Wedding photographer Ivan Luminaria on the example of a real Italian wedding, Elizabeth and Marco shares the secrets of wedding photography in Rome.
Elizabeth and Marco were looking for a photographer for their wedding via the Internet, as in principle, most modern lovers do, and came to the site www.LN-Photography.it. Our site has a mobile version for smartphones and tablet computers, this has played a positive role in the perception of information from Marco's phone. Oddly enough, it was Marco who made the choice in favor of our studio, although the bride usually chooses the photographer. I remember very well the day I received the first letter from Elizabeth. It was very sentimental and touched me to the core. Elizabeth said that since childhood she loves Italian films and music. Already from 13 years after watching the film Roman Holiday (Roman Holiday 1957) with Audrey Hepburn in the title role, she dreamed of visiting the Italian capital, and playing a wedding in Italy is incredible! She talked about plans for a celebration in the Eternal City of Rome.
When a month later Elizabeth and Marco arrived in Rome to settle some organizational issues, they also visited our studio. For an aperitif, namely with this procedure in Italy, they begin to get acquainted, we watched several wedding albums and videos. Communication and interaction with the couple before the wedding is very important.
This helps the photographer and young people get to know each other better and feel at home on the day of the photo shoot, as they say. I am sure that working in a team with young people is always the right decision!
Not a single wedding is complete without my assistant Mary, who is also my wife. Her presence is very important - it gives a feeling of comfort and confidence, because it not only helps me with the change of optics and light, but also suggests moments and details that should be paid special attention to.
Mary also always helps lovers with the choice of interesting places for a photo shoot.
At the wedding of Elizabeth and Marco in Rome, we took pictures from early morning until the last dance. Still, two eyes are good, and four see more. Every detail is important on this day, and a touching moment - a smile or tears of joy that will remind the young of their happy day, can happen at any moment. A professional photographer should always be on the alert so as not to miss out on anything important.
I love people, in particular women, their beauty. The body and face of a woman has always been and is the main object of photographs, paintings and sculptures by artists of all times, from ancient Greece to the present day. I love my work, and I am happy that I have the opportunity to photograph couples in love, on their honeymoon, to do photo shoots before and during the wedding, because in those days everyone is happy and full of positive emotions.
My father is a photographer, and since childhood I spent a lot of time with him in a dark room, showing pictures from our family’s summer trips. I also love to travel, like my father. I am a lover of change, I’m all curious, and I always crave knowledge. A passion for travel allows me to get to know new people and places on our planet. In wanderings, I discover a new way of life, traditions and new civilizations. After each trip, I also feel like a new person.
As soon as Elizabeth found out that I had been living in Madrid for a year, we began to conduct our conversations in Spanish. She was born in Spain and once went on a trip to Rome, where in one of the restaurants she met and fell in love at first sight with Marco. A year later, they decided to get married. In this case, a passion for travel has changed her life.
A little bit about the technical side of things, I think it will be useful for many novice photographers: For most of the photos at the wedding, we used the photojournalistic style. An ideal photograph should have a good exposure, composition and emotion. When these three elements coincide, photos are obtained that are not ashamed to hang on the wall.
Often we had to raise the ISO, as we prefer to use natural light, but where necessary, we used the flash. On a walk, we always try to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere so that the photos look natural.
Often in pursuit of stunning landscapes, at the request of clients, we go to photo shoots in Florence, Milan Tuscany, Pisa, Venice or where inspiration calls us. But since Marco Rome is a hometown, and Elizabeth, as mentioned above, adores the capital of Italy since childhood, it was decided to conduct both photo shoots in the Eternal City.
At the first photo shoot before the wedding, we agreed to meet in front of one of the seven modern wonders of the world, the Colosseum. Of course, this is a business card of Rome, and, perhaps, the whole of Italy.
In a metropolis like Rome, it is very important to choose the right time for the photo shoot. After consulting with Marco, who knew our hometown perfectly, we chose evening time - this allowed us to avoid traffic jams and also use the warm rays of the sun to get soft light in photographs ...
Pre-wedding filming is a great workout and often gives confidence to the bride and groom on their most important day. Most young people are not professional models or actors, and they encounter a professional photo shoot at their own wedding. In order to get the most winning shots, the photographer, of course, must be in harmony with the couple, as they say, on the same wavelength. The pre-wedding photo shoot of Elizabeth and Mark was a good experience for us and allowed us to get to know each other better. During the wedding day, they were completely relaxed, because they could already fully trust us.
For the wedding ceremony, Elizabeth and Marco chose the Church of St. Anne, which is located inside the Vatican. This unusually beautiful church has the shape of an ellipse and is the clearest example of Roman architecture of the late sixteenth century.
Of course, once in this dwarf city-state, we seized the opportunity and arranged a photo shoot in the fabulous Vatican Gardens, which offer some of the best views of the Italian capital.
After that, we walked along one of the main streets of Rome - Via dei Fori Imperiali (Via dei Fori Imperiali), passing near the Roman Forum. We also looked into the Basilica of San Clemente.
A visit to the church allows you to look into the Roman dungeon, as well as cool off on a hot day. Having a little rest, we decided to make a series of photographs at the Colosseum located very close by.
One of the interesting cases during the photo shoot is told by Ivan’s wife, Mary Luminaria: “There was one funny story with us during a wedding walk. In the center of Rome there are always tourists, and when we walked with a couple in the alley behind the Coliseum, we saw a young family. The child suddenly ran away from his parents, and they chased after him, leaving their camera on the bench.Knowing how important the memories of the journeys are, today everyone has at least one camera with them, at least in their mobile phones, and it would be a shame to lose the camera! P therefore, Ivan grabbed the left camera and caught up with his young parents. As it turned out, the child really liked the police horses and decided to get to know them better. It was an Egyptian family, but they spoke English and thanked Ivan. As a keepsake, he will invite them to make some professional snapshots".
In the evening after the wedding photo shoot, Elizabeth and Marco and I went for a walk in the historic district of Trastevere, where we stopped to eat pizza in one of the authentic Roman pizzerias.
It should be noted that Trastevere is a very special area of Rome, there are many restaurants here, and if you want to try real Italian cuisine, as well as chat with the local population, you will not find a better place. This is one of the first places to go to understand the spirit of Italians.
Photographer in Rome Ivan Luminaria specifically for the site italy4.me
