Megan and Tim really lucked out on their wedding day. While their ceremony and reception were indoors at The Sunset Room on National Harbor in Washington DC, all of the portraits were scheduled to be outside. It was supposed to rain all day long and while it was on and off misting, we had gorgeous soft light outside and the storm clouds were wonderfully romantic. We somehow made it through all of portraits outside with no torrential down pour!
In addition to the weather holding out on us, Megan and Tim were also willing to indulge me in this interesting shot I had envisioned. It was a lot of work for one single photo but that singular photo is one of my favorite wedding images I have ever taken.
Behind the scenes, this was the work that went into their magical Ferris wheel photo: We put Megan, Tim, and my assistant on the Capital Wheel at National Harbor. I photographed the bride and groom riding in the ferris wheel while I was standing on the ground using off camera flash (a wireless light). My assistant was hidden in the ferris wheel cabin with the couple, holding a flash on their faces. Using off camera flash allowed me to darken the exposure on the photo, bringing out the beautiful dusky blue sky that was dark and glowing. I was fully prepared for the inevitable challenges of completing this image. I had my phone on speaker talking to everyone in that ferris wheel cabin, directing the photo from afar. It was complicated and sometimes comical trying to hide my assistant, get the assistant to light them properly, get the couple in the right pose, in addition to taking the photo when the ferris wheel had turned just to the right spot. The whole thing took about half hour and what felt like a million spins of the wheel but it was so worth the effort.
The challenging ferris wheel photo ended up winning a Fearless Photographer’s award as well as a World’s Best Weddings Award. Thanks for believing in me Megan and Tim!
Without further ado, here are a few of our favorites.
