Weddings are filled with emotion—joy, excitement, love, and sometimes, tears. As a wedding photographer, one of the most profound parts of my job is being able to capture these raw moments, especially when they’re unexpected, when they reveal the depth of a relationship or the unspoken feelings that make a wedding day so unique.
One particular moment that I’ll never forget happened at a wedding I shot a few years ago. It was an intimate moment between a father and his young son, though it was brief, it spoke volumes and instantly became one of the photos I love.
I captured the image in black and white, allowing the emotions in the photograph to take center stage. The absence of color emphasized the rawness of the moment.
As a wedding photographer, photographing moments like these can be tricky. While there’s a natural instinct to capture every tear, every expression of joy or sorrow, there’s a balance I have to strike. People often don’t want to be seen crying in public, and it’s easy to misinterpret a tearful moment as something negative. But in my experience, tears are not just about sadness. They’re an expression of how much something truly matters—whether it’s joy, nostalgia, or the weight of the promises being made.
Crying during a wedding can be beautiful, because it shows vulnerability, connection, and the depth of emotion that this day stirs. Sometimes those moments are fleeting, and sometimes they’re hidden behind a quick smile or a brush of the hand across a cheek. But as a photographer, I believe it’s my job to notice those moments and to document them—not just for the couple, but for everyone who will look at the photo years down the road.
Tears are a reminder of what weddings are about: love, commitment, family, and the promise of a future together. When I see someone tear up at a wedding, I don’t shy away from it. I embrace it. It’s a testament to how deeply this day resonates with them.
Why Black and White Matters
I chose to shoot this particular moment in black and white because of the way it stripped the scene of any distractions. Without the pop of color from the wedding décor or the bright hues of guests’ attire, the focus is entirely on the father and son. The contrast between the light and shadows brings out the emotion in the hug, making it timeless.
Black-and-white photography has a way of distilling an image down to its purest form. It enhances the emotion, removing the visual noise so that the viewer can focus on what truly matters—the relationship between the people in the photo. In this case, it’s the unspoken connection between a father and his son, the love, the pride, and the quiet comfort of a hug shared at the most important moment of their lives.
The Importance of Capturing These Moments
There’s something special about seeing a photograph from a wedding years later. It brings you right back to the feelings of that day, the love, the excitement, and the tears. These moments that might seem small at the time—a father hugging his son, a quiet tear falling from a mother’s eye, a glance shared between the couple—become some of the most cherished memories over time.
As a wedding photographer, my job is not just to document the day but to capture the essence of it. Those fleeting moments of raw emotion are just as important as the big, show-stopping shots. Because it’s in these moments that the true heart of a wedding lies.
So, while it may be tricky to photograph someone in tears, I’ve learned that it’s these moments that add weight to the story I’m telling through my lens. They’re not just about sadness or vulnerability—they’re about connection, about the love that makes a wedding so powerful and transformative.
And when you look back at a photograph of a little boy being hugged by his dad, long after the wedding day has passed, you don’t just see a moment in time. You feel the love that defined that day, and you remember the importance of capturing even the smallest, quietest moments. Because in those moments, the heart of the wedding is revealed.