Being from the midwest I love a great barn wedding with that rustic feel from the building to the decor and the beautiful grounds are the icing on the cake. As a wedding photographer, I often have to be creative in how I can use a location and that challenge excites me because after 12 years of wedding photography that is part of the fun. When you get an amazing venue like Shenandoah Mill where everywhere you turn there is another amazing background it can seem like a photographer's dream but I always want to think beyond the hundreds of photographers who had visited before me and create breathtaking wedding photos that stand out among the rest.
For instance:
This set of two images, while beautiful, would be an easy approach. The shaded canopy, leading lines of the sidewalk, framing of the scene around the couple, clean focus to isolate the couple from the background, and crisp colors of greenery. All great compositional elements any photographer would look for and should. That's why I include these shots for sure!
There is nothing wrong with these photos and I would be proud to deliver these to a couple following their wedding day. I was proud to deliver these! What if I could see things just a bit differently and elevate the overall feel of the same scene? Many photographers are so worried about getting enough of the "right shots" for a couple... This is where experience comes into play. You see, the above images are a given in my book. This gives me the freedom to go beyond and capture a wedding photo or two that take your venue to a whole new level!
Now, this same background becomes an oasis of beauty isolating the newlyweds in their own fairytale wedding moment.
Wedding photographers are easy to find, heck, good wedding photographers are easy to find. However, the reason I stand out is for these are not easy-to-obtain moments. The slightly adjusted pose, the simple things from the posture of her knee, the lean into not quite a dip, his passionate embrace, a slight change in the light, and getting the perfect angle to tell a wedding day story in one image.
I have an interest in telling a much larger story and using many more than just a few pictures to do so. I will leave you with this...
After having photographed over 450 weddings I have learned a lot and I love what I do, so I continue to learn. Some people think rustic barn wedding photography has the same ol' look but maybe I can share how I work to give you the confidence that the "given shots" are remarkable in themselves and I am expecting more from myself because your wedding deserves the best I have to offer.
Here are a few more from what was a beautiful barn wedding reminding me of a life I once knew back in Illinois.