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Showing the cause and effect often yields great storytelling in an image. Here, each half of the story is presented in its own frame—
the bride shown framed in a mirror and her misty-eyed father subtly framed by the artwork behind him.
As their gazes connect across the image, we find ourselves invested in the emotional narrative.
– from the Editors of Fearless Photographers
Fearless photographers is a group of the very best wedding photographers from around the world, I’ve been a member of Fearless since January 2016. I don’t normally enter photography awards as many of them are little more than popularity contests where others vote for the winning image. Fearless is different as the competition is judged by a panel of photographers and competition is extremely tough as the world’s best wedding photographers all enter images. I was absolutely delighted to win an award for this image.
As a documentary wedding photographer I’m always on the look out for photographs that tell a story as well as being aesthetically pleasing. I had stood outside the bride’s dressing room with her father waiting for her to get dressed, when we were called in and her father saw his daughter as a bride for the first time he was overcome with emotion. I had a fraction of a second to compose the image using the mirror and frame before the moment was lost. This is what I love about documentary wedding photography, I have no idea what will happen in front of my lens and I never know when I am going to get an image that wins awards. I never set up any of the elements in my photographs, it was a combination of luck and skill that came together for this photograph and I know I will never capture this same shot again.