Confidence + Practice = Success

From the off, let me be clear, I’m no golfer. I wouldn’t know one end of a club from another. But Gary Player’s words seem more than apt when it comes to being in the right place, at the right time to capture moments like this - as a flower girl goes for a wander while the vicar gives a wedding blessing.

I remember having a conversation with an established wedding photographer, way back when I first started shooting in 2008. Commenting on his uncanny ability to consistently capture spontaneous moments, his response was simple ‘practice and repetition dear boy, practice and repetition’. I’ve thought about his words often over the years and they’ve become something of a personal mantra. However, what I came to notice is that whilst the number of ‘Yes, I just captured something wonderful!’ moments did increase, the biggest difference was in the overall quality of images. As skill and experience are gained, confidence increases which ultimately leads to more success - a virtuous circle and something I now pass on to other photographers starting their own careers.

A note about this image. There’s a lovely personal connection in this image - I photographed Florence the flower-girl’s parents wedding last year and Harriet, her mum, is the sister of the bride pictured here. Flo is something of an independent soul and I’d seen she was looking restless in the church. Something told me there might be an opportunity for a photo so when she stepped into the aisle I was ready take the shot. Kneeling to change viewpoint, shift perspective and make use the leading lines created by the pews helps draw the eye to her. Shooting at the widest aperture possible on my lens creates a shallow depth of field and separation from the background.

Thanks for looking at this Talking Pictures post - if you’ve enjoyed it, why not see others in the series which dig a little deeper into a single image and the thinking behind it.