On a wedding day, the method of transportation is an integral part of the story. For wedding and elopement photographers, a plane, train, or car can often serve as inspiration and a storytelling tool. This week, we highlight five photographs inspired by classic cars and even airplanes in stunning work by Lize Leach, Rose Groves, Mady Tompkins, Benjamin Edwards, and Mark Keogh. 

Lize Leach, Boundless Hearts Photo 

This vintage VW Beetle helped shield the couple from the wind during a cold winter wedding. Lize Leach of Boundless Hearts Photo was inspired by the deep red interior that matched the bride’s lipstick as well as how the small space gave the scene a more intimate feel. The close confines of the Beetle car made getting the shot a challenge, but Leach found perching in the corner of the door worked well. A 50mm lens created a close crop that added to the intimate feel, mounted on the Canon 6D. 

“I have a deep love for all things retro/vintage and just loved how intimate the small space was in the back and how perfectly it would frame their little love bubble,” she said. 

Rose Groves, Matlai Photography 

The snowy mountains and blue sky mirror the bride’s blue eyes as she looks out the window of a small float plane in an image captured by Rose Groves of Matlai Photography. Groves says she was inspired by the bride’s look of wonder as she experienced several things for the first time, including experiencing Alaska, seeing a glacier, and riding a float plane. Groves captured the shot during an Alaskan elopement with the Canon R5 and a 15-35mm f2.8 lens. 

“What I love about this photo is you can get an idea of how small it is inside the plane, and how close together everyone was,” she said. “For this elopement, it was just me and the couple and our pilot, so it really was a unique and intimate experience. The biggest challenge to this photo is that if you are familiar with float planes, they are extremely lightweight. This means that for any significant gust of wind, the plane can wobble a bit. So, getting a steady moment over my shoulder proved a bit challenging! Especially since I have a small fear of heights, so when that plane rocked it was moderately terrifying.” 

Mady Tompkins, Mady Noel Photography 

When her engaged friend wanted to do a retro-themed shoot, Mady Tompkins of Mady Noel Photo embraced the idea with a shoot at an ice-skating rink. When another friend offered his vintage car, it fit right into the feel of the entire shoot. Tompkins captured this shot with the Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 35mm f1.4 L II. 

“I love photographing people in cars, but it’s hard,” she said. “It feels like your lens is never wide enough or the car is never big enough to get the angles and composition you want. That’s sort of how this photo happened. I realized to get anything good, I’d have to keep the door open and shoot from the sides. It wasn’t a perspective that first comes to mind, but it was my favorite one we got that day.” 

Benjamin Edwards, Benjamin Edwards Photography 

While this Ford Thunderbird car was part of several portraits on this couple’s wedding day, before the bride and groom headed in to dance, photographer Benjamin Edwards (@benjaminedwards) asked if he could take one more shot with the drone. The photographer was inspired by the car’s classic interior as well as the bride’s dress and florals and knew an aerial shot would highlight those features. He captured the shot with the DJI Air 2s, with editing in Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. 

The shot, however, wasn’t without its challenges. “We had used the drone for various images throughout the day and the battery was exhausted,” he explained. “I captured this as the drone was descending and was able to safely land in the outstretched arm of my son and second shooter, Parker.” 

Mark Keogh, Mark Keogh Photography 

Sometimes, wedding shots of automobiles and airplanes result from extensive planning, other times from an instant of inspiration. When photographer Mark Keogh (@markeoghphotography) spotted this seaplane — a rarity in Scotland — he asked the pilot if he could use the plane for five minutes between loading and unloading passengers — and the pilot happily agreed. During that limited time frame, Keogh captured this stunning image, using the Sony a7 III and a 35mm lens. 

“I am always looking for something unique, you don’t get many seaplanes in Scotland, and when I discovered one situated within Loch Lomond, I seized my opportunity for an interesting image,” he said. 

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more timeless photos, eye-catching wedding photos and portraits. Submit your wedding, editorial, documentary and other interesting imagery to: hillary.grigonis@emeraldx.com.

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