Just before I retired, a colleague asked me to cover a wedding he had promised to do but was no longer free for. When I did retire, my wife and I carried on photographing a few weddings, often for a local photographic store when they were double-booked. We did this for a little over ten years. I don’t bother now - it’s exhausting following increasingly drunk people for some 12 hours.
When we were wedding photographers, we would sometimes shoot for a local wedding magazine. On one occasion, we were working in a North Devon coastal town called Westward Ho! The model in this picture is Chloe, with whom we worked on several occasions. She was also a surf life-saving instructor, so very happy to go into the sea for us to get something unusual. This is one example. I used a Nikon D3 with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. 1/320 @ f/9, 200 ISO.
5 comments posted
Barbara Asacker
Great composition, Robin. Nice job catching the wave as it broke and splashed over Chloe. I like the texture on the water. Good tonal variations. Her expression shows the excitement. Well done. Posted: 04/07/2026 18:41:51
Peter Elliston
Robin, this is a model shot with a difference and all the better for that. A strong powerful image and I really like the threat of the dark rocks and the incoming waves. Hope the water was not too cold but I guess she'd be used to it being a life-saving instructor! Posted: 04/08/2026 09:50:29
Kathleen McCrary
Robin--This is, indeed, a wedding photograph with a difference. The violence of the water, the treacherous rocks visible in the background, and the "bride's" obvious distress suggest a metaphor for marriage, I think. A very creative and unusual image. Nice job. Posted: 04/09/2026 16:40:04
Robin Mellor
Well Kathleen, you are the first to see the metaphor. Marriage does have its 'stormy waters'. Thank you. Posted: 04/09/2026 18:03:50
Maude Svensson
Oh what a dramatic and emotional image. To me, it is a perfect shot. How you have managed to freeze the closest waves with crashing foams flying around and still creating the sense of so much force and drama is admirable. And in addition to that, your model's gaze, facial expression, slightly downward bending body and bridal dress add to the drama. Hand-in-hand with all that, the tonal range from almost pitch-black rocks to her white dress amplifies drama and emotion. Very well done. Posted: 04/13/2026 19:02:06
