Based in Vienna, Austria, Mati of Mati Photography was asked to photograph a tiny ceremony at the nearby Laxenburg castles, with just him, the couple, the groom’s brother and the maid of honor. The weather held up beautifully for the ceremony, but after vows were exchanged, rings were placed and Mati was about to begin a post-ceremony portrait session, the skies threatened rain. “Out of nowhere,” he recalls, “the sun battled through the gray clouds and I saw this unique tunnel of light, framed by some trees. Wicked!”

Mati says he shoots “almost exclusively” with natural light and particularly likes backlighting his couples with the sun. He had just a few minutes to make this portrait session work before the sun would disappear again, so he quickly positioned the newlyweds in the rays of light.

“I do not remember exactly who had the idea, but we tried to imitate the legendary Dirty Dancing jump,” Mati says. “I think the two succeeded in their individual way. Since I wanted to freeze the movement, I chose a shutter speed of 1/500. I created a kind of silence in the picture, and now it looks like a statue that stands there for eternity, full of strength, affinity and love. Maybe a good print for their living room.”

(Shot with a Nikon D750 and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens at f/1.8 and 1/500 sec.)

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