This image of Brittany and Greg, married March 11, 2006 is one of my personal favorites. This shot came about because of some advanced scouting I did at the Celebration Hotel, the location for this wedding and reception. The entire affair was going to be at night so I knew I needed to get a bit creative with the shots we did post-ceremony.

This phone booth was actually the first thing I saw when I parked my car along the street leading up to the hotel. I was immediately reminded of my "Brit" wife and my trip to London several years ago. I knew right then and there that I would have to find a way to coerce this couple into this booth for a shot. The only problem was that it was going to be cramped and probably a bit dirty. I knew I ran the risk of Brittany saying no when I asked her to get in.

Not this bride! As with a lot of my brides, Brittany was brave and all about getting the best, most fun shots possible so she didn't hesitate to pull Greg into the booth. What I didn't realize was how hot it would be in there. Within minutes, as my assistant and I frantically worked to get the lighting set up, they began to sweat. I knew I didn't have time for the lighting I wanted to do so I just abandoned the lights and switched to using the light that was available, which wasn't much. I had to shoot with a slow shutter speed so they had to hold VERY still. Luckily for me, I was using a tripod, which is rare (I like to be free to move a lot) and everything came together to make a very romantic, unique shot.

The way the elements of planning, chance and a willing bride and groom came together to make this shot is a pretty good representation of how I like to work. I plan and prepare as much as possible but I often fall back on experience and "gut instinct" to improvise when I need to in order to make the best images possible.

In the end, Brittany and Greg loved this shot and that's really the ultimate reward for me.

-Robert