Royal wedding photographer got the couple's official portrait in just 3 minutes
Photographer Alexi Lubomirski's images of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle captured the couple's joy, and gained worldwide attention. Lubomirski was invited to the wedding after taking their engagement photos last year, and just over a month before the big day, Kensington Palace called on him again.
- Meet royal wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski
- See Meghan and Harry's official royal wedding photos
He took the official wedding portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Saturday. The acclaimed fashion photographer's work has graced the covers of numerous magazines, including Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.
Lubomirski only had 25 minutes to shoot six photos and relied on his assistants to keep an eye on the screen. He didn't know whether he'd gotten the perfect shot until the drive home.
"I was going through the pictures and kind of like flicking, flicking, flicking. And all the sudden you see the one and you're like, oh, amazing. This relief. It's very emotional," Lubomirski said.
In their official wedding portrait, the couple is casually seated on a set of steps and beaming. Lubomirski said he only had three minutes on that set-up – and it happened as naturally as it looks.
"I said, 'Let's walk out to the rose garden,' and as we walked down they were sort of hugging and it was just relief and happiness and then on the way back, I said, 'Listen, let's just sit down here.' And she just fell into that position and they were laughing and it was just constant smiling," he said.
Less natural, and a bit more difficult to capture, was the family portrait. Lubomirski was tasked with getting the attention of 10 children and capturing the queen's smile.
"I think she was probably smiling at my efforts to make the kids all look at the screen," he said. "I'd overheard some of the chaos of the kids before and I overheard somebody offering them a Smartie — a Smartie is an English M&M. And so as I got them all into their places, I screamed out 'Who likes Smarties?!' And everybody went 'Me!'"
As far as the mood, Lubomirski likened it to any other family gathering.
"In between shots, I glanced over my shoulder and it was like a family room at any family occasion. The brothers are talking. The children are being wrangled by parents. Grandparents were talking to their children," he said. "It was a very beautiful sight. Lots of happy family moments."
Royals. They're just like us.
