A Day of Contrasts

By Jenn Gidman
Images by Rabih Madi

Born in Saudi Arabia as the son of an expat Lebanese national, Rabih Madi traveled all over the Middle East as a child, then moved to Florida and, finally, Canada. When his father moved back to Dubai, Rabih visited and began experimenting with photography by taking pictures of the awe-inspiring architecture in the ultramodern UAE city.

His hobby soon segued into photographing weddings, which now makes up the lion’s share of his business in Montreal and beyond. By his side during these matrimonial celebrations is the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 zoom lens for the Nikon Z mount, for Nikon’s Z series of mirrorless cameras.

“That F2.8 maximum aperture was a big sell for me,” Rabih says. “The lower the aperture for my wedding work, the better. What really surprised me about the 28-75mm G2, however, is its high-speed, high-precision autofocus. As these weddings transition to evening, there’s a lot more activity—people dancing, getting lifted in the air—and I need my focusing to be fast. This lens delivers.”

Image sharpness with the 28-75mm G2 has also impressed Rabih. “If you have a lens that’s not as well made and you try to focus while shooting in light from, say, a wall lamp, it’s not that easy to do,” he says. “I took the two photos here of the bride in the hallway of a hotel, using only the light from the available fixtures. I was so happy with how the 28-75mm G2 performed, and how sharp my images came out.”

28-75mm (28mm), F2.8, 1/80 sec., ISO 500

28-75mm (49mm), F2.8, 1/400 sec., ISO 2000

Madi’s distinctive style for his wedding photos is characterized by his effective use of negative space and bold contrasts. “I shoot about 80% of the wedding day in a documentary style,” he says. “For the remainder, I’ll pose the couple and use light to draw the viewer into the scene and toward my subjects.”

RABIH’S QUICK WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Break the ice.
Couples are usually jittery when the wedding day starts. I’ll lighten the mood by distracting them with jokes and banter. When it comes time for posed shots, I’ll often ask the groom to quietly tell the bride, so I can’t hear, what he’d like them to do on their honeymoon. Whether he says something sexy or silly, the bride’s smile invariably emerges, and as the conversation keeps flowing, it’s easy to keep that relaxed mood going.

28-75mm (28mm), F2.8, 1/2000 sec., ISO 250

It’s important to know your clients, however. There are some cultures or personalities who might be reluctant to whisper sweet nothings like that to each other in public. I also send a questionnaire to each couple beforehand so I can ask more sensitive stuff that I don’t want to ask on the wedding day. I especially realized this after the pandemic hit—many people had family members pass away before the wedding, and I didn’t want to ask on the big day if we could grab someone’s dad or grandma for a photo, only to find out they were no longer with us. You want to treat the couple and their families with as much empathy and respect as possible.

28-75mm (28mm), F2.8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 250

Keep the focus on the couple.
Achieving a clear separation between the foreground and background is the main thing I focus on in my wedding images. For instance, in the photos here of the solo bride, the background is darker, while she’s illuminated so nicely. I try to do this with the groom, too, who’s typically wearing a darker-colored suit. Even if we’re up against a black background, I attempt to frame it and use lighting to my advantage so you can still see that suit. I also try to highlight my subjects and guide the viewer’s eye to them by using leading lines where I can, as well as strategically using a lot of negative space to create drama.

Shoot for skin tones.
Be mindful of how different skin tones interact with the light. Direct sunlight, with its yellow undertones, can alter the appearance of very fair or very dark skin tones, causing undesirable color shifts. Those skin tones often appear best in shaded areas. Conversely, those with medium skin tones, including people of Middle Eastern or Indian descent, can appear radiant in direct sunlight.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.
I always tell my brides and grooms to let go of all the stress and focus on enjoying their day. You have no control over the things you can’t control, like the weather. I always show prospective clients different galleries of photos taken in all kinds of conditions—sunny, cloudy, rainy—so they can see that no matter what happens on the big day, I’m going to create beautiful images for them.

28-75mm (28mm), F3.5, 1/2500 sec., ISO 160

To see more of Rabih Madi’s work, check out his website and Instagram.

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