Photographing the entrance of the bride at the wedding ceremony is always an important moment in the working day of any wedding photographer. The emotions a bride feels at this moments are ones she will feel forever, and so the opportunity to take a shot which will transport her straight back to that moment is one that mustn't be missed.
However, the entrances to churches are often dark, badly lit and have enormously bright backlight from the daylight coming in from outside, so being able to get a well balanced shot like this can be tricky. It's just one of the things which makes being a wedding photographer a challenging role.
Can you spot what makes this one of my favourite 'moment before the ceremony' wedding shots? Well, aside from the fact that the bride is looking at her father with such delight, as he prepares to walk her down the aisle to her husband to be, there's a little bit of humour in the shot which makes it a winner in my book! Yes - it's the sign to the left of the image which states 'please give generously' - a little message to the father of the bride, perhaps, as he prepares to give away his daughter? Of course, the sign is really for the collection box, but it adds a little amusing irony that gives the image a little extra dimension.
There's a bond between fathers and daughters that's particularly special, and it's something that's so important to be able to document on a bride's wedding day. It's just one of the reasons why I love the job that I do.
For the record; this was photographed at a beautiful wedding day in Devon - at St Brannock's Church in Braunton. Although I'm based in Dorset, I regularly photograph weddings all over the South and South West of England - and further afield, too.
