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InLightImagery — Blessed
Published: 2007-11-30 13:43:38 +0000 UTC; Views: 3135; Favourites: 127; Downloads: 0
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Description
They saw each other before their ceremony for photographs. After the hugs and kisses and excitement, I gave them some time alone, they just sat down and started talking about the day to come.Shot through a window at the back of the church to give them some time alone together.
Mark 10:6-9
"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
Image is copyrighted by Masterworks Photography. You DO NOT have permission to use this photograph anywhere!
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Comments: 124
Once in a while perfection happens. It does happen, but only for the briefest of moments. So brief that it mostly goes unnoticed, ignored or unappreciated.
I read a comment that praised this piece, said it looked like film, complimented the "comp" and suggested that the brightness of the light through the window was stealing too much of the shot. These are perfectly valid and well observed opinions, but they somehow miss the essence of this image, I feel.
You say it is an entirely candid, spontaneous picture. I can believe that. It's why I think this image is perfect. Looked at in context, there is absolutely nothing that one can fault this image on.
The light of God shines down on these two. He steals the show as He has a right to do, if indeed, that is what is happening. The perceived power of the light through that window is a big part of the whole point and impact of this picture. The graininess gives atmosphere and texture, a realistic feel, an awareness. The deep dark shadows and the indistinct details give intrigue and mystery without menace of fatigue, and the contrast is simply amazing. Whatever is wrong in this picture makes it somehow right, and whatever we see as apparently right, only adds to it.
No one could take this picture again. It is a once in a lifetime event. The coming together in one place for a few milliseconds everything necessary to make this magical image. Magical because of the odds against it. The moment it captures is one of those fleeting glimpses of perfection that we all miss so regularly. It makes a mockery of the repeatable medium of photography yet it brings photography into its own, as the only medium capable of capturing such a moment.
Perfection: indefinable, barely perceptible, contradiction. Overwhelming and vast, yet miniscule and as light as the slightest breath on a cheek. Everything and nothing all at once. Indivisible.
An absolutely stunning piece of work.
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Oh my 
Thank you Thank you Thank you
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Hehe! I can do constructive negative crits too, but they tend to be counter-productive. A limitation of the internet and the typewritten word, regardless of how many carefully chosen emotes you throw in!
I don't use the word perfect lightly. It's a VERY rare thing, imho. I think the greatest delight of something that approaches or achieves perfection is the sheer accident of it. It's both frustrating and totally exhilarating. Frustrating because often you have no idea how you achieved it and exhilarating because you have! The fascinating thing about photography, for me, is the air of precision it carries as an artistic, or potentially artistic, medium. High precision, finely engineered, expensive man-made equipment, calibrated and understood through mathematics, calculation and the finest electronic and mechanical engineering. F stops, exposures, focal lengths, shutter speeds, bracketing, flash settings, apertures, depth of field. Very occasionally all of this technology and know-how gels in the hands of the photographer and something exemplary is produced. The best photographers are perhaps able to work with this equipment better than most to consistently produce superb pieces of work, but the fact of the matter is that most of the time the equipment fails to live up to its credentials. It's not the camera or the technology that drives it. A Holga or a simple box Brownie can produced something just as superb with the right pair of hands, coupled with the brain of the person that drives them, handling it. I think it is not the quality of the image that adds the difference to an artistic piece of photography, but the quality in the image.
There is a quality in this image of yours that transcends any technicality one cares to mention about it. Technically it is imperfect and in so being it captures something perfect. It's a wonderful, moving and endlessly fascinating dichotomy that exists within this piece of art.
There is a striving to perfect the precision and prowess of the instruments that physically make the image, in order to capture the imperfection of life, which is, in fact, at times, perfect. The imperfect perfect! So that it is easy to become blinded to the fact that a technically superb image is not necessarily great art. I think it is healthy for art photographers to look beyond the clinical precision of the equipment they use, so that they can welcome the imperfection that they capture and, hopefully, see something near perfect in it.
This image, "Blessed" is a great example of that. ISO1600 is suicide! Not this time! Don't thank me. I would like to thank you. Any compliment you gain on this is because not only does it warrant it but you earned it.You picked it out and put it up. Sometimes that's all there is to being a great artist.
I have a reputation for rambling on, sorry!
Anyway. You are in Kentucky, I see. I know a lovely lady called KL in Arizona. A great photographer and writer of wise words. You may like to meet this wonderful lady, known as my big sister on dA (she's only a bit older than me!) 
You may also like to know that the mysterious but very lovely =luffsfromafriend put me in touch with your great work and words.
Not many people get me waxing lyrical like this on one piece of work. I anticipate that there are other pieces of yours that will do the same, so if it is all right with you, I shall enjoy watching your work.
It's an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am!
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See maybe thats it. 
Doing this for a living sometimes we get a bit jaded and instead of waiting and watching for the right moment in the stress of time we try to create it. That never works.
There are only a few weddings that I have photographed in the past few years and look back on as ones that I think I did a great job at capturing the moments not the poses. This wedding was one of those.
Most of the time I love my chosen 'job' , especially when the couple relaxes and lets me do things my way
Sorry I tend to ramble too.
=luffsfromafriend is a wonderful person... I will have to go and thank her
Thank you again for your kind words
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Gorgeous picture. I love how you caught them at a sweet moment on a lovely day. Nice!
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Beautiful shot. The description matches it perfectly.
<3 Have a wonderful Christmas!
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Thank you! Blessed New Year!
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This is a great image. Comp is excellent and I love the pose of the couple.
The only true thing I can add to this is maybe to lower the harshness of the lighting coming through the window. While part of me loves it another part of me thinks it's stealing too much away from the couple themselves.
The 1600 ISO adds a wonderful graininess to the image. It's almost film grain like which is very nice.
Infact I would swear this was taken with film. The slight softness in the shot is very reminiscent of film.
A great image and one I'm sure the couple with be happy with...
Dave
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Wow! Thank you so much
COming from you the compliment is much appreciated.
I will take a look at the image and maybe tone down the sun in the window and see how that looks...This was a totally candid shot...No film
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Very nice picture with really good composition. Having edited over 20k wedding photos I'll tell you that this is a good one
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Thank you
I shoot weddings for a living
Do you edit for another photographer or shoot?
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Then you must have many satisfied customers.
I used to edit for my dad's photo business, but the pay wasn't that good so I moved on to other things. While I recently have become more interested in photography I have yet to do anything professional.
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The business is not what it used to be
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That's good 
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absolutly beautiful! 
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Thank you very much
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You're welcome. ^^
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Thank you very much
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