Anna Isabelle and Louis, 11 February 2017
This time I’m glad to take you to the magical wedding of Anna Isabelle and Louis, a beautiful couple from Canada. Anna Isabelle decided to celebrate her wedding in Mexico, where part of her family comes from.
At WhiteLoopStudio we are always excited to take part in wedding celebrations set in stunning locations. (Check this out https://www.whiteloopstudio.com/bibiana-and-jack/ ) As photographers who love wedding destinations, we also like to experience how different cultures and traditions make each wedding ceremony unique. This wedding ceremony was indeed an excellent way to kick-start 2017 for WhiteLoopStudio.
Since the wedding rehearsal I could clearly see that that Anna and Louis, two beautiful people, were not only madly in love with each other but also blessed by loving families and friends, very close to each other.
Getting ready
The Hotel Hacienda Cocoyoc, where most of the wedding guests stayed and where the pre-wedding dinner took place, turned out to be the perfect frame for that magical night.
The Bride and Groom’s best friends gave their speeches in French and I was touched by the deep friendship they all shared , even if I could not understand most of what was being said.
Their magical moment
Anna and Louis were themselves so stunning that I could well imagine them as the protagonists of a fairy tale, a Disney one, those we grew up with. The place they had chosen to celebrate the wedding at was absolutely breathtaking. Starting from the rural chapel, stepping into the open-roofed hall, which must have been a factory once, ending in the magical garden with ancient trees who looked like they were reaching out to hug us with their huge leafy branches! That’s the Hacienda San Carlos and it was the place where I could finally get the chance to take the picture I had been waiting to capture for a long time.
Hacienda San Carlos, Morelos
This is the picture and I would like to explain it as it has received the highest number of ‘Likes’ since it was posted on our official Facebook page. It portraits the first dance moment: the moment when everything stops to give attention to the couple, finally married, and to the surroundings which have been carefully arranged for the occasion.
Sometimes we barely pay attention to all the details the wedding planners lay out on a wedding ceremony setting. For example when there are hundreds of candles suspended above our heads, resembling a star-studded night sky.
Well, I wanted to give them the attention they deserved, especially considering the hard work and efforts put in by the guys in charge of setting up this magical setting. I was lucky to have a two-storey building with empty windows in front of the stage. So I found my spot just above the candles, looking down to Anne and Louis who were just about to start their first dance.
It was just 15 seconds before they started moving faster and dance like crazy. But I had everything set already. My assistant was strategically positioned on the ground below me, outside the dance floor, pointing a flash to the couple with a MagSphere (check https://magnetmod.com for more info) and a warm filter on.
I slowed the shutter speed down to allow for the natural candlelight glow to come in and took some shots waiting for the couple to give me their best profile. I climbed down the stairs and kept taking pictures around the dance floor. Once at home I adjusted the raw pictures as I noticed there was too much light coming from behind the couple caused by the stage lights. I saturated a bit the candles lights and darkened the shadows. The magic was done.
The endless party
This wedding has given me many other beautiful shots which I’m proud of. Thanks to the positive attitude of Anne and Louis and all their friends and family. My work was smooth and easy. Everything contributed to make this a perfect wedding.
Type of session: Wedding
Photography: Alina Zardo
Assisting and Lightning: Azahara Cortes
Video Maker: Sergio Alcocer and Carlos Lopez
Rehearsal: Hotel Hacienda Cocoyoc, Yautepec de Zaragoza, Morelos, Mexico
Ceremony and Reception: Hacienda San Carlos, Localidad Los Arcos, Yautepec, Morelos
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