I'm primarily known for the color in my wedding photos as clients tell me this all of the time. The majority of photographs I deliver to my clients are in color. However, black and white can be equally, if not more effective for certain images. For Kelly and Mat's wedding at Willow Harbor Vineyard in Michigan, the sense of drama of the overhead clouds lurking above the bride and groom was better served in black and white. The color version is very striking, but the romance brought out be eliminating the color and adding texture seemed to blend perfectly with the head to head embrace of the newlyweds.
A bride looks out the window of her parent's home just before leaving for her wedding in this sepia toned wedding photo.
The Getting Ready portion of the day is especially well served by black and white and sepia toned images. Jewelry especially can look very old world and make great additions to the wedding album.
The bride's bracelet shown in a sepia toned wedding photo.
The bride looks off in the distance surrounded by Illinois farmland.
Rural landscape scenes can look especially good in black and white. Whenever I decide to take away color in an image I never just simply desaturate for a boring, flat looking photograph. Every element of a black and white photograph has a color within it that can be brightened or darkened as well as texture and sharpening added.
The groomsmen in dark suits are especially good candidates for a high contrast image.
Groomsmen walk along the open farmland in Valparaiso, Indiana.
When I photographed Stacey and Steve's wedding at the old St. John the Evangelist Church in St. John, Indiana certain moments were perfect to bring out the vintage look and feel of black and white. The same thing as they waved from the limo as they exited the the church.
The groom helps the bride up from kneeling during their wedding ceremony at St. John the Evangelist Church.
Bride and groom wave from the limo as they exit their church in St. John, Indiana.
As I was photographing a summer wedding at Centennial Park last year, I wanted the shots we took on the golf course area to not look like a golf course. Don't get me wrong, for some playful shots we accented the golfing and those were great fun, but for the following image I wanted an "edge of the world" look and feel to it. This was best done in black and white. It feels like they are somewhere in a land unto themselves and certainly not a block off of busy Calumet Avenue.
The groom is about to kiss his new bride in this romantic black and white wedding photo.
A little brown tone for Fall is especially nice...
The groom dips his bride in front of Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana.
I don't offer any all black and white weddings although I'm open to the idea. However, I do offer The Chicago Sessions for engagement photos. Take a look at that if you are intrigued by an engagement session that has the look and feel of vintage street photography.
I'll leave you with two more black and white images to end today's post. The first is the beautiful Amanda done in an old world sepia tone with dark vignette and a fun one of the entire wedding party taking over the street in Three Oaks, Michigan. I hope you have enjoyed today's look at romantic black and white wedding photographs. I will be sure to post more in the weeks and months ahead as wedding season starts in earnest.
A sepia toned portrait of a bride on her wedding day.
The wedding party takes over the streets in Three Oaks, Michigan.
