People always talk about mother and bride and the special relationship they have. While it is true that there is always a close bond between mom and daughter, the father and groom relationship is also worth mentioning. Their close bond is also very important to record in pictures. In the photo above the groom is helping his dad with his flower and they are sharing a nice moment. Good documentary photography captures moments and gives us an emotional response when viewed. We always try to focus on the bride and groom's interaction with their parents. A marriage represents a change in people's lives which often can be hard for the parents to deal with. You see your children grow up and get married and leave your home and that can create some emotional moments. These moments can be bittersweet, but it is our duty to record them on film. So whenever I cover a wedding I always carefully watch all the interactions involving moms and dads because that's where some of the best emotions emerge. San Francisco City Hall gives us a nice environment to take these types of photos just before and after the ceremony.
The image above was taken just after the “first look”. The couple was still getting ready for the actual ceremony and so emotions were high. When I think about all the typical pictures I do prior to a wedding ceremony, the father and the groom are probably the ones that most people don't think about. However, this photo works for many reasons and I think you can see the connection between dad and groom. City Hall weddings don't always provide us with these opportunities because many of our couples are eloping. When we actually get the chance to work with family and friends, it provides us with more opportunities to capture more emotion and take true candid images. We offer "first look" coverage for any of our couples that want it. It usually involves booking our City Hall PLUS package at a minimum to have enough time to record it all.
