Amidst the last minute to-do’s and stomach-stirring anticipation of his wedding day, Andrew paces around his Collingwood home. Sunlight streams through the enormous windows and illuminates the room. Soon Andrew’s groomsmen will arrive and he will begin getting ready to make memories on his big day, and capture them on film for decades to come. But even before he slips on his tuxedo, adorns his lapel with a boutonniere, or even changes out of his t-shirt, a lifelong relationship is instantly captured.
As Andrew’s mom is about to leave to get ready, she is overcome with emotion and a tear rolls down her cheek. Immediately she wraps her arms around her son’s neck and embraces him. Arms entwined, cheeks pressed up against one another, Andrew and his mom share a loving embrace. When Toronto wedding photographer Paul Koziorowski of one² photography sees it unfold, he doesn’t hesitate. Quickly, he raises his camera shoots. And in that same instant, the lifelong bond between a son and his mom is recorded.
Now, rather than looking back at a staged pose in front of a gazebo, at the altar, or swaying on the dance floor, Andrew and his mom have a very real, poignant photograph to muse over. “It’s moments like this that I cherish,” explains Paul. “We all know about the bond between the father and his daughter...however, it is the bond between the mother and her son that quite often gets overlooked.” And Paul’s right—all too often, it is the bride and her father that steal the spotlight. But here, Paul has shed light on the intensity and depth of a relationship between a mom and her son.
Surely this gem of a photo would not have been possible if Paul was not prepared. But when the time came, he was ready, camera raised in anticipation. He explains, “This just shows how important it is to expect the unexpected and always be ready to photograph any moment. When I shoot, I observe the family and guests, see how they are interacting with one another and look for the pivotal moments and emotions.”
Paul’s methodology is flawless; after all, a wedding is all about people coming together and celebrating the happiest moment of their lives. Shots of decor and staged poses are welcome, but the real interactions between the bridal couple, family, and guests are what make a wedding memorable.
A practice Paul swears by is to never set the camera down. He reveals, “It’s always in my hands ready to shoot from the time I arrive to the time I depart. Often if I’m not actively shooting, my camera is pointing up, just in case, to never miss a shot.” It’s this skill and dedication that allowed Paul to capture the raw emotion between Andrew and his mom. Thanks to techniques like his, decades from now, when Andrew and his mom are thumbing through his photo album, the memory of that embrace will live on.
