street photography

My kind of wedding photography

in

I love photographing weddings, but I neither pretend nor aspire to be a specialist wedding photographer.

The specialists usually photograph only weddings. Shoots at the agreed locations are planned to the last detail, often based on a portfolio of previous photos, or of ones that their clients have found online – the sunset kiss, the dress, the rings, the bouquet toss, and so on. They may bring stylists and lighting assistants. In case of doubt, they will get the couple and their guests to ‘do another take’, replaying the moment until they’re sure they have the perfect, Instagram-worthy image. They charge a lot.

If that’s what they are into, good luck to them. Some make a very good living, I’m told. And good luck to their clients, if that’s the kind of wedding photos they want.

AI-generated wedding photos, anyone?

But sorry, it isn’t my thing at all. And if a couple comes to me and I sense that’s what they are looking for, I politely suggest they find someone else. For me, living a wedding ought to take priority over photographing it. And I really believe that the only wedding photographs of true, lasting value are ones that capture fleeting moments of spontaneous emotion, rather than those that conform to a preconceived idea. I mean, why not go all the way, and get AI to produce the wedding album without the bother of having an actual ceremony at all?

Three weddings, no funeral

This summer, I photographed three absolutely lovely weddings. All three couples assured me that what they really wanted was images that caught the feelings of the event, produced by the unpredictable chemistry between the friends and family members present. Two of them, in fact, told me that my street photography was a key factor in their decision to work with me. Of course, in each case, we did make some posed group photos. And of course I took care to get nice shots during the exchange of vows, and the exchange of rings.

But if I look back at the images from those three wonderful wedding days, the ones that best meet the clients’ briefs were unplanned – could not have been planned, as a matter of fact.

I, too, lived those days intensely. I took a lot of photos, as I always do. And from time to time what I saw through my viewfinder was genuine, no-kidding magic.

2023 Calendar

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2022 has been another exceptional year, with great light, lovely people, some exciting new equipment, and a huge variety of work – almost more of it than could be fitted into 365 days. I’m still loving every single job all the way from planning to delivery, still learning something new each time, and still improving my craft.

My calendar for the year ahead, featuring the pick of my images from the last 12 months, has been printed and I have started to distribute copies to friends and family. As a thank you to all my clients, as I’ve done in previous years I’m sharing the selected photos publicly here, with brief descriptions and technical details.

Cover

At an exhibition of my neighbourhood street portraits in Schaerbeek, 24 September 2022. People loved finding faces that they recognised, and sometimes their own.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.0, ISO 1600

January

A runner in the Brussels 20 km race, 29 May 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 300 mm f/2.8 lens, 1/750 sec at f/4.0, ISO 1600

February

Studio portrait of a young girl against a white backdrop, Brussels, 11 January 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/8.0, ISO 64

March

‘Noir’-style studio portrait of the young Belgian actor, Gianni Guettaf.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4 lens, 1/1000 sec at f/2.4, ISO 64

April

Percussion workshop for primary schoolchildren, Ixelles, 28 April 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24 mm f/2.4 lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.4, ISO 800

May

Tomato farmer Kris De Weerdt in his greenhouses, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, 28 October 2021.
Nikon D850, Samyang 14mm f2.4 lens, 1/250 sec at f/4.0, ISO 200

June

Child playing in the grounds of a Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) housing complex in Molenbeek, 26 March 2022
Nikon D850, Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/6.7, ISO 64

July

Swedish secondary school graduate, Brussels, 22 May 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/8.0, ISO 64

August

A young friend and her newborn baby, Brussels, 25 May 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4 lens, 1/180 sec at f/4.8, ISO 400

September

Folk dance participants, Brussels, 30 October 2021.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.0, ISO 6400

October

Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) resident, Molenbeek, 26 March 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 800

November

Bassist Denis Van Der Brempt playing at a jazz jam, Loonbeek, 20 May 2022.
Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 lens, 1/250 sec at f/1.7, ISO 2500

December

Girls at a demonstration

Girls on a demonstration, Brussels, 20 March 2022.
NIKON D850, Samyang 14mm f2.4 lens, 1/500 sec at f/6.7, ISO 1100