This New York City courthouse was packed with hundreds of couples waiting to be married, says photographer Daniel Orren, who patiently waited in the dim lighting with this couple just before they tied the knot. And while that may seem like a major downer for a wedding photographer, Orren says he used the time wisely to test his creative chops.

“I had to think outside the box for this photo,” he explains. “I chose to do a multiple exposure in camera, which gave me a lot more texture in the image.” The first photo he took was of the defocused courthouse lights, and then he centered his lens on the couple. Since the tint of the courthouse lights wasn’t ideal for his exposure, Orren chose to produce the photo in black and white.

“I still can’t believe I took this shot,” he says, celebrating the fact that it earned him a first-place win in the 2017 Rangefinder Wedding Photography competition (entries are now open for 2018.) “Every time I see it, I’m stunned at how raw the moment was and how in love they are. I didn’t pose them. I simply asked that they stand in one spot, and their chemistry did the rest.”

(Captured using a Canon 1DX and a Sigma 50mm Art lens.)

Photo © Daniel Orren

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