Why I Love This Sussex Wedding Photo
Yes, it’s that moment, just before Steph arrived for their ceremony, you can see her in the background as she enters the ceremony barn at Farbridge in West Sussex. Doug had been waiting there for a while and was feeling the tension! If ever there is a moment that epitomises all that goes into a wedding it has to be this one.
I love this moment, I will have been taking photos at the wedding for some time already, and will have got shots of both the bride and the groom. At this moment, depending on the location, I will usually have on a 35mm lens and want to catch both the groom’s reaction to the wait, as well as his reaction to his bride coming into the ceremony room.
Farbridge Barns West Sussex
Steph and Doug’s wedding was at Farbridge Barns. Steph was getting ready in the huge and beautiful honeymoon suite with all her bridesmaids and some family. Doug was getting ready with his best man in one of the guest rooms. As a result, I was able to move between them getting lots of images of each of them getting ready.
The Lead up to the Wedding Ceremony
Once Doug was in the ceremony room, he settled in, talking to family and friends while they waited for the wedding ceremony to begin. After the registrars had been to talk to Steph and had come into the ceremony room, silence fell. By this point Doug had been getting ready and sorting himself out for the ceremony for several hours. Now the moment had come and Steph was in the main part of the barn waiting to come through to the ceremony after her bridesmaids had walked down the aisle.
At this point there is nothing in between Doug and the ceremony, there are no distractions, just the last few silent moments before Steph comes in. This is when the tension is highest and when you see grooms react in a number of different ways. Some are cool and use the time to reflect on what is about to happen. Some use the time to chat to their best man or family beside them. Doug clearly felt very emotional at this point and as with most grooms, wanted his bride next to him as quickly as possible.
Photographing the Moment
I shot a series of images of this moment, but this particular shot is the most poignant in my opinion. It’s also the one that I love most. Partly because of Doug’s reaction, but also because I could see from the way they were when I met them before their wedding, just how much in love they are. I could see Doug couldn’t wait to marry Steph. It’s rare to see such emotion on show, weddings are one of the few places I will see this kind of emotion and it is why I love being a Sussex wedding photographer and enjoyed photographing Steph and Doug’s wedding so much.
How I Shot this Wedding Photograph
After I had photographed Steph coming over to the main barn at Farbridge, I moved quickly into the ceremony barn to the position I had scouted out earlier ready to photograph Doug waiting, and also to catch Steph entering the room in the background. I had two cameras on me at the time. One with a 35mm lens on and one with a telephoto lens that I would swap to when I wanted to take the focus off Doug and capture Steph coming down the aisle.
I had the depth of field on the 35mm lens set so you can see Steph coming into the room in the background, but I wanted her out of focus so our attention would be very much on Doug, at least initially when we look at the image.
My Camera Settings
Camera – Fuji XT3
Lens – 35mm equivalent
Shutter speed – 1/200 sec
Aperture – f/2
ISO – 6400
Here’s a link to some more blog posts from weddings at Farbridge, as well as some information about Farbridge itself. Also some information on barn weddings and weddings in Sussex.
