Naples Wedding Photographers Capture Perfect First Kiss

The first kiss is a moment that has happened at every wedding that we have ever photographed and it more of a natural progression that an actual tradition. For something as simple as a kiss, there are actually quite a few variables involved, which have allowed us to document many different versions of the event. Since there are two of us, we are strategically placed in different locations during the part of the ceremony where the first kiss usually happens. Ideally, we aim to get images from two perfect angles documenting the same instant in time, but sometimes it is to simply allow one of us to get the shot. We never guarantee any specific image, since that would be impossible with how many different things happens throughout the day scattered over such a large area, but the kiss is one second we can typically plan around.

How many variables can there be surrounding a kiss? One frequent aspect that we work around is lighting. We are driven by light, and many times ceremonies are indoors with less than ideal lighting scenarios and we would never fire off a flash or use a constant light during a ceremony. We work with what light is available to capture the best possible image, but there are many times that the light is nowhere near how we would want it to be. While it is not the precise look we hope to achieve, we know our role in the situation. Photography is extremely important to us, but when a couple is married within the sacred confines of a mosque, temple, or church, we recognize and fully understand that religion is by far the most important part of the day. We are also in a holy place and we will always operate within their photographic restrictions and guidelines, as we view the place of worship as welcoming all of us into their home and we will always treat it them with the reverence they deserve. While we love beautiful light, weddings are about emotional moments and those are more important. We believe an image of a genuine connection between people madly in love with one another that was captured under terribly unflattering lighting conditions is still a more meaningful image than a perfectly lit, grand image of two people staring at each other without emotion.

During outdoor ceremonies where we can move around freely and have more control over our photographic decisions, we are still frequently surprised during many first kiss moments. The timing and duration can sometimes be awkward and frequently hilarious. We have seen ceremonies where it just feels like that right time for the first kiss to everyone but the officiant, and when the couple has kissed the officiant has said something to the effect of “no, wait, not yet,” which always leads to a chorus of laughter. Not everyone running the ceremony is experienced at doing so, as we have seen some family members get ordained to perform just one ceremony and they get so nervous they forget about entire segments. If they forget to guide them into the kiss, many couples will turn back to the crowd smiling, and we catch the instant one of them remembers that they haven’t kissed yet. These unplanned moments and genuine reactions are some of our favorite parts of every ceremony, because as much as that might send shivers up the spine of someone during the planning process, it is actually embraced and laughed about on the actual wedding day.

Line of sight is not something many wedding guests think about from their seats, but while we’re standing in the aisle and off to the side of the ceremony, an unobstructed angle can be very important. During ceremonies where the officiant has not instructed guests to put away their electronics, many people want to grab a picture of the first kiss with their camera or cell phone. We are not about to fault anyone who likes taking pictures, but we do have to deal with the occasional overzealous guest who jumps up from their seat or out into the aisle, blocking the view of our lens. At times, one person in particular blocks nearly everyone’s view of the kiss, but we can’t fault them entirely. If the groom grabs his bride and not only kisses but dips her, is can make for a fairly epic moment, particular with the bride smiling widely throughout the kiss, we just strongly prefer that he not dip her AWAY from the crowd, leaving everyone with a view limited to the back of his suit. One great excellent move we have been seeing at a lot of weddings is when the officiant slowly backs away during the end of the ceremony and announces the kiss from a few feet away. For us, this prevents having someone’s else face loom large in the background, but also allows the couple to have the stage to themselves while the crowd cheers wildly. Even if the officiant is still in the frame of the image, they become another smiling face observing the moment like everyone else, rather than a looming face a few inches behind the couple.

This image has beautiful light created by just the right amount of cloud cover blocking the sun, an ideal setting that looks like it is straight out of a postcard for Naples, and an amazing couple that fits together perfectly. It still astounds us that this is what their actual first kiss looked like, as there is very little post production done to this image. We have seen people attempt to recreate moments with specific lighting or traveling to remote places in hopes of capturing a setting like this one. This couple would have had just as much fun if it were pouring rain or blindingly bright and hot, but we are so happy that they were able to enjoy such an amazing, cool, breezy Florida day.