An Italian black and white Leica Wedding
Let's go to Italy. I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for a long time now.
The last time I wrote a blog post was in January. The last time I wrote a serious blog post was in November of 2023. With a move from Tennessee back to Los Angeles and a surprising creative slump, I have not been in the right mood to write.
I’m slowly getting back to it, especially in the social media realm, where I took a wonderful break for a considerable amount of time (sounds like that could be its own post). I started a wedding photography IG account: LINK
Weddings have always been a safe place for me to push myself creatively in photography while also giving a gift to people only I can give. In the last year, I've felt like my wedding game has stepped up considerably. And exactly one year ago there was a wedding that was incredibly special to me, in Sicily.
Gianluca... a student of mine through our Photography Master Class asked me to come shoot his wedding.
How could I turn him down? He surprised me with another talented student of ours that he had become close to - Veronica (Very for short). They both picked me up from the airport with Photo and Friends hats, it actually got me feeling the feels. Very continued to shoot some BTS of us throughout the whole weekend.
This was the second international wedding I have shot. While the color photos look fantastic... especially here in Sicily, there will always be something about the black and white photos that add even more emotion.
I love the way you have to study the photo just a little bit more to take everything in, rather than rely on color. The contrast of the image makes the subjects pop a little bit more. The range of blacks and whites adds an already mystic fine art look that instantly has you feeling like something special is happening.
When you add in the candid delight of family and friends genuinely enjoying and celebrating the people they love… it’s hard to beat. Each face is feeling something. Each frame has an emotion connected to the whole.
Every single person at this wedding made me feel like I was part of their family. My cameras being there felt like an extension of another family member or friend. This meant that almost everyone got to be themselves and didn’t have to worry about posing or being "on" for the cameras.
Most of my favorites came from the Leica Q2, of course. The f1.7 focus fall off always makes things look like real life to me. The SL2s was no slouch though - that Leica 24-70 2.8 is the best mid-range zoom on the market as far as I can tell. Shooting a wedding on the Leica system may not be the fastest, but it looks the most compelling.
At the end of the day, the black and white for me adds that little extra bit of essence and love.
Gianluca’s wedding will always be one of my absolute favorite weddings to have been a part of.
