Wedding photos are not an unusual find in the hunt for vintage photographs. This particular photograph is a bit special. It caught my eye because of the terrific expressions on the faces of the bride and groom, particularly the bride. The bride’s expression is priceless. I interpret her expression in two ways. First, she seems to be quite spunky. She has “personality galore”. Second, she shows a look of satisfaction, as if she is thinking “I finally snared the man I wanted to marry”. The groom also has a flair for the dramatic. He appears scared and uncomfortable. One of his legs is lifted off the floor in an awkward position (flamingo style). Is he using his knee as a platform for the bouquet of flowers that his bride is holding? I am truly uncertain as to the reason he is posed in this manner. Despite the groom’s weird “yoga pose”, I think the photographer did a great job composing this wedding portrait. I admire his ability to capture the vivid facial expressions of this young couple. The photograph was produced by the Pulaski Photo Art Company of Chicago, Illinois. The President/Manager of Pulaski was Max Prusinski (1883-?) and the Secretary of the company was John Prusinski. Interestingly, this studio produced another wedding portrait which can be found in “The Cabinet Card Gallery”. The image can be seen below. At the time I posted this photograph, I noted what an excellent job the photographer did in capturing the bride’s personality. In my description of the image I wrote “She is exhibiting a playful smile and appears to be a vivacious young woman”. The bride in the image below also appears to be quite spunky. It is likely (based on a small sample of two photos) that the photographer (s) from the Pulaski studio strived to spice up wedding portraits by capturing the personalities of the wedding couple.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
The photographer does seem to have the ability to put the models at ease … no small talent. Especially where the man is taller than the woman … he seated, she standing seems to have been a favored arrangement. This interesting variation keeps the heads leveled also. He is seated (albeit awkwardly), she is standing. But for me the price is too high … that foot sticking out hurts the composition. Still, I bet both couples were more than pleased with these results. Good photography for all that.
You make an excellent point. Photographic skills are necessary to produce an outstanding photo portrait, but they certainly are not sufficient. The personality of the photographer also can facilitate better photographs. The ability to “put the models at ease” is critical. This is especially true when a photographer is posing and photographing young children. Other factors important in producing great photographic portraits involve utilizing good equipment and establishing an appropriate environment for the photographic shot. Thanks again for your always thoughtful comments.