What better place to shoot a wedding than in a resort town? For London-based destination photographer Motiejus Salkauskas, covering Karolina and Martyn’s wedding in their home country of Lithuania got even better when he found out it would take place in Nida, a small resort town with approximately 1,500 residents located on the Curonian Spit, between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. “From a photography point of view, it’s an absolute dream,” says Salkauskas, “where you have sea on one side, and lots of forests, dunes and a lagoon on the other side. If you ever end up traveling to Baltic countries, this is a place not to be missed for sure.”

All Photos © Motiejus Salkauskas

The wedding itself was a small and intimate affair with 50 guests, which the photographer says allowed him “to really integrate and feel the atmosphere and focus on people and emotions while documenting it.” The obstacle for him, however, was the light that was constantly changing throughout the festivities. That, and the logistics of the portrait session locations.

“Even in a small town,” he says, “traveling from different locations was quite a challenge in order to make sure we stuck with a timetable. We had spent no more than 5 or 10 minutes in each place and really needed to be quick and efficient. Luckily, I had worked with the couple before so we knew exactly what we are doing.”

And then there was the “crazy idea” to hire a white horse, who, as it turns out, wasn’t the calmest animal. “He really made us scared,” Salkauskas recalls. “But we got out of it alive, and it was definitely worth the effort. As for the rest day itself, it was a magical and very emotional day to capture, and I stayed dancing with the couple until early morning hours.”

GEAR OF THE DAY

Cameras: Canon 5D Mark III (x2)

Lenses: Canon 24mm f/1.4, Canon 35mm f/1.4, Canon 85mm f/1.4

Lighting: Canon Speedlites (x2), MagMod flash modifiers

VENDOR CREDITS

Florist: www.isdeco.lt

Venue: www.nidus.lt

Makeup: Face Poetry (https://www.facebook.com/PoetryOnFace/)

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