The Almost Kiss: Capturing Intimacy at a Sassafraz Wedding

There are moments during a wedding day when everything else fades away—the guests, the music, the carefully planned details—and all that remains is the pure, unfiltered connection between two people. This photograph from a Sassafraz wedding captures precisely that kind of moment, a fraction of a second where time seems to suspend itself.

I created this image during the golden hour at one of Toronto's most beloved wedding venues. The couple had just finished their formal portraits, and as we walked through the venue's outdoor space, they naturally gravitated toward each other. I didn't direct this moment. I simply recognized it unfolding and captured it with my Canon EOS R5 paired with the RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens, a combination that has become indispensable for wedding portrait work.

The Context Behind the Frame

We were approximately forty-five minutes into the couples' portrait session when I noticed the way the bride's hand moved toward her groom's lapel. It was such a gentle, intimate gesture—the kind that happens instinctively between two people deeply in love. The groom responded by leaning his forehead against hers, and their faces lit up with these soft, knowing smiles that spoke volumes about their relationship.

I had been working with available light throughout the session, and the conditions at this particular moment were extraordinary. The sun was beginning its descent, creating that magical quality of illumination that photographers live for. Rather than interrupt their connection with instructions, I simply adjusted my position slightly to the left, raised my camera to eye level, and fired off three frames. This was the middle one, and it was perfect.

Technical Execution and Lens Choice

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM is a remarkable piece of glass, and this Sassafraz wedding photograph demonstrates exactly why it's become my go-to lens for intimate portrait work. At f/1.2, it creates a depth of field so shallow that it isolates subjects with surgical precision while rendering out-of-focus areas with creamy, dreamy bokeh that's simply unmatched.

I shot this frame at f/1.8—stopped down just slightly from wide open to ensure both faces remained tack sharp while still maintaining that gorgeous background separation. The shutter speed was 1/500th of a second, fast enough to freeze any subtle movement, and I kept my ISO at 400 to maintain clean image quality in the diminishing natural light. The Canon EOS R5's exceptional dynamic range allowed me to capture detail in both the highlights on their faces and the shadows in the groom's navy suit.

The RF mount system's improved communication between body and lens meant the Eye AF locked onto the bride's eye instantly and held focus perfectly throughout the sequence. This is crucial when working at such wide apertures where focus accuracy can make or break an image.

Composition and Visual Language

The composition follows classical portraiture principles while maintaining a contemporary feel. I positioned the couple slightly off-centre, allowing their foreheads—the point where they physically connect—to fall along the upper third line of the frame. This creates visual balance while drawing the viewer's eye directly to the emotional core of the image.

The framing is intentionally tight, eliminating distractions and forcing the viewer to focus entirely on the couple's faces and that tender gesture of the bride's hand on the groom's lapel. Notice how the bride's veil creates a soft, textural element on the right side of the frame, adding dimension without competing for attention.

The slightly upward angle from which I photographed them serves a dual purpose: it creates a subtle sense of reverence for the moment while also providing the most flattering perspective for both subjects. This angle also allowed the natural light to strike their faces more directly, creating that luminous quality in their skin tones.

Background and Depth

The background, rendered completely out of focus at f/1.8, reads as abstract circles of warm light—classic bokeh created by the venue's string lighting and landscape illumination filtering through the lens. These circular highlights, varying in size and intensity, create layers of depth that place the couple in three-dimensional space rather than against a flat backdrop.

The warm colour temperature of these background lights—likely around 3200K—contrasts beautifully with the cooler, more neutral light illuminating the couple's faces, creating colour depth that adds sophistication to the overall palette.

Why This Image Works

Great wedding photography isn't about technical perfection alone—it's about capturing authentic emotion in a way that's both technically sound and aesthetically compelling. This photograph succeeds on multiple levels, and I want to break down exactly why it works so effectively.

Emotional Authenticity

The power of this image lies in its genuine intimacy. These aren't posed smiles or manufactured emotion—this is a real moment of connection between two people who have just committed their lives to each other. The soft smiles, the closed eyes, the way their foreheads rest together—these are the physical manifestations of joy, comfort, and deep affection.

The bride's hand on the groom's lapel is particularly significant. It's such a small gesture, easily overlooked, but it reveals so much about their dynamic. It shows trust, affection, and a physical ease with each other that only comes from genuine connection. As a photographer, recognizing and capturing these subtle moments of body language is what separates documentary from merely decorative wedding photography.

Technical Excellence

From a technical standpoint, this image demonstrates precise execution across every parameter. The focus is exactly where it needs to be—on the bride's face, with the groom's features also sharp due to their similar focal plane. The exposure is balanced perfectly, with no blown highlights in the bride's white dress or veil, and plenty of detail retained in the darker tones of the groom's navy suit.

The shallow depth of field creates separation without confusion. Despite the extremely limited focal plane, it's immediately clear what the image is about. The soft bokeh doesn't distract—it enhances. The colour temperature is neutral enough to feel natural while being warm enough to convey romance.

Visual Impact

The image has immediate visual impact. When you look at it, your eye goes exactly where it should: to the couple's faces, to that point of connection between their foreheads, to the emotion expressed in their features. The composition guides the viewer's attention deliberately and effectively.

The tonal range creates visual interest without overwhelming the subjects. The soft whites of the bride's dress and veil contrast with the rich navy of the groom's suit, while the warm bokeh background provides context without competition. Every element works in harmony to support the central subject.

Post-Processing Approach

The post-processing for this image was deliberately subtle, designed to enhance rather than transform. I began in Adobe Lightroom Classic, where I made my primary adjustments to exposure, contrast, and colour balance.

The colour grading process involved warming the highlights slightly while keeping the midtones neutral—this creates that romantic, golden-hour quality while maintaining natural skin tones. I used the HSL sliders to slightly desaturate the oranges and yellows in the background, preventing them from becoming too dominant, while subtly enhancing the warmth in the skin tones.

Selective sharpening was applied only to the couple's faces and the bride's veil details, using Lightroom's masking tools. This ensures that the sharp areas are crisp and defined while maintaining the soft, dreamy quality of the out-of-focus background.

Fine-Tuning in Photoshop

I moved the image into Adobe Photoshop for final refinements. Using frequency separation, I smoothed skin tones without losing texture—a critical balance in wedding photography. The bride's skin maintains its natural quality while any minor blemishes or uneven tones are gently evened out.

Dodge and burn techniques added subtle dimensionality to their faces. I very gently lightened the highlights on their cheekbones, foreheads, and the bride's veil, while slightly darkening the shadows along the sides of their faces. This micro-contrast enhances the three-dimensional quality of the image without appearing obviously manipulated.

The final step involved creating a subtle vignette—darkening the corners and edges of the frame very slightly. This draws the viewer's eye toward the centre while adding a touch of vintage elegance to the overall aesthetic. The vignette is barely perceptible but makes a significant difference in how your eye travels through the composition.

The Broader Context of the Day

This moment didn't exist in isolation—it was part of a larger narrative of the couple's wedding day. Earlier in the afternoon, we had captured candid moments during cocktail hour, where guests mingled over beautifully arranged antipasto plates. Those images captured the social energy and celebratory atmosphere of the day.

This portrait, by contrast, represents the intimate counterpoint to that public celebration. It's a reminder that weddings are both communal events and deeply personal commitments. The best wedding photography captures both aspects—the big, joyful moments shared with loved ones and the quiet, intimate exchanges between the couple themselves.

Lessons for Photographers

Creating images like this requires more than good equipment—though the Canon EOS R5 and RF 85mm f/1.2L lens combination certainly helps. It requires patience, observation, and the ability to recognize authentic moments as they unfold.

The key is to create space for these moments to happen organically. If I had been constantly directing the couple, adjusting their positions, micromanaging their expressions, this moment would never have occurred. Instead, I gave them room to be themselves, to connect naturally, and I stayed ready to capture the magic when it appeared.

Technical mastery matters because it needs to be invisible. The couple wasn't thinking about shutter speeds or aperture settings—they were lost in their moment together. My job was to nail all the technical elements so perfectly that they fade into the background, leaving only the emotion and connection visible in the final image.

Conclusion

This photograph from a Sassafraz wedding represents everything I strive for in wedding photography: genuine emotion captured with technical excellence, presented in a way that's both beautiful and authentic. It's an image that the couple will treasure for decades, a tangible reminder of how they felt in that perfect moment when they stood together, foreheads touching, smiles soft, completely immersed in the joy of their commitment to each other.

The image works because it tells a truth about their relationship while demonstrating the power of thoughtful photographic technique applied with restraint and artistic sensitivity. It's proof that the best wedding photographs happen when technical skill meets emotional intelligence, when the photographer becomes invisible and simply allows love to reveal itself through the lens.