Over the years I’ve photographed many different vehicles at weddings; Rolls Royce’s, Bentleys, a smattering of Beetles and Morris Minors. Even a helicopter one time. Never though, had I seen a bride and groom arrive at their reception in a near 50 year old Land Rover. That was until Vicki & Charlie’s wedding near Thorpeness on the Suffolk coast.

This image is one that always prompts a smile. It contains a mix of elements which work brilliantly together – composition, light, colour, texture and spontaneity. Want to know more…?

• composition – the tyre tracks of the lane draw the eye on a journey through the image from bottom left, up to the right where they linger on the Land Rover then on to the faces of the passengers. The trees on the right form a natural border to keep the viewers eye in the image. The angle of view also subtly adds something here – I was kneeling down at radiator grille level to take this shot which emphasises the height of Vicki & Charlie in the frame.

• light – the soft, hazy, Suffolk seaside light from the left means everyone has their eyes open and there’s no hard shadow.

• color – the blue of Charlie’s cravat and Vicki’s flowers really pop against the muted greens and browns.

• texture – the bracken on the left, the leaves on the right and that iconic Land Rover grille all create visual interest.

• spontaneity – by the bucket load. Viki & Charlie had transferred from their car which brought them from nearby Glemham Hall where they had the ceremony into the Land Rover for the final part of the journey. I had no idea this would happen and was patiently waiting to grab a shot of them on arrival when the appeared around a bend accompanied by whoops and a revving engine.

Like most of my favourite photos, this image is all about being present within the day and reacting to moments which best sum up each couples unique view of their wedding.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at this post – why not check out more of the Talking Pictures series or have a wander through the Journal to see recent sets of wedding photographs