Jan Van de Maat

The couple had some spare time between their reception and dinner so I took them to a room with large windows I spotted during the day. The windows had long curtains and there was a small mirror on the wall. My first intention was to pose the bride between the curtains and as I was working towards this I noticed the small mirror and placed the groom so I could see him and have him included in the final image.

The bride was visiting her grandmother because she could not attend at the wedding. They were so very happy to see eachother! I ended up with this image and I think it is one of the most beautiful moments you can capture.

This flower girl with bouquet was standing in front of the two horses. The horses were in front of the wedding coach which was parked aside the road. The flower girl looked at them almost daydreaming and one horse looked back at her like they were talking.

The road at this photo leads to a castle we were going to for the wedding photo session. As soon as I drove into this road I saw the light coming down through some missing trees in the lane, creating a shaft of light. I stopped my car and let the couple pass. We put down the roof quickly and let them drive further down the road into the light. I thought it would be nice for their end photo in their album but it turned out to be an iconic image!

My couple wanted their photo session in the forest. It was the last day of August and we arrived there quite early in the morning. The sun created a beautiful 'splash' of light rays so I only had to lead the couple into the right place and I could take this photo!

It was a hazy morning in early fall. The couple and I planned their formal pictures in the woods nearby. While getting there I saw light beams in the forest everywhere so I drove a bit faster to get to the location | had in mind. The flower girls were in another car so we had to wait until they arrived. Luckily enough they arrived right on time because I was afraid the light would be gone. I placed them before that light, let them hold hands and walk away from me into the middle of the light beams. This is the result and the couple is still so happy with it!

I love light rays and autumn is the season to see them. We were quite early in the morning for the formal photoshoot and we got rewarded by a stunning display of sunrays everywhere. A bit confused where to place the couple I also knew I had to be fast; it could be gone in minutes. But I was lucky to photograph in these circumstances for about ten minutes or so before it vanished.