Chenzo Photo Blog :: Wedding Photographer from Denver, CO: February 2010

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Wedding Favorites of 2009: Image of the Year

2009 was a formative year for me as a photographer. I traveled all around Colorado to document weddings of all kinds. Some traditional, some modern, some in mountain resorts, some in city churches, some serious, some pretty wacky, all of them lots of fun! I've managed to eek out an emerging network of new friends and new vendors to work with. I am getting referrals and requests from wild places. My brides rule.

I chose this image as my favorite of 2009 not because it's the most technically polished, or even the most awe-inspiring, but because of what brought me to even click the shutter button at that particular moment.

This is in between posed portraits, and I was leading the bride outside the church for her some portraits before the ceremony. I just clicked away while I was walking backwards because I thought she looked pretty sweet as a silhouette in front of her sister, who was carrying the train.

I think the bride is looking back to answer a question or something, I don't remember. Thankfully my camera settings allowed a pretty sharp picture. And the elements in the composition managed to convey an emotion. As photographers, our goal for an image is to tell a story of a precise moment, no matter how mundane or how divine.

While I *maybe* could have set up this pose if I thought about it, I don't think it would have come out as spontaneous and as in-the-moment as this. And while I try not to resort to a "spray and pray" style of shooting, I do relish in those quick moments where I don't even expect anything but I see a possible good image, and sometimes all the elements harmonize and I get a peek into what photography is really capable of.

Plus, Heather looks absolutely fabulous. Heather you're just mahvelous, simply mahvelous.