoFilm at Willows Lodge
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