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lobster boats, a marriage-sealing kiss in a
ceremony framed by a harbor at sunset. His
images are quirky, too. He supplements tra-
ditional moments with non-traditional pos-
es, radical angles, and seemingly mundane
matter chronicling the entirety of the cou-
ple’s day.- The morning of the wedding: the groom
shaves in a bathroom while down the hall
Dad irons slacks and Mom feeds treats to
two dogs; the bridal party chats as the bride
dresses; a barefoot bride steps past a stub-
born cat lying on the stairs. - The ceremony: tears-clenched Dad em-
braces the bride behind a wall; a little boy
peers through a groomsman’s legs; umbrel-
las open with urgency. - After the ceremony: bridesmaids and
groomsmen, jackets off, stand on a moonlit
seashore; a newly united family strikes pos-
es across a lamp-lit front porch.- The reception: bride, groom, family, and
guests drink, dance, laugh, limbo, joke, jos-
tle, swing, and snore. - The morning after: tired couple stands
on a gravel road in a fog-shrouded rural
landscape, she lifting the muddied hem of
her dress, leaning into him, he kissing her
forehead, a golden retriever lying on the dirt
beside them.
Cooke captured that one only because he
partied through the night with the couple and
their coterie. They had planned a day-after
photo session, but as 4 a.m. rolled around,
Cooke suggested they do the shoot at sunrise.
“They were exhausted, the dog was exhaust-
ed, and it was right before we said goodbye.
It was just like hhhhhaaaaahh, that moment
when you’ve been running all day long and
you finally sit down and hhhhhaaaaahhh, sink
into a pillow or the couch or, in this case, each
other’s arms, and say, I’m spent but it was
awesome.”Rom-com
Viewing Cooke’s portfolio is like watching a
romantic comedy one frame at a time. That
is by design. “Think of it as your day as a
movie,” Cooke says. “I’m a big movie buff. I
appreciate cinematography and storytelling
and lighting in movies.” In the dressing room,
he captures images of all the activity, not just
the bride preparing. “There’s moments with-
in the moment: It is the hair and makeup
scene with multiple angles combined in a
way that tells a story. That is how I approach
a wedding day.” Though he and his associate
photographer, Jenn Nauss, have considered
offering videography, Cooke advises couples
to get his 200-image book instead. A video,