An architectural Sydney wedding at the Opera House: by Benedict Sutton

The Gear and Details

Cameras
Canon R5
Canon R6
Contax G2 with 45mm f2 and 28mm f2.8
Pentax 645 with 75mm f2.8

Lens
Canon 28 to 70mm f2L

Flash
Godox AD100Pro
Godox V1C

Coverage
2 photographers
10 hours

Photographer: Benedict Sutton

‘Behind the Image’
Awaiting the guests arrival, the fabulous Zoe was showing off the world-class acoustics of the Opera House. I wanted to capture this calm, serenading moment in its entirely. I opted for a medium format frame, as I’ve come to learn that to best portray a scene of this nature, there needs to be a certain level of impact, Immersiveness. The three-dimensional quality of medium format film is unbeatable.

Setting the Scene

“I loved how the ceremony space was used as the centre point for the whole event, transforming into the dance floor after dinner.

The large native floral arrangement matched the scale of the room perfectly, giving it an almost otherworldly yet intimate quality without feeling overdone. Nicholas and Klaus let the space do most of the talking.

The native greens paired perfectly with the purple and magenta carpet. These colours created an amazing harmony, as they should, being complementary colours.”

Getting Ready

“Nicholas and Klaus got ready together at home, in the house they designed and renovated themselves, which felt very fitting.

These quiet, present moments together are my absolute favourite. A simple moment, the calm process of preparing, clutter on the side table. How it was.

The soft light filtered through the opaque glass bricks in their bedroom, giving us some incredibly dreamy light to work with.”

Ceremony

“The Sydney weather really turned it on for us. The north facing windows stretched up and over the space, giving us dramatic light across the entire ceremony.

During the ceremony, the boys passed their wedding bands around to their guests. Whoever was holding the rings when they needed them would become the ring bearer, which very fittingly ended up being Nicholas’ father.

The sun was casting small pockets of light across the guests as this happened, so it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.”

‘A Favorite Image’
During their ceremony, on the fabulous purple carpeted steps of the Opera House’s Yallumundi Rooms, The boys chose to pass their wedding bands around to their guests, with the idea that whoever was holding the rings when they required them, would be the ring bearer, who very fittingly, ended up being Nicholas’ father. The sun was casting small pockets of light on the guests as they did this, it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.

Portraits

“As we came down the stairs, I spotted a landing framed perfectly by the structural elements around it. The soft light pouring in was perfect for a more moody silhouette opportunity.

I prompted them to walk down together and have a moment with each other. I like giving couples space in situations like this because it can bring their guard down and create something more natural.

Nicholas and Klaus took each other’s hands and swayed slowly. The slight blur was deliberate, as I felt it gave the image an almost nostalgic, dreamlike feeling.”

‘The Backdrop’
“Nicholas and Klaus, Interior Designer and Architect, have always admired the grandeur and design that the Sydney Opera House offers. This particular scene shows elements of the technical engineering that went into this building design. Moments before this frame, we talked about the part it took in revolutionising architecture and design in the 20th Century. I thought it only fitting to centre them in this area that shows off some of the technical feats of this structure. I captured this scene on medium format film, as I’ve come to love the way film evenly renders scenes like this with contrasting light. This halation effect, in my opinion, is one of films biggest advantages. ”

Reception

“Again, it was the way Nicholas and Klaus championed the Opera House that stood out most. They did not try to outdo the space. They gave it room to breathe.

The glass windows and roof opened views toward the water and Harbour Bridge. Once the sun went down, the room took on this moody, fine dining feeling.

The light paired beautifully with the emotional speeches. I also set up off camera flash and photographed the full space from the mezzanine, which was the best vantage point to show the scale of the room properly.”