Utne kyrkje on a summer day in Hardanger

Kristine and Lars got married at Utne kyrkje on one of the hottest days of July. It was around thirty degrees, the fjord lay flat and shining, and Hardanger showed itself from the side that postcards and tourist brochures write about, just without the pretense.

This was a shorter assignment than a regular wedding. Three, maybe four hours. I followed the preparations, the ceremony in the church, and the congratulations afterward. As the group headed toward the party tent, I sent up the drone and captured the wedding car as it rolled along the fjord. That's a shot you can't get from the ground. Once they arrived at the party, my job was done.

It's a working model I like for weddings where the ceremony and the departure are what matter most. The day isn't documented any less. It's just documented in a way that suits what the couple actually wants.

Utne kyrkje is one of the finest wooden churches on the West Coast, and Hardanger that day was everything you hope for when planning a summer wedding. Sometimes a story doesn't need to be longer than that.