A Slant on the Groomsmen Portrait, by Tomasz Wagner [Rf Photo of the Day]

Photo © Tomasz Wagner

Sometimes the greatest concepts are those we think of on the fly, as documentary wedding photographer and cinematographer Tomasz Wagner can attest. For this groomsmen photo, taken in Mitchell Island, British Columbia, “I didn’t come into the wedding day with this image or idea in mind,” says the 2015 30 Rising Star, “it was more or less a split-second decision. And I’m so glad these guys were all for trying it out.”

The decision and execution certainly paid off. Looking back, Wagner says he loves this photo for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a departure from his traditional candid, photojournalistic style, “not just because it required some staging and direction,” he says, “but because it’s decidedly different and a bit quirky.” Second, it was taken in a location that he describes as “not the most ideal conditions, but I made it work thanks to some light/shadow play, these angled trees, willing groomsmen (and a groom) and a lot of falling!”