This is the exact second her voice cracked on the line she had practiced a hundred times in the mirror. Under the weeping willows at Coxhall Gardens, the bride held the microphone and read the vows she wrote for him alone. I was standing off to the side, my lens pressed to a handheld prism, tilting it just enough to catch the light and fracture it into that dreamy, film-like haze you see here. The result is her face perfectly sharp and glowing while the edges melt into soft prisms of pink and gold, her veil floating like a whisper, and every bridesmaid behind her blurred into quiet, happy witnesses.
As your wedding photographer, these vow portraits are non-negotiable for me. I will always get the bride’s face while she speaks and the groom’s face while he listens, because those two images tell the entire love story.
I love shooting through a prism or crystal during outdoor ceremonies for exactly this reason. Coxhall’s willow grove already gives the most beautiful natural bokeh, but adding a little refractive magic turns good light into something straight out of a 35mm film roll. It feels vintage and timeless at the same time, soft without losing a single tear or smile line.
I’ll be there for both of your faces when the words come out. Because some moments deserve to look exactly like they felt.
Captured with the Nikon Z9 and a 70-200mm lens at 200mm in natural light through a fractal.
ISO 160, 5.6, 1/250
Edited to look like film.
Location: 11677 Towne Rd, Carmel, IN 46032.