This Is How: ‘The Groom Room’ by Rob Dodsworth
Today we’ve got the fab Rob Dodsworth on the site, and I’m excited to be sharing his insights on this brilliant groom-prep shot. Groom-prep is part of the day that’s never really showcased as much as it should be – especially compared to bridal prep – so it’s great to be able to feature it more here today. Great insights on silhouettes, composition, and staying calm under pressure in order to get ‘the shot’…
This image of the groom getting ready is an old favourite taken a couple of years back at one of my favourite venues, Voewood, near Holt in North Norfolk. It’s a venue where the bride and groom can both get ready, as it’s large enough so as not to bump into each other. As such, I nearly always get to take photos of the bride and groom before they meet at the top of the aisle.
I had finished taking some close up angles on the groom, his shoes, his cufflinks, buttoning up his shirt etc but I didn’t feel like I had anything I was really happy with. I had that nagging feeling there had to be something more. But time was pressing (as it ever is) and so, I packed my bag and was making my way (somewhat hurriedly) back to the bride to capture her exit from the bridal suite. I stopped on the way out, glanced back over my shoulder to say, “Good luck!” but instead, I bit my tongue and saw the frame that I’d been missing.
I bent low to use the ceiling and door frame, positioning myself where the groom was backlit against the window. I chose a wide angle for the framing it gave me and to draw the eye. I took 7 images as he put his jacket on. Since this was silhouette, there were just 2 images where the hands, arms and head didn’t blend into each other, where it was still possible to tell what was happening.
It can be hard to think straight at a wedding sometimes, there are often a thousand and one things rushing through your mind and time is always slipping away but this image reminds me to relax, to stay calm and to look for the bigger picture. It’s always there, somewhere!
You can see more of Rob’s work on his website, or here on his TiR profile.
If you found this post interesting, you should have a look through the rest of our ‘This is How…’ posts by our This is Reportage members; a veritable treasure-trove of documentary wedding photography goodness!
