North Carolina Wedding – Black and White Photography

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything wedding related, which is odd since that’s what a lot of my time is dedicated too. I’ve fallen back in love with black and white photography lately so figured I’d post all monochromatic (five-syllable Andrew Bird way of saying it) shots mainly in the photojournalist style. Moments like these define a wedding for me, and as much as I love color, stripping it away often leaves nothing but that pure emotion. Not every photo looks great in b+w, and I notice while editing that b+w can potentially make a decent photo look kind of … boring. I don’t typically shoot with the intention of making a photo b+w, but sometimes while shooting I’ll know on the spot what will make a good monochromatic image. And sometimes I’m wrong because my first name is not Ansel.

So here are some of my favorite images from Jen and Phil’s recent wedding in North Carolina.

Bride gets ready

Groom reflectionCeremony siteNC weddingBrideMoment between bride and groomChild at weddingblack and white portraitNC wedding photojournalistSaturday Night FeverCreative wedding photographyNC wedding photoBride and groom

Sunset at High Hampton Inn Wedding in Cashiers, NC

This photo is from a wedding in October at High Hampton Inn in Cashiers, North Carolina. The whole day, up to this point, it was overcast and threatening to rain. Thankfully it never rained and the cloudy atmosphere was quite pleasant and provided a nice diffused light for photos of the ceremony. Right after the ceremony the sky surprised us and turned an amazing hue of pink, red, and orange; I took several different portraits of April and Jeff during this surreal sunset. This shot is my favorite of the bunch.

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Photo from Biltmore Estate Wedding in Asheville, NC

Setting the scene with a wide shot is an important part of wedding photography. Each shot tells the story of the wedding and if I didn’t have that wide shot to establish the surroundings then all those great close-up moments would lack context. That isn’t to say a close-up photo needs to be side by side with a wide shot to make sense, but for the wedding couple’s book or photo slideshow, it’s essential.

Here is a wide shot I took at a Biltmore Estate wedding last year. The Biltmore Estate is a popular tourist destination here in Asheville, NC and is a fairy-tale setting for weddings. It’s also a photographer’s paradise!

Biltmore Estate Wedding - Asheville photographer

Camera/lens info: Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens (I’ve parted with both… to upgrade)

Asheville wedding photographer