First, I try not to repeat what the pro photographers are taking. No pre-wedding bride/groom images, no altar returns, and finally, what most people don't do, no bride coming down the aisle. Now pro photographers need to focus on the bride. The wedding is all about her, and many times she or her family are paying for the tab. Bad news if the pro(s) didn't center on her--and the print/image sales would be decimated.
However, what do I concentrate on, as a family member? How about the groom, you know the "other" person who needs to wait while all the attention of the entire congregation, photographers and minister(s) focuses on the bride. There is a lot of emotion and feelings on the other end, but almost nobody notices. Except me. I've done this for quite a few weddings, and the grooms usually do not notice, until they see the pictures--and can then express what they were feeling at that time. Many grooms have complimented me that I did not ignore them.
The most important aspect for shooting the groom is the angle from which you take the shot. Trust me, nobody's going to squeeze you out of these angles. Just pick and choose. And wait. My angle was the first row of the Church on right-hand side.
In this typical wedding, the groom and his troupe came out at the beginning of the service and waited just outside the sanctuary.
This is when the full weight of the decision to marry becomes evident to him. That's when I start shooting. Oh yes, nobody's looking at him, not even the video camera & pro telephotos notice him. All the P&S cameras focus on the bride and her radiant, beaming face. So I missed her coming down the aisle--there would be 10,000 pictures of her coming down the aisle, so I figure what would be one more from me?
But for the groom, nobody took much of a picture of Steve.
As he explained right after the service, he struggled to get hold of his emotions, with his eyes swelling up, "trying not to lose it." He wiped his moist eyes multiple times, so I made sure I got at least one photo of his hand on his eyes (no hankie for him).
What do you see in the rest of the pictures, with his eyes?
Do you see the changes in his eyes as his bride reaches the santuary,
and he hurries to greet her and hold her and express his love to her by holding her hand to lead her to the altar.
Perhaps these weren't the most resplendent pictures of the wedding, but for at least Steve, he wasn't forgotten on his bride's long walk down the aisle. All in about 40 seconds.
BTW, all available light, as the Church rules specified no flashes.
