As almost any wedding planner will tell you, the third most important person at a wedding, after the bride and groom of course, is the one who will record this memorable day forever . . . the photographer.

"We spoke to several different photographers and, of course, viewed their past work," said recently-married Fani Karapanou, now the wife of Yiorgos Zaharioudakis of Gouves. "Once we met with Sami Moudavaris we knew he was the photographer who could capture the essence of our special day."

Mr. Moudavaris, or Sami, as he prefers to be called, maintains a studio in Kato Gouves, and is a prime example of today's wedding photographer emerging as the new artist, foregoing the antiquated practice of shooting static, fake-looking poses, and creating free-flowing images that reflect the emotions of the moment.

"It's important to always keep moving, and to interact with the bride and groom," Sami explained. "First off, we become friends. You know? Friends having fun together. This way the couple can relax, be themselves, and expose their true emotions. They're no longer just 'models' posing for a picture."

Sami said there are several different stages of shooting a wedding, starting with the pre-event and following through to the couple leaving on their honeymoon, and they're all important and take special planning.

"For example, when shooting the dress-up you must capture the beauty of the bride and the emotion of the moment in putting on the wedding gown of her dreams," he said. "At the same time, you must capture all the fine details of the, presumably, once-in-a-lifetime dress."

Sami explained that he prefers shooting with available light, but in some situations flood and back lighting is necessary, and that, in addition to shooting colour, he always takes black and white photos, which can provide a dramatic effect.

"I try to shoot as much as possible with only the available light," he said. "Somehow, in certain settings, it enhances the raw emotion of the moment in a way that colour seems to fail. There are certain settings, like corridors, where you can get just the right mood with a shaft of light across the subject."

Speaking of settings, Sami considers himself fortunate to be located on Crete.

"From old village homes to spectacular seaside churches, we're just bursting with natural beauty for location shooting of the couple, which is fundamental to providing a complete wedding package," he said. "While some studio shooting is necessary, it's the location photos that bring the wedding to life."

As a photographer, Sami paid his dues in attaining experience in all different aspects of the business, working in several different countries in news and commercial photography. Finally, he settled in Crete almost 20 years ago.

"It wasn't until I started shooting weddings here, that I realized this was the photography for me," he recalled. "I saw what the level of wedding photography was at the time, and I knew the time was right to take it to a much higher level."

And that he did! His approach to shooting a wedding is much like Spielberg filming a movie.

"I meet all the key 'players,' the bride, the groom, their families and friends, and then I work out sort of a mental script, picturing how the final 'story' will look in the book…the wedding album. When I start shooting I don't stop until I have at least a thousand pictures."

And that makes it quite difficult for the bride and groom.

"With so many great pictures, I found it hard to choose," said Fani. "So, instead of the 200 I planned on taking, I ended up with 380 – and I wish I could have taken them all!"