Cool Groomsmen at Liberty Grand Wedding

A Toronto wedding photographer has a lot of tricks in his back. On the big day, at Liberty Grand, I used a few smoke grenades to create splendid photographs.

How to Create Element of Interest in Wedding Photos

Wedding photography is seen more and more like a commodity by the average bride and groom in the greater Toronto area.

As such, I always strive - on the wedding day - to create real masterpieces using elements of interest. They take photography to the next level and make images memorable.

There are about 30,000 couples tying the knot every year and probably the same number of wedding photographers in Toronto competing to document their big day.

To raise about the crowd, besides capturing the moments and emotions expressed by the couple, their family, guests and bridal party, the professional photographer needs even more tricks. Here are a few:

• smoke bombs - I use them with caution on the wedding day and never close to the bride. The smoke bombs emit a coloured smoke that can stain the bride or bridesmaids dresses. You definitely don't want to be the wedding photographer in Toronto who ruins a couple special day. Truth be told, I use these smoke bombs more in my engagement photography then on the wedding day but it always depends on the bride and groom's preferences. During the consultation my couple I ask them if they feel comfortable and want that type of photographs on their big day. Also, during the engagement photo shoot I make sure I bring one or two of those grenades so that I can assess if the couple loves them.
• foreground bokeh - this is another trick that why clients absolutely love! By adding the colourful globes of lights on the wedding photograph, I achieve a few things. First, I send out as the professional photographer. Second, I create buzz among the bride and groom's friends and the photographers community. Third, the red globes of light symbolize love in create a framing device that improves the composition in the photo. Photography is so competitive these days that the artist has to use all the tools in his arsenal to create visual masterpieces for the couple. If in the past capturing beautiful moments was enough, these days artists who only do that starve (in Toronto area).

A perfect wedding photograph has to have a few key elements:

• splendid light
• motion
• emotion (captures the right moments)
• technique
• post processing
• background

Let's now take a look at this photo captured at Liberty Grand. It features the groomsmen walking towards the camera and holding a red smoke grenade while talking to each other.

This image was inspired by the movie Reservoir dogs and since I started shooting this type of scene on the wedding day, it to my photography business to the next level.

Now don't get me wrong! I know that in order to win prestigious wedding photography awards a photo needs more than this. For example, it was cloudy on the big day so this picture misses that drama. However, the groom and his bridal party absolutely loved the shot in which they look like movie stars movie stars.

Photography is a beautiful lie and our duty as professionals is to document this special day as the couple wants it to be: a dream! Unfortunately, many of my peers in the GTA only do coverage of the day, meaning they don't put the love and extra effort to create beautiful photographs. My style is completely different. I absolutely love what I do and I want my bride and groom to receive the best images possible.

Location: 25 British Columbia Rd, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3.