While my studio is primarily based in New York, I often travel to Philadelphia to photograph weddings. It’s no secret that the Park Hyatt Bellevue is one of my favorite venues in Philadelphia. Oozing with old-world charm this excellent hotel has wonderful light for getting-ready images and portraits.I am often asked how I made this image...did I use a prism? Did I have mirrors? Was this something that I brought with me, or found in the location itself on the wedding day?At this lovely autumn wedding the bride had gotten ready in her suite and we ventured to the nineteenth floor, just outside the Rose Ballroom, for her portraits alone. The bride and groom had opted to not see each other before their wedding ceremony and I loved getting this time alone with her for some relaxed images.I set the scene for this portrait by asking the bride to stand close to the window. The second I set her in place her bridesmaids swooped into action, fluffing her train and fixing her veil. Instead of sitting back and waiting for them to finish so that I could get back to the portrait session, I decided to make an image out of the moment.Without stopping the action I noticed a mirrored ottoman sitting on the ground on the opposite side of the room. I flipped the ottoman onto its’ side and realized that when I got very close to the surface of the mirrors that I saw the scene duplicated three times. I used a wide angle lens to get all of the reflections neatly into my final image.I love this sweet moment between the bride and her bridesmaids and I especially love the creativity of the composition - something I’m always striving for with every wedding that I photograph!
