The love of art
Portrait of Alan Brydon as part of my entry submissions
As precious as life is, capturing a moment of it takes skill and patience. Photography is a skill to see moments in time. With a click of a button the image is taken, with little thought of how the image is composed in the wasteful digital age we live in. When I began studying photography I was given a basic digital camera from my father to set me up in the modern world, but within days at University my lecturer insisted I get my old 1970’s Olympus OM-1 film camera out, which had been passed down from my father’s backpacking days.
I thought he was crazy, throwing away this new technology and going back to a fully mechanical camera. No LCD screen, just a basic light meter, but built like a tank, with an all-metal construction.
This made me savour each shot, manually winding on the film before pressing the button. I was forced to analyse the scene before running up to each element and capturing its brightness value. This was then jotted down in my notepad to allow me to expose the film correctly.
By taking this moment to slow down and analyse the scene you could choose how you wanted the image to look; a long shadow, the sunset sun, or the hard lines of an architectural building.
These are the fundamentals I use every day when I photograph a wedding celebration, as part of my photographic role at Brydon photography. It is not about the number of images the photographer takes, it is the way he sees the scene. The anticipation of a moment, knowing where to stand, having that laughter, that energy flowing between the couple and their family are key factors. These celebrations are parties of life; so let's celebrate it! Posing the couple will only get you so far as it can look fake and staged.
Brydon Photography & Video is about catching these moments in time to treasure for a lifetime. We only ever take on 25 weddings a year and this is to give our all to each couple that we decide to work with. Every couple becomes a family with a close connection where they can be themselves. This is where the magic happens as they are relaxed and enjoying the moment. After each booking is made we like to meet up for a laugh to get to know each other and take a few photos. This allows us to gel and for the couple to get comfortable in front of the camera.
As an avid underwater photographer I love the idea of “trashing the dress” after the day, and why not. They won’t be planning on getting married again. Whether it’s on a beach or in a pool it all comes down to one thing… and that is to have fun. It is a day of experiences; from getting on location we take care of everything from setting up the pool and underwater lights, to the makeup artist who meets with the bride to do her water resistant makeup before we jump in the pool. As the pool is a safe location, we use locations where those involved can stand up easily. It is a lot of fun and we are one of the few photographers in Auckland offering this service, so it’s not to be missed.
