There’s no denying that photography is one of the most important parts of a wedding. Months of planning come together for one perfect day—which tends to fly by. Couples might not even get a chance to appreciate the ceremony backdrop or centerpieces they took such care designing. That’s where wedding photographers come in—while you’re busy saying “I do,” they’re busy capturing all the important moments, so you can relive your wedding for many years to come.
The list of can’t-miss wedding shots includes everything from invitations and accessories to first looks and first dances. Not to mention the most important pictures of all—the portraits. There are a million different ways to do wedding portraits—pre-ceremony, during an after session, editorial, photojournalistic, the list goes on. Photographer Jen Fariello’s fine art-inspired take on wedding portraits gives couples a spontaneous, unique experience—and, of course, the shots by which to remember it all.
While the newlyweds are enjoying dinner, Fariello will sneak away to a spare room to prepare her setup. Using a softbox light, studio backdrop, and a medium format film camera, Fariello snaps her signature black and white fine-art portraits. At first glance, you might not even be able to tell that Fariello’s portraits are from a wedding. They’re classy and utterly timeless, “almost like an old-fashioned take on the photo booth,” Fariello says.
Fariello, who won Best Wedding Photographer in the 2022 Best of C-VILLE readers’ poll, began her photography career in the ’90s, after graduating from UVA with a fine arts degree. She worked for C-VILLE Weekly, where an assignment to shoot Peter Griesar from the Dave Matthews Band launched her into portrait work. Fariello shot her first wedding in 1997, and eventually went to work for The Hook, where her pictures filled the wedding issue for years.
“I’m a people photographer, a portrait photographer, and my aesthetic are these moody, artsy, black and white photographs,” says Fariello, “That’s translated well into weddings.”
Now, Fariello shoots about 40 weddings a year, and she likes to surprise couples with a bonus portrait shoot whenever there’s time. (“Time is precious, and I don’t ever want to take anything away from the wedding day,” Fariello says.) Once everything is set up, she’ll grab a few wedding guests and let them play around while she gets some test shots, then she’ll bring in the bride and groom.
These kinds of portraits are also venue-dependent, she says. There needs to be an extra room that can fit all the equipment. Fariello’s found local venues like Pippin Hill, Veritas, King Family, and Mount Ida to be the perfect size. As for when to take portraits, the wedding day is best. Even though wedding and reception dresses are only worn for a couple of hours, they tend to get pretty disheveled by the end of the night. Brides already have their hair and makeup done, plus there’s that bridal glow that can only be captured on the wedding day.
