Photographers pick their best royal wedding picture

Photographers pick their best royal wedding picture

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Patience, meticulous preparation and a big dose of luck were among the elements that Reuters photographers were counting on when they took up their positions to cover the UK royal wedding.

Here, 12 Reuters photographers describe their favorite images from the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Damir Sagolj: "It's all about a couple of beautiful, happy people on their big day, and the picture of them smiling and waving to the crowd of well-wishers in a beautiful light is exactly what I was looking for. The UK flag was held by one of the royal fans who had been camping near the Cambridge gate for a few days - that flag in the same frame is the bonus that would always make a picture special."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Dylan Martinez
Britain's Princes Harry and William greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle ahead of Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle.

Dylan Martinez: "To say lots of planning went into this wedding would be like saying there's lots of sand in the Sahara. I loved this picture as I had a hunch the royal brothers would do a little walkabout on the eve of Harry's wedding and they did. Nice shot showing genuine fans."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Darren Staples
Meghan Markle leaves the Cliveden House Hotel.

Darren Staples: "This was the first time in the day that Meghan would be seen so it was important to get it right and publish it quickly. It was technically difficult as the car was moving and I was using flash to remove the reflections off the glass. Being only 5 foot 7 inches tall, the most challenging thing I find about shooting a royal wedding is seeing over the crowd with their selfie sticks and flags. Step ladders are not allowed so I carry a plastic stool."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Peter Nicholls
Royal fans arrive ahead of the wedding.

Peter Nicholls: "Most rewarding was being here painfully early ahead of the throngs - fully nine hours in advance - and ending up with a favourite picture that I hadn't expected. The hope was I'd have beaming newlyweds looking straight at me. That wasn't to be, but at least I was able to retire knowing I’d done all I could to to be in the right place."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Toby Melville
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel.

Toby Melville: "I like this frame because it has room to breathe. I like the shape of the carriage route and road curving and drifting off diagonally for the eye to follow up to the castle in the background. It gives a small taste of the scale and setting of this Disneyland wedding."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Phil Noble
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle ride a horse-drawn carriage, after their wedding ceremony at St George's Chapel.

Phil Noble: "This is my favourite frame as it was the only time I saw the couple and also the first time they had left the castle and been seen by the public. The most challenging thing was trying to transmit the pictures with so many people around making the network slow, and also the early start to avoid the crowds."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Hannah Mckay/Hannah McKay
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle ride a horse-drawn carriage, after their wedding ceremony at St George's Chapel.

Hannah McKay: "This is my favourite image because it captures a happy and relaxed moment between the couple as they are escorted in their carriage through Windsor. The most challenging thing was knowing precisely when to press the shutter to fill the frame perfectly: a second too late or a second too early can mean you miss the moment entirely."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Benoit Tessier
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel.

Benoit Tessier: "After installing my equipment, I had a long wait before seeing the couple. After six hours, they finally passed by. Meghan seemed very excited."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
A fan wears a bowler hat ahead of the wedding.

Clodagh Kilcoyne: "For me, the bowler hat is such a quintessentially British look, especially when matched with the tweed jacket. I thought his choice of fan-paraphernalia of the U.S. and UK flags was as sartorially elegant as his outfit. It can be challenging covering the fans to find space for the principal in the image to stand out, as the location gets crowded quite quickly. Luckily here, a different angle, and a clear blue sky and tree cover, provided me with just that."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Matthew Childs
Royal fans watch the wedding on a big screen outside the Castle in Windsor.

Matthew Childs: "I spent 40 minutes working my way through the crowd to try and get a view of the big screen without pushing anyone out of the way. The closest I could get was a side view! It turned out to be a nice position to capture the overall feel of the crowd and their reactions to the service."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/John Sibley
Meghan reacts as she rides in a carriage with her husband Britain’s Prince Harry after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel.

John Sibley: "After waiting in my position for more than eight hours, you get just a few seconds to capture a good photo as they pass. You can end up with nothing if they are both looking in the other direction. Luckily, Meghan was looking towards me, smiling and displaying her wedding ring."

. Windsor, United Kingdom. Reuters/Marko Djurica
People pose for pictures ahead of the wedding.

Marko Djurica: "This is my favourite image as it shows the pure joy of children having fun during the wedding, which can be too straight and official for them. When covering events as big as this, you have to focus on small details, which can sometimes be very difficult to see among thousands of people. Also I would say you have to be very lucky."