I suppose one of the reasons I shoot weddings as a documentary wedding photographer is because I’m interested in human interaction, emotion and I’m essentially an observer of life at these events.
When I shoot weddings I’m constantly looking for touch, emotion, eye contact and humour. I love to watch. I love to photograph life.
A wedding is huge part of anyone’s life, but it’s only a small part. Along the way will be sadness, happiness, pain, laughter and every other emotion that we all experience on a daily basis.
We each have a story that forms the fabric of our lives and those stories are so deeply entwined with other peoples’ that sometimes we fail to see the real story of our own lives.
I love to photograph life, and when I was given the opportunity to photograph the very beginning of a life, a caesarian birth, I was both humbled and excited.
For me, this experience supersedes any wedding I’ve shot. It supersedes any work I’ve ever done in fact. Being an observer of the first moments of life, the first time a mother sees her child and the first time a father holds his child is a memory that will stay with me forever, and hopefully, through these photographs, in the memory of mum, dad and little Maja.
Really, for something like this you need to have gear that is deadly silent, responsive and reliable. So I chose to shoot this entirely on my X100S with a selection of images shot on my X-T1 with the XF 56mm lens attached.
For me, this is a true story – it’s the culmination of love, emotion and the coming together of two people to make three.
Note: There are a few images that are “graphic” in nature….not too bad, honest….but I thought it only fair to warn you.
As always, please feel free to share, or comment below. After this, the surgeon asked me what I’d been using as he had no idea I’d been shooting. The X100S is, in my book, is the best camera I’ve ever used and I would not have used anything else for the making of these pictures.
Simply stunning work my friend!
Kevin, that is beautiful! As a clinician who loves photography, I’ve done a few ‘documentary’ shots for my clinic in b&w. It removes the clinical aspect and imparts the emotion. You’ve captured the most emotional and beautiful event and it’s very tastefully done. Love it.
Thanks Daniel – one of the things most important to me during this was that I did not become a “part” of the day, rather, an observer. I wanted mum and dad to experience it almost as if I wasn’t there. At the end, the surgeon asked me if I’d actually taken any shots during the procedure as he hadn’t heard a thing. Which is great.
Thanks for the kind words.
This is exactly how I stumbled on your site! A couple of years ago when I started getting serious about photography, I used to really dislike ‘posed’ photos. I much preferred candids especially at large family events. Its used to freak me out when people would stop what they were doing and see me with the camera and start to pose! At the time I was just armed with a Nikon D80 and a 50mm. Later my brother-in-law asked me to step in at his wedding because the photographer didn’t turn up. I basically shot a documentary style wedding and I loved it! I then found it much more emotional. I then got the idea I need a much more discreet camera ( an X-E1) and later, I found your site, thanks for the inspiration!
Awesome as always Kev. Loving those candid smiles. What was your weapon of choice this time?
Sorry Kev X100s 🙂
🙂
Nicely done Kevin. Great, great work.
Stunning and beautifully shot.
Amazing
Love emotion in your photograph…
There is a delicate nature to this film that is simply beautiful Kevin. You’ve created a piece of legacy work here, that will follow this child as they grow into an adult. It’s so well done. I know they will be very proud, for all sorts of reasons, and so should you.
Quite simply the most beautiful example of photography I have ever seen in my life.
It really moved me. And that does not happen often.
Well done sir.
David.
Thanks David. Very kind.
Wonderfully varied set of photographs. You put a lot of space in your pictures and it works very well.
Reminds me a morning in 1997 when my daughter appeared in very similar circumstances.
She is now saying the banned University word a lot and i really wish i had a set of pictures such as these to look at and remember.
Super photography Kevin.