“Close to five decades have passed since I was married. We had a big wedding, four bridesmaids & a complement of groomsmen, a banquet afterward, flowers, band, huge multi-tiered cake, the works. The wedding photographer put all of the photos into a book. After a while, that book was put away & forgotten. It’s now locked into storage.
My granddaughter, T, was married in May 2012 to the love of her life, M. It was intimate, enchanting & perfect with enough saved for a fabulous honeymoon on Kawaii. (Initials used to protect their privacy.)
Only those closest helped celebrate the occasion. This time, I was the wedding photog with my trusty Olympus digicam. I’ve been taking photos of her since she was a baby, (most of these montages are in the book) so it was a natural progression.
T was absolutely gorgeous in a strapless knee-length lace dress with her hair formed into a 40s style curly bun to one side, glittering platform heels, carrying a bouquet of flaming red roses. M looked handsome in his off-white suit & tie.
The advantage to my capturing the momentous event was that I knew the kind of pics that would make a stunning Montage Mirage. I wanted close-ups as well as long shots of the wedding supper, in a fine nearby restaurant & the outside group waiting for arrivals. Plus, I could resize them for the best fit.
After editing & emailing them to the newlyweds & family, I printed them on matte stock to design a wedding montage. (Matte makes it easier to take pics without reflection from the flash.) Knowing that T loves the landscaped green spaces in her apartment complex, complete with pools, fountains & bridges, I used them as background along with K’s serene gardens where I snapped T prior to the nuptials. The ladies prepared at K’s home, M’s mom, the guys at the apartment.
The largest full length & close-ups of the bride & her groom are arranged in a diagonal from the left bottom to the top right where it cascades into smaller pics of the group & couple. The supper forms the base then, a winding path through manicured grass signifies the path they’re walking together. Two fountains are visible behind them. A smaller shot of me with T is in the lower right-hand corner, my signature photo.
The result is a totally unique wedding album contained in one charming Photo Tapestry proudly displayed on their wall where it can be enjoyed & admired by all.”
– Gwen Sarandrea
Montage Mirage Photo Tapestries 