S. Carter Studios

I’ve been feeling inspired to share some more recently. So this is another by definition post: the Marie Antoinette treatment. I’ve actually had more than two mothers say to me, including my own, that they don’t understand why I like photos were people’s heads are cut off. Am I not fast enough to get the whole shot? Is it how I hide my less attractive clients? Am I obsessed with chests? No. No to all of the above.

The truth is that there are two main reasons I like photos like this. The first reason is that so much of what goes into the wedding day is barely noticed by those around them but they were the things the bride spent hours pouring over, the small touches that make this her special day: the necklace her father gave her,  the gown that fits just right, the boutonniere she picked just for him. It’s the rings they’ll wear for the rest of their lives and the cake they didn’t actually get to eat a piece of. Giving these little details their own photograph is to me like paying a small honor, a tilt of my hat if you will to the way the couple has  doted on their guests and on each other.

The second reason I love beheading my clients, if you will, is that the captured moment becomes about so much more than a picture. During the wedding day, there are so many intimate situations I get to be a part of, things that nobody else in the room is aware of and I am able to offer this perspective while still respecting the sweetness of the moment.

So, brides to be, here’s the post you can send your mother to when she comments on the fact that people’s heads are cut off. It’s not unintentional or bad foresight, it’s not that I’m a masochist or that I have a blind spot. It’s about paying tribute to what things are really about: the moment and the relationship. Plus you can click on over here and see whole albums of weddings where plenty of people manage to have their whole heads in tact.