Reportage Wedding Photography is a term used by nearly every wedding photographer these days. But what is reportage wedding photography? To some it’s candid shots of guests mingling. To others it’s a series a close up faces, photographed with a long lens through a crowd and then converted to black and white. To me, reportage wedding photography is so much more than that. It is storytelling wedding photography, observed and unobtrusive. Reportage wedding photography should capture the essence of the day. This shot from a recent wedding in London does just that.

Following the ceremony, the bride and groom mentioned they would like to spend 15 minutes or so away from their guests just wandering the local streets of London, enjoying their time together as husband and wife. And they asked me to join them. I could have chosen to pose the couple in all manner of ways while they were walking, but this isn’t what they wanted, and it isn’t really what I do. Instead, I just followed them around, capturing wonderfully real moments; the little looks and smiles to each other, the passers-by who stopped to stare, and the odd little kiss that the couple shared. As they were walking down Exmouth Market, I ran ahead and positioned myself in a discreet and inconspicuous place. When I saw this shot unfolding I quickly took the picture and then moved on. I like the framing here with layers that add to the story and especially the way that both the bride and groom are lost in their own little worlds, for just the briefest of moments. Whatever they were thinking about at this precise moment only they can say but nonetheless, to me, it’s a lovely storytelling image.

Shot on a Canon 5D mk2 with 50mm f/1.2L, Aperture Priority Exposure Mode, 2/3EV, 1/400 sec, f/2.8, 400 ISO.