Photography: Love and lighting

STORY: MADELINE FOGARTY // PHOTOGRAPHY: LOVE BY SHAE PHOTOGRAPHY

CAPTURING THE MAGIC MOMENTS

WEDDINGS ARE ALL ABOUT THE TIMING.

It’s about time he proposed.

Then it’s about what time of year you want the wedding.

Finally, of course, you’ve got to get to the church on time (and/or the venue of your choice).

And no-one gets this timing travail better than your wedding photographer—just ask Love By Shae Photography’s Monica McQuitty.

She has been able to break wedding photo times down to a very simple choice of two—the golden hour or the blue hour.

Monica says the golden hour comes just before sunset—the sun low in the sky, bathing the wedding party in its warm light. It’s a brief opportunity, but one that can be timed almost down to the second, which the professionals behind the lens call ‘the magic moment’.

Blue hour, Monica explains, comes hot on the heels of the golden hour, when the sun has slipped below the horizon—its last fingers of light creating the perfect backdrop for silhouette settings, and that indirect blue light which will bathe the scene in the softest of natural lights.

“Both occasions come and go very quickly and you have to be ready to go the second the light begins to change or you might just miss it,” Monica says.

“It’s not actually an hour, that’s a bit of photography’s version of poetic licence.

“So just like the rest of the occasion, timing is everything.

“When I help my couples plan their wedding day timelines, I always consider how the light (and daylight saving) might impact their wedding photos—even the time of year and your geographic location will impact that.”

As you would expect in the digital era, Monica has an app that tells her months in advance what time the sun will set on each client’s wedding day, and when the golden and blue hours will appear.

Knowing well in advance when the light will change is integral to making sure couples aren’t racing through the day just to make sure they aren’t up against the light.

“I’m obsessed with capturing the memories that mean the most to my couples and turning them into beautiful images they can re-live (and re-love) forever,” Monica says.

“If my couples decide to have a later ceremony, say at 4pm or 5pm, then I would always check to see if a ‘first look’ may be an option due to having enough light for their photos (especially outside daylight saving hours when the sun sets earlier).

“The first look is where a couple plan to see each other before the ceremony—which allows them to share a special moment together in a more private setting.

“Traditionally, most couples waited until the ceremony for that; but the private prequel is becoming more popular, particularly outside of daylight saving.”

Monica says the third timing option, which not many have on their agenda before she meets with the couple, is night photography—where technology, not the sun or moon, makes the difference and she says it has some serious “wow factor”.

“They are always impressive, and all my couples fall in love with them.”

Monica also believes engaging a professional makes the whole day easier—letting you plan it the way you want and letting the photographer build a plan around the couple’s wishes.

She says couples deserve to be taken care of by an experienced wedding photography professional to minimise any stress or interruptions to a day that is all about them.

“Capturing all those memories has been elevated to an artform by professional photographers—a skill only acquired after years of experience—and that’s why getting a professional is an investment, not an expense; because you only get one shot at it and a professional photographer always gets the shot.”

RUSTIC CHARM