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One of the ways we love to provide inspiration for you is to share breathtaking images by pro wedding photographers from all over the world on our Facebook page. It’s one of our favorite things to do (besides help you with your wedding photography post production)!

So you can learn additional ways to approach your upcoming shoots, we want to share a quick behind-the-scenes look into the details and the story behind some of these images. Today, we are focusing on Shane and Lauren Photography’s gorgeous windmill photo at Cal-a-Vie Health Spa in northern San Diego County.

Image Compliments of Shane and Lauren Photography

“There is something about Cal-a-Vie that makes you feel as if you’ve been transported to a small French country village.”

Before we get into the details behind this romantic and dreamy photo, let’s learn a little more about the wedding photography duo. Shane and Lauren have a passion for storytelling through film and digital photography. In their photography, they focus on the highlighting every couple’s unique story to help translate that into the images. To learn more about the husband and wife photography team, check out their bio here.

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ShootDotEdit: What was the inspiration behind this image? It’s such a unique concept!

Shane and Lauren: The windmill is an absolutely beautiful landmark at Cal-a-Vie, so we knew we wanted to use it at some point during the day to capture the beauty of this spot. On a wedding day, the couple goes to the windmill right after they get married and has a quiet moment together, so we wanted to recreate that. We waited until the sun was setting and we asked the couple to slowly walk up the steps so we could really capture the moment. There is something about Cal-a-Vie that makes you feel as if you’ve been transported to a small French country village, so appreciating the moment and really taking it all in is pretty easy to do in a setting like this.

ShootDotEdit: Were there any scenarios which caused challenges for you while trying to capture this image?

Shane and Lauren: The only challenge in capturing this moment was the stairs. The stairs are really old wood and the bride’s dress was tulle, so it kept snagging on the way up the stairs. We just took our time and had her walk really, really slow and we eventually made it work.

ShootDotEdit: How did you manage to shoot at an angle where you are eye-level with the couple (rather than looking up at them)?

Shane and Lauren: There is actually a road that runs alongside the windmill that is even with where the couple is, so that is where we were standing. We shot it in film on a Pentax 645n with a Pentax 6×7 105mm f2.4. It was shot on Porta 400 film.

ShootDotEdit: If you were giving advice to a fellow photographer who was going to shoot in this location, what are 3 pieces of advice you would give?

Shane and Lauren:

1. You have to wait until the sun is just right, otherwise one side of the windmill is overexposed while the other side is under.

2. Shoot with a long lens, otherwise you will get the road in the shot. A longer lens helps you crop in and get only the windmill and the couple.

3. Try and shoot at the same level they are on so that you aren’t shooting up at them.

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What a romantic image for the bride and groom to have from their wedding day. We hope you are as inspired as we are from it! You can see more of Shane and Lauren’s past weddings on their blog.

And with the inspiration to create gorgeous imagery for your wedding clients, take a look at our free Guide, 127 Essential Wedding Images You Must Capture, to highlight the moments that matter from the wedding day!