RF Wedding of the Week: Brooklyn Wedding at Galapagos Art Space, Photos by Isabelle Selby

Brooklyn residents among us know that it’s hard to walk through Brooklyn Bridge Park—pretty much any day of the week—without spotting a wedding (or an engagement shoot or a bridal portrait session). The backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline, with so many architectural elements and the added greenery of the recently renovated park, make it a prime location, capturing the je ne sais quoi of Brooklyn.

With that said, here’s one example from Isabelle Selby, a Brooklyn-based photographer specializing in capturing the creativity and esthetic of the borough. The couple, Mari and Max, were married smack dab in the middle of the Pier 1 boardwalk, with plenty of onlookers and family from around the world.

While the outside ceremony presented gorgeous weather, the dark, odd-shaped reception venue with no natural light held other challenges for Selby. She relied on her Canon 5D Mark II and III, plus a Speedlite 580EX 2. Second shooting the wedding was Danielle Rivera, an emerging shooter with a budding wedding business of her own. “Galapagos Art Space is a really interesting venue with the tables located on top of a ‘lake’ stage and a red and black color scheme, which makes it a cool space and also a very challenging venue for lighting!” Selby says.

“We relied on a few things to overcome the challenge of the dark room: high ISO, wide aperture and using our Speedlite 580EX-II and the bounce card. I love natural light and try to avoid flash if possible, which worked out great for the outdoor ceremony, but at this venue you really need to be comfortable with your flash. That being said, Galapagos is an art space, so the stage at the forefront has some amazing lights that you could take advantage of without your flash. I think it makes for a very dramatic moment when the spotlight is on the bride and groom as they are cutting their cake, or the lights catch some amazing dance moves.”

The day ended with a casual portrait session back outside.

Click here for more Weddings of the Week. Or email Jessica to submit one of your own.