Almost a Kiss: The Art of Capturing Anticipation at a Sassafraz Wedding

There are moments in wedding photography that transcend the click of a shutter—moments where time seems to pause, where breath catches, and where two souls exist in a universe entirely their own. This particular frame from a Sassafraz wedding in Toronto exemplifies that rare intersection of technical excellence and raw emotional authenticity that defines exceptional wedding photography.

The Decisive Moment: Context and Creation

I captured this image during the couple's portrait session, just after the ceremony when emotions were still raw and unfiltered. We had stepped away from the celebration into a quieter garden area where a stunning stone archway provided the perfect architectural frame. The couple didn't need much direction—they were naturally drawn to each other, and my role became one of observer rather than orchestrator.

Working with the Canon EOS R5 paired with the RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens, I positioned myself approximately eight feet from the couple. The RF 85mm f/1.2L is, without question, one of the finest portrait lenses Canon has ever produced. Its exceptional optical quality renders skin tones with beautiful accuracy, and at f/1.2, it creates a depth of field so shallow that the background melts into creamy bokeh while maintaining tack-sharp focus on the subjects' faces.

The lighting conditions were ideal—soft, diffused natural light filtering through the canopy above created even illumination across their faces without harsh shadows. This is the kind of light wedding photographers dream about: flattering, dimensional, and utterly romantic. I exposed at 1/320s at f/1.8, ISO 400, which gave me enough shutter speed to freeze any subtle movement while maintaining that beautiful background separation that makes the couple pop from their environment.

Technical Mastery: Why This Image Works

From a technical standpoint, this photograph demonstrates several key principles that elevate it beyond a simple portrait. The shallow depth of field achieved with the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L lens at f/1.8 creates what I call "visual isolation"—the couple exists in perfect clarity while everything else falls away into soft, painterly abstraction. This technique forces the viewer's eye exactly where it needs to be: on the emotional connection between bride and groom.

The composition employs the classical technique of natural framing, with the stone archway creating vertical lines that draw the eye inward toward the couple. This architectural element serves multiple purposes: it adds depth to the image, provides context about the venue's character, and creates a sense of intimacy—as though we're glimpsing a private moment through a portal.

The colour palette warrants particular attention. The groom's navy blue suit creates a striking contrast with the bride's ivory lace gown, while the verdant greens in the background add richness without competing for attention. The colour grading in post-processing maintained natural skin tones while slightly warming the overall image to enhance the romantic atmosphere. This subtle colour work is crucial—overly saturated images can feel artificial, while proper colour balance feels timeless.

The Emotional Narrative: Reading the Image

What makes this frame genuinely exceptional isn't the technical execution—it's the authentic emotion captured. The couple's body language tells a complete story: his hand gently resting on her waist, her fingers pressed against his chest, their foreheads nearly touching in that universal gesture of intimate connection. Their eyes are soft, expressions unguarded, completely absorbed in each other.

The photograph's title, "Almost a Kiss," perfectly encapsulates its essence. It's the anticipation, the moment before, that creates such powerful tension. In wedding photography, we often focus on capturing the big moments—the kiss at the altar, the first dance, the cake cutting. But it's these in-between moments, these breaths between actions, that often prove most memorable.

I've photographed countless couples throughout my career, and I can say with certainty: you cannot manufacture this kind of connection. The photographer's job is to create an environment where couples feel comfortable enough to forget the camera exists, then be ready when these authentic moments unfold. This image succeeded because the couple trusted me to document rather than direct their story.

Post-Processing: Enhancing Without Overwhelming

The raw file from the Canon EOS R5 provided an excellent foundation, but post-processing transformed it into the final piece you see here. Working in Adobe Lightroom Classic, I began with basic exposure adjustments—lifting shadows slightly to reveal detail in the groom's suit while protecting highlights in the bride's dress.

The colour grading process was deliberate and restrained. I adjusted the colour temperature to add approximately 200 Kelvin of warmth, which counteracted the slightly cool cast from the shaded environment. Using HSL sliders, I refined the greens in the background, desaturating them by about 15% and shifting their hue toward olive tones to prevent them from appearing too vibrant. The blues in the groom's suit received subtle saturation adjustments to ensure they complemented rather than competed with the overall palette.

Skin tones required careful attention. Using radial filters, I applied subtle luminance boosts to the couple's faces, ensuring they naturally drew the viewer's eye. I also employed frequency separation techniques to smooth skin texture while preserving natural detail—a delicate balance that prevents the "plastic" look that plagues over-processed images.

The final touches involved selective sharpening focused on the couple's eyes and facial features, while allowing the background to remain soft. I added a subtle vignette to further emphasize the subjects, and applied split-toning: warming the highlights slightly while adding a touch of cool tones to the shadows. This split-toning creates depth and dimension that a single-colour grade cannot achieve.

Critical Analysis: What Makes This a Great Wedding Photograph

Having critiqued thousands of images throughout my career, I can objectively assess why this particular photograph succeeds at the highest level. First, it demonstrates emotional authenticity—there's nothing posed or artificial about the couple's interaction. Their connection is genuine, and that authenticity resonates with viewers on a visceral level.

Second, the technical execution is flawless. Focus is precisely where it needs to be, exposure is spot-on, and the depth of field creates appropriate visual hierarchy. The Canon EOS R5's eye-detection autofocus performed brilliantly, ensuring critical sharpness on the couple's faces even at f/1.8 where the margin for error is razor-thin.

Third, the composition balances classical principles with creative vision. The architectural framing provides structure, while the couple's positioning creates dynamic tension through their near-touching poses. The negative space around them doesn't feel empty—it feels purposeful, giving the image room to breathe.

Fourth, the lighting is exceptional. Soft, directional natural light sculpts their features beautifully, creating gentle shadows that add dimension without harshness. This quality of light is extraordinarily difficult to replicate artificially, which makes finding it in the moment so valuable.

Finally, the image tells a complete story. Even without context, viewers understand they're witnessing an intimate moment between two people deeply in love. That narrative clarity, combined with technical excellence and emotional resonance, is what separates good wedding photography from great wedding photography.

The Venue: Sassafraz Restaurant's Garden Setting

While this article focuses on the photograph itself, the venue deserves acknowledgment. The Sassafraz Restaurant in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood provides wedding photographers with diverse visual opportunities. The stone archways and garden areas offer classic architectural elements that photograph beautifully, while the restaurant's interior spaces provide elegant options for different lighting conditions.

For couples considering a Sassafraz wedding, understand that the venue's intimate scale encourages exactly the kind of authentic moments captured here. Unlike larger venues where couples might feel lost in vast spaces, Sassafraz's proportions feel human-scaled and comfortable—which translates directly into more relaxed, genuine photographs.

Gear Considerations: Why Equipment Matters

While photographers often say "the best camera is the one you have with you," professional wedding photography demands tools capable of performing under pressure. The Canon EOS R5 with its RF mount system represents the current pinnacle of Canon's innovation. The camera's 45-megapixel sensor provides exceptional resolution and dynamic range, allowing significant flexibility in post-processing.

The RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens is genuinely extraordinary. Compared to its EF predecessor, the RF version offers improved optical performance, faster autofocus, and better handling. At f/1.2, it creates background separation that's simply magical, while even wide open, sharpness and contrast remain excellent. For wedding portraits, I consider it an essential tool.

That said, great gear enables great photography but doesn't create it. The technical tools provided the means to capture this moment, but the photograph succeeds because of timing, composition, and the genuine connection between subjects. I've seen photographers with basic equipment create stunning images because they understood light, moment, and emotion. The Canon RF system simply makes achieving technical excellence more consistent and reliable.

Lessons for Emerging Wedding Photographers

This image offers several lessons for photographers developing their craft. First, invest time in understanding your equipment completely. Know your camera's autofocus system intimately, understand how different apertures affect your images, and learn to read light instinctively. Technical mastery should become second nature, freeing your conscious mind to focus on composition and moment.

Second, recognize that direction and documentation require different approaches. During formal portraits, direction is necessary. But during intimate moments between bride and groom, step back. Create space for authenticity. Your job shifts from director to witness, and some of your most powerful images will come from those observational periods.

Third, understand that post-processing is an art unto itself. The adjustments I described earlier took years to refine. Study colour theory, understand how different adjustments affect perception, and develop a consistent editing style that enhances rather than transforms your images. Your editing should feel invisible—viewers should respond to the moment, not marvel at your Photoshop skills.

Conclusion: The Timelessness of Authentic Moments

Wedding photography trends come and go. Editing styles shift, equipment evolves, and aesthetic preferences change with each passing season. But photographs that capture authentic human connection remain timeless. This image from the Sassafraz wedding will look as compelling in twenty years as it does today because it's rooted in something fundamental: two people genuinely in love, captured in an unguarded moment.

As photographers, we're granted extraordinary access to some of life's most meaningful moments. Our responsibility is to honour that trust by creating images that reflect not just how a day looked, but how it felt. Technical skill provides the foundation, but empathy, patience, and genuine care for our couples' stories create photographs that transcend mere documentation.

This single frame represents everything I strive for in wedding photography: technical excellence married to emotional authenticity, classical composition enhanced by creative vision, and a moment so genuine it needs no explanation. It's why I continue to find joy in this profession after thousands of weddings—because every couple's story is unique, and every wedding offers new opportunities to witness and preserve these irreplaceable moments of human connection.