Symbolism of wedding dress in photography

[shuttered1]

Hello all,

This is my first post here; wondering if I could get some advice/feedback. I'm a photography student at the college level who has used her wedding dress in a number of series in the last months. Right now I'm trying to figure out what is the symbolism of wedding dresses in photography; i.e; what other people think when they look at my photos where I've used the dress. I've posted one for your feedback; any constructive comments would be appreciated.

Thanks again....

[freedom1500]

I love the lighting in this photo as well as the converging lines in the background. Very nice composition. The light and shadows create a mood that's definitely... mysterious. It's not the dress that scares me... it's that axe-like object she's holding. Yikes! ... subliminal message? Not sure I want to go there.

[Don Schaeffer]

I agree--if that sharp thing were made a little lighter and clearer you'd have a very powerful symollic and scary photo.

On the other hand the photo is too "bright." The shadows look washed out to me.Maybe you should try more contrast but "burning in" important highlight areas.

[MB1]

My first thought was, "Nice Workshop."

I think the image is too contrasty and I have no idea what a wedding dress means in an image other than a wedding is about to happen.