Behind The Frame: The Decisive Moment

I love a good action shot.  Horah’s and first dances are some of my favorite moments to shoot because they’re so full of emotion that you often get some of the most memorable and frame-worthy moments of the day.  There’s so much I love about this photo it’s hard for me to find where to begin!  The bride happens to be a good friend so I take extra joy in the scream on her face and the joy in her husbands, but there are also some technical elements that I love about this photo.  During the horah I was shooting both film and digital and this was shot on my Contax 645 with Ilford 3200, which creates the beautiful grain, but there was still a good amount of daylight so it’s not as crispy as 3200 gets later in the night when I bring out my video light.  I shot a few dozen digitals and probably 6 or 7 film, but this image was clearly the winner.  This is an example when it can be helpful to take a few extra photos, but then be decisive in the editing process.  During the horah everything is moving so quickly if you try and only take one shot you may end up missing it so take a few and then in editing you can find the perfect moment.  During the horah I will often stand on top of a chair towards the edge of the dance floor so I’m not shooting up on the couple and my perspective is more equal to them.  I love being able to see just the tops of people’s heads bobbing around, giving some perspective and context, and I really love the one hand supporting the grooms leg, which is just a sweet detail to me.