Alyssa and Jared were married at the Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple.  It was a bit cold and rainy on their wedding day, which meant umbrellas and jackets, but it was a beautiful day and the rain never plagued us for long.  Here are a few of my favorite images from the wedding.

This first portrait of the bride is quite serious, but I think it is also very strong, so with that strong gaze, I figured the best way to compliment that would be with a strong black and white treatment.

Notice, this black and white treatment is softer, more classic.  That is because the warmth of their smiles inspire a much softer mood.  It is my goal to match the treatment of a photo with the mood or the message of the image itself.

I have to admit, I have photographed weddings at the Arizona LDS Temple too many times throughout my life.  And for that matter, there are a number of venues I have photographed over and over again.  The questions is, how do you keep yourself engaged and interested as you photograph the same thing for the 100th time.  You have to somehow keep it all fresh and do something a little different.  For those who do not know the LDS or Mormon faith, the Temple is a very important place and being married in a Temple is more important that almost anything else.  So a mormon couple will always have a photo of the temple they were married in hanging in their home to remind them of the importance of their marriage covenants they made to each other.

So every time I shoot an LDS wedding, I try very hard to take a few cool architectural shots of the temple for the couple.  But when you shoot at the temple over and over again, you run the risk of photographing it the same way as last time.  So I work very hard to do something new each time.  It keeps me on my toes and stretches my creativity.  It’s a good activity to sharpen the creative tool set.

The sky was flat overcast, so I needed something to fill the void and help frame the Temple.  So I took a stroll under the trees.  I like what I got, then I went for an older look with grain and a bit of yellowing in the paper.  I think this temple looks very nice as a historical artifact.

I just love this shot.  “I’m singin’ in the rain…”

This was a nice playful moment I was happy to have been ready to grab when it happened.

This image is taken with one soft box off to the right and above the camera.  That flash is filling the shadows.  Without the flash, the two of them would be in their own deep shadow, as the sun is behind them, behind some thick clouds.  I was pleased with the way this image turned out.

I loved this idea for a quick into to the couple’s love story.  It was a little decor chalk board.  What a great way to tell the story in a very quick way and make a decoration at the same time.

She just ate an entire cupcake in one gulp.  Looks like I caught her red handed.

This was a very sweet moment between the grand-parents.

I just love the the shadows and shapes in this image.  It is a rich, contrasty image by design to accentuate the lines that make up their dancing embrace.

I enjoyed making this image.  We used the opposite pillars as very tall and skinny soft boxes.  They worked quite well.  We simply too out 600RT Speedlite flashes and aimed away from the couple into the pillars opposite the pillars you see in the photo.  I love the richness in the photo, the darkness and the mood.

It is always such an honor to photograph a wedding.  Thank you Jared and Alyssa for trusting us with your wedding.

Wedding Photography by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Location: Mesa Arizona LDS Temple

Slideshow Music, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music