Weddings at the Urban Outfitters Warehouse at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia are rare. There aren’t many events that take place there, but I had the opportunity to photograph one of the first only Navy Yard weddings with this terrific couple.
The Urban Outfitters Warehouse sits right next to this aircraft carrier, and I was thrilled to use it as a backdrop for a few bridal portraits. This photo is quite a bit different than other images I’ve made since the Navy doesn’t allow photographers to bring couples within the Navy Yard for wedding photos.
This is an image that I use in many photography seminars and workshops when I want to depict the look of lens compression. I made a photo before I made this one with a super wide-angle AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G and got very close to the subject. This made the aircraft carrier appear to be quite far off in the distance. When I switched to the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm VRII F2.8G and moved back several yards, I was able to compress the background and isolate the couple, making the ship appear much closer. Lens choice allows me to add impact to the photo, and I control my composition quite a bit easier with the use of a longer lens.
This photo scored 85 points at WPPI's annual 16x20 print competition in Las Vegas.
Location: Philadelphia, PA.
1/2500; f/3.2; ISO 400; 86.0 mm.