Iceland, October, minus eleven degrees Celsius outside. A bride and groom stand shivering in front of a geyser that is supposed to spew hot water at regular intervals. The bride is still wrapped in thick blankets, but since the first bubbling gasp of the geyser, she and her husband have been photogenically moved into shooting position by Kerstin and Paul Rockstein. A fountain of water shoots into the air, the geyser erupts. Within a very short time, the entire production team is standing in dense fog. The bride and groom are now only dimly visible, hot water vapour immediately freezes into icicles on the lenses and cameras in view of the bitterly cold outside temperature. All smartphones have already switched off automatically. Are the pictures of the day unusable under these conditions?

Quite the opposite! The fog chaos brings a real surprise for the bridal couple and the two photographers: the shadowy pictures of this shoot have a very special charm and in one of the series of pictures taken here there is the perfect moment in which the bridal couple is enveloped by the fog but still recognisable. The lesson from this story? Wedding photographers should be prepared for anything in unique situations - and shoot them in continuous shooting mode.

Anyone who photographs weddings full-time has a lot to talk about after a few years and a few hundred celebrations. The "most beautiful day of life" is - for the bride and groom as well as for the photographers - not only long, but often tightly timed and full of unexpected moments. The difference between a good wedding photographer and a very good one is that the latter manages to get the best pictures out of these unexpected situations.

Kerstin and Paul Rockstein have photographed weddings as a team under the most diverse conditions at home and abroad. They are looking for the special challenge - and accept some requests that other wedding photographers would turn down.

We're going out there and getting some action!

One of the Rocksteins' favourite subjects are flashed shots at night, preferably in the rain. Why? Each flashed raindrop becomes visible in the image as a small glowing dot, turning the entire subject into a single starry sky. The only problem is: what to do when it's not raining? This is exactly what happened to a bride and groom who got married at Gut Ringelsbruch in Paderborn. The nightly rain pictures had been firmly planned, the weather forecast had predicted precipitation, it was supposed to rain in the evening. Only: the rain did not come. Kerstin and Paul felt that with the glittering raindrops the last bit of magic was missing from the picture. Finally, they had the brilliant idea. "We went to the bar and asked for two water bottles with really big bubbles. We pushed those into the hands of the somewhat astonished groomsmen and said, 'We're going to go out there and get some action!" Open the bottles, put your thumb on it, shake it and the perfect shower was created. The "spray" went down so well that now the wedding guests were also asking for similar pictures and water bottles had to be reordered again. And in addition to the actual bridal couple pictures, great making-of shots were created, which are still among the absolute highlights for the bridal couple and the photographers.

Practical tips: An "engagement shoot" beforehand

Of course, it is not only these unique stories that are remembered. There are also recurring situations that photographers can use to optimise their workflow and thus significantly reduce stress for the bridal couple. For example, Kerstin and Paul almost only offer their wedding photos in combination with an engagement shoot, i.e. a pre-shoot. Why? This helps the bride and groom to get involved with the photographers without time pressure and to find the best poses in advance.
Also very important, especially for the bride: eat and drink enough! Because a fainting spell during the shoot is also part of the Rocksteins' experience.

On 14 October, the Creative Content Conference will provide professional photographers and content creators with more exciting insights on the topic of wedding photography in the inspiring environment of PHOTOPIA Hamburg (13.-16.10.22).

The photographers: Kerstin and Paul Rockstein have been photographing weddings professionally since 2014.
The wedding photographer couple specialises in weddings abroad and adventurous "after wedding shoots". With their team, they recently opened a "Wedding Loft" in Wuppertal.

More info at
www.rockstein-fotografie.de
info@rockstein-fotografie.de
Insta: www.instagram.com/rockstein.fotografie/