If you’re from the Philadelphia area, at first glance, this image may appear to have been taken at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a popular location for Philadelphia wedding photography. However, upon a closer look, this building is much too grand to have been taken there. It was, in fact, taken on the steps of the Helsinki Parliament in Helsinki Finland.
Over the course of one’s wedding photography career, it’s natural to have a few favorite images that stand above others that have been created over time. As the years pass, new favorites take the place of old ones. This image is special because it was a wedding where I assisted a colleague — as a second shooter I was permitted the luxury of "taking chances" with creativity in mind, rather than taking on the responsibility of capturing the compulsory wedding photography images.
This photo brings back vivid memories of daylight until 11pm, crappy food where they creamed everything known to man, blonde people everywhere, and some seriously beautiful architecture that was spellbinding.
As I mentioned, I do often receive comments from brides and grooms that assume this was taken at the Art Museum. The immense columns do have a similar feel, but this building was so much larger that the Art Museum, you could probably multiple Philadelphia Art Museums inside this Helsinki Parliament building.
Location: Helsinki, Finland.
1/800; f/3.5; ISO 500; 75.0 mm.