One of Christina + Ryan's only requests for their portraits was to incorporate the beautiful stained glass windows of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Palm Beach Gardens. As soon as the ceremony ended and we saw the heavenly light streaming through the windows we knew precisely where we should begin their stained glass portraits! The symmetry of the three pointed windows combined with the pews set at an angle, with leading lines that draw your attention directly to the centered couple, keep this composition graphically interesting, while the rainbowed reflection on the tops of the pews is a subtle additional graphical element. We loved the sprawling branches of the stained glass tree reaching out and over Christina + Ryan, sheltering their new marriage; compositionally this also gives weight and strength to the right side of the image (Ryan's side), while the Christina's side positively glows with light and optimism.
St. Patrick's is one of the most beautiful churches in Palm Beach County, and we've found that their clergy and staff are kind and interested in the people getting married in their church. We highly recommend this church for traditional Catholic weddings in Palm Beach Gardens, particularly because of the beautiful lines, combination of light and dark elements within the church, and most importantly because of our relative freedom to move around during the ceremony without being restricted to one position for the duration. The beautiful and bright daylight is a rarity in South Florida churches (we speculate that hurricane insurance is probably cheaper for churches with smaller windows), and it can make all the difference in the world for your photographers to be able to use natural light rather than relying on flash or dealing with flickering florescent lighting.
Location: 13591 Prosperity Farms Rd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410.
1/2000; f/2.0; ISO 800; 35.0 mm.