When looking
for a wedding photographer you should consider the style you are looking
for and what generally what this style is called. The best wedding photographers
have a technique of their own and while most can offer a mixture of photographs
they will specialise in a particular style as their trademark.
As
the name of this style suggests this is a photography technique that is
simply 'to report' what happens. A more artistic definition of wedding
photojournalism is when images are captured spontaneously to emphasize
the 'moments' and the emotion of the day. This style is the almost exact
opposite of traditional or formal wedding photography. It is candid, natural,
'as it happens', and unscripted by the photographer or anyone else.
The photo journalistic style became popular as a counter to the very formal
and ritualised photos taken by 'formal' or traditional wedding photographer...."full
length bride & groom, bridal party, portrait bride, kissing under
church steeple".... All very cliched photos and the resulting pcitures
were predictable, boring, and the same from wedding to wedding. The revolution
in wedding photography and it's transformation to a new and artistic photographic
style can be attributed largely to the new photo journalistic approach.
These photographers believe that the essence of a wedding isn't the formal
posed photos but the quickly passing, unfolding and spontaneous moments
that occur uniquely to every wedding.
The photo journalistic style is quite common now, but it's early proponents
can be found in the likes of Joe Buissink (see Joe
Buissink Photography), Denis Reggie (see Denis
Reggie), Jeff Ascough (see Jeff
Ascough), and many others who capture beautiful candid moments of
a wedding. The most powerful photojournalistic wedding photos are those
that transcend a single wedding, are iconic across all weddings, that
show the human / emotive aspect of weddings.
So a photographer who takes photographs as the day unfolds will capture
moments as they happen rather than (or as well as) taking posed shots.
This is nothing special in a sense, it just means that you need to hire
a photographer who has an eye for these moments, and is prepared and willing
to capture them! Don't be fooled that wedding photo journalism means someone
simply turns up and takes shots as they happen: capturing the moment,
being ready for the decisive shot, preparing and positioning all takes
immense photographic skill.
On the extreme end of wedding photography photojournalism there are some
photographers who will not interact with the bride, groom, or anyone!
Be wary of this approach, as you may miss the usual formal photos of family,
Mum and Dad etc. You may be disappointed if key photos are missing or
that there aren't any romantic shots of you and your husband together.
No one likes a cliched tacky photo but some cliches can be very good photographs.
The extreme reportage style can look great with very candid moments but
most people also like some slightly more posed shots that they can frame
and send to granny for her mantelpiece. It can be a bit hit or miss; people
either love it or don't 'get it'.
A formal approach to wedding photography used to mean
a fairly standardised number and style of photos. Traditional wedding
photographers had a very tight list of shots to take and it meant major
trouble if they missed any on the list! This approach was partly a function
of using film cameras (usually medium format) and the type of film used
which only had a few shots per film.... and the film was expensive.
Whether it is deserved or not, when you speak of 'formal wedding photography'
or the 'formal photos' people conjure up images of old-fashioned wedding
albums showing uncomfortable families standing in a line (looking like
they are in a firing squad!) or very posed and unnatural bride and groom
photos.
Thankfully wedding photography has moved on considerably from this type
of thing and the modern definition of a 'formal' wedding photograph is
one where the family members can be clearly seen and depicted. It is a
record (usually well received by Mum or Grandma) and a good wedding photographer
will be able to meet the demands of formal photos. They should be able
to put the group at ease and ensure the poses are natural and not forced.
Even if you detest the idea of posed photos or formal shots you may be
surprised how treasured these type of photos might become because they
are a great family record of the wedding.
When
you consider glamour wedding photography think beautiful, magazine, stunning,
elegant and magnificent photos! Photographers who can provide glamour
wedding photography are fairly rare but they can transform your wedding
photos from the mundane to Vouge-like photographs. If you want to be captured
at your absolute best in the most glamouros and fashionable way then glamour
wedding photography is for you.
The very best of the glamour photography can be seen in photographers
like Yervant (see Yervant)
or Bambi Cantrell (see Bambi
Cantrell) and Jerry Ghionis (see Jerry
Ghionis). Their approach is to create glamorous and beautiful wedding
images of the bride, and the groom. Forget candid shots, these highly
polished photographs are masterpieces of photographic technique and artistic
style.
Simply said: if you want to look (and feel) like a super model on your
wedding day then glamour photography is the style for you!
These photographs are usually taken after the ceremony
and before the reception when the bride and groom are alone with the photographer.
This is the time when a good wedding photographer will be worth his or
her weight in gold! The right light, the right location, and the best
poses will create beautiful romantic photos you can cherish as a memory
of your wedding day forever!
Some will be posed portraits whilst others will be candid pictures of
the happy couple. Posed portraits don't always have to be cheesy though
most albums will have at least one of the bride and groom kissing under
a tree or by a lake or while sitting on a bench or all of the above! The
common denominator in all romantic photographs is that they show the love
and affection the couple feel for each other on their wedding day.
A lot (in fact, most) of modern wedding photographers
will provide a varying mix of the above styles. They will take formal
shots after the ceremony, but also capture unique moments as they happen
during the day. They will take some great detail photos but also add some
high quality posed photos of the bride and groom.
Some people will favour a photojournalistic approach, some will place
more emphasis on the formal shots. It is wise to look at a photographers
work and decide where they place themselves on the wedding photography
spectrum. The decision that you make on your wedding photographer should
be largely governed by their style, not necessarily price.
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