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Capturing emotion – The power of storytelling in wedding photography

It’s the way I approach my wedding photography and the reason I do this job. Capturing emotion is a key part of documentary photography. And with that comes storytelling. The two combined give you a set of images that you will come back to year after year to relive your special day. Storytelling is crucial as it adds depth and meaning to an image. A wedding day that is not just about you and your partner (unless you are eloping) but celebrating and partying with all your favourite people. As most couples say, that doesn’t happen every day and it should be recorded and cherished. So how do I go about this? What do I get excited about photographing on the day?

  • bride and groom kiss their son
  • Bride giving young girl a big hug under umbrella Lewes wedding.
  • Bride overcome with emotion with husband Chelsea wedding.
  • close shot of bride and groom.
  • Back shot of groom gently stroking bride's back Chelsea wedding.
  • Bride embracing father for a hug after he walked her down the aisle Chelsea wedding.
  • Bride and groom hugging.
  • Bride and woman - B&W.
  • grandmother giving grandson a hug during ceremony at highley manor
  • groom and bride on mandap at firle place holding hands
  • bride and groom checking out his cufflinks london wedding
  • bride and groom with champagne glasses looking happy hampshire wedding
  • bride hugging her best friend smiling
  • best man and grandmother mopping away tears
  • bride with arm around brother as she arrives at mandap at firle place
  • bride with arms in air laughing dancing with groom

The day as it unfolds

I look forward to guests arriving and capturing the excitement and hugs. I look forward to any first looks (that happen naturally!) between a couple and close family members, I look forward to the couple seeing each other for the first time, the unexpected giggles during the ceremony, the quiet hugs, the silent tears, a gentle touch… old and young coming together for what might never happen again. I look forward to the belly laughs during the speeches, and the inhibitions disappearing as the dance floor gets going. It’s all there right in front of me and intuition will lead me to these exchanges.

Reading the cues

Capturing people’s emotions is what you’re going to love looking back on when looking at your photos. And ideally you should be looking at those photos in an album – why? Check out why here.

So I am constantly on the look out and empathy plays a huge role. Watching people, getting a feel for what’s going on, being guided by the cues…emotion is what drives me as a creative. I get that even if an image is not technically perfect, it could still be a perfect image to you and your partner. And what’s I am there to do. Create core memories that last forever.

Visual storytelling through photography is an absolute passion and not just when it comes to weddings. If you’ve navigated through my site you will now know travel (especially in Africa) is a huge passion of mine too. It’s where I get inspired – a few recent favourite African photojournalistic stories can be found here.