3 minute read
WEDDING MAKERS
THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT PRODUCTS AND SKILLS WHO CAN HELP MAKE A COUPLE’S WEDDING DAY SPECIAL. IN THIS NEW SERIES FOR IDOWE PLAN TO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF THEM, BEGINNING WITH PHOTOGRAPHER DANIELLE CASSAR, ORIGINALLY FROM BRAZIL, NOW LIVING IN SLIEMA.
The Photographer
Ialways loved photography, but in Brazil I never thought of choosing photography as a career, in fact I studied law for three years. My interest in professional photography started after I had my first child,back in 2010. In 2012 after studying photography for a whole year without owning a good camera, I decided to invest in one.
My first wedding was in 2014. It was an elopement, and the couple, a visual effects supervisor and an artist, both from California, wanted me to photograph their special day.
I told them I had never photographed a wedding but they trusted me. Even after all these years, their wedding is still one of my favourites.
Today’s couples want candid photography (spontaneous) and photojournalism (pure or assisted). They always emphasise they do not want too many posed photos.
During the first meeting I ask couples about their wedding details such as location, times, and number of guests. I also ask them what they expect from their wedding photos. It is very important to meet them, even if it’s on a video call.
After our first meeting, I send the couple a questionnaire asking for all the details of the day, what shots they don’t want me to miss, the names of the bridal party, groomsmen, parents, and so on. This way when I arrive on the day, I will be familiar with the names and roles of each person, and that helps during the wedding. »
»If the wedding is in a place that I never photographed before, I visit the location before the wedding. Also if the wedding is happening in a church, I try to go and talk to the priest or the person responsible for the church, as each church has its own rules and I don’t want to arrive on the day and find out that I cannot use the flash in a dark church or be told off for going in the area around altar without permission.
Valletta is one of my favourite locations because you have typical Maltese architecture, the colourful balconies and doors, sea views... There are many beautiful places to photograph there, it’s quite impossible to get tired of it.
Another location that I think is so inspiring is Ghajn Tuffieha and its surroundings, especially during the golden hour!
For me it is important to capture impromptu moments because they tell the stories of that day. The mom and dad’s expressions when they see their daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. The groom waiting for the bride walking down the aisle, the faces, the laughs... When you look at those photos, it is when you get all those emotions back.
Formal pictures are usually requested by the parents so they can frame them.
Among the happiest and luckiest opportunities I’ve enjoyed while photographing weddings was one at the Saluting Battery in Valletta, the couple exchanged their vows, and during the first kiss a lot of onlookers started clapping and dozens of school girls cheered for them.
