Behind The Frame: Gone With The Veil

I love playing around with a cathedral length veil in wedding photos.  I’ll often drape them over the bride and the groom, spread the veil on the ground creating a train, or send them flying like this shot to give them a little motion.  This wedding was at a beautiful barn in the Hudson Valley and we were taking portraits next to the horse paddock, which created this gorgeous dark leading line from the back left of the frame to the front right.  There was a bit of a breeze lifting the veil into the air along that same dominant line.  When it blew backwards it actually got a little lost in the composition so I had my second shooter hold the veil straight out and then drop it as she darted out of the frame so we could have the gentle effect of the veil blowing in the wind.  This is a trick I use all the time to create movement in the photo.  If this were a wider shot, you’d see my second shooter and/or assistant to the left darting backwards.