Hello again! It's time for another blog post!! Just to give you a quick recap from last week, Dan and I are starting a weekly blog series where we choose one of our favorite images to discuss. Please feel free to comment with any of your thoughts. This week I chose a beautiful black and white bridal portrait as one of my favorites. It came from a Trash-the-Dress session last October. While it was a beautiful Fall day, it was pretty chilly out. Miss Rachael was a champ though. She eagerly went into the water and didn't complain at all! The images we captured were stunning, all because of her vision and her willingness to have a little fun! Check us out on the right, BEFORE we went in the water! Can you tell I do not own fishing waders!? The groom generously let me borrow his.  They might be a little big, but they got the job done (minus a small leak in the left leg, but hey, it was totally worth getting a little wet)! :P 

<< This is a photograph that stops me in my tracks, and makes me think about the meaning behind it.  Rachael rocked this session because despite wading through the cold water, pulling a 10 foot long wet veil, fighting the current and walking on slippery/sharp rocks, she makes it look effortless. Even with all this going on, she looks so serene and graceful. It's mysterious and intriguing. I can't help but to wonder what she is thinking about. I'd like to think that as she looks back to pull her veil she notices her ring and remembers her wedding day, which makes her smile. But, I think that's up to everyone's own interpretation. 

This photo is really beautiful in color, but I think it was meant to be in viewed in black and white. Sometimes color can distract from the meaning of an image. Instead of focusing on the bright oranges and yellows originally in this photograph, my eyes, go straight to her gaze and then follows her gaze to her left hand, which then follows the veil to the ripples in the water. There is really easy movement in this image.

I also really like the texture and crispness of the ripples around her. They fade to a nice bokeh around her face. I purposely used the 70-200mm lens to pull in the background around her. We were shooting in the afternoon so there was plenty of light coming through the trees. The long lens softens the light and creates a nice glow around her and eliminates distractions. 

It's not everyday you have a client that wants a fine art session, but we really enjoyed it, and we LOVE the turnout!

Dana Walsh
Professional Wedding Photographer
Guys and Dolls Photography
989-772-2167