Wedding photojournalists are reporters, followers who
quietly observe and quickly document without manipulating the scene or subject.
Wedding photography isn’t about taking photographs, it’s
about people. It’s about capturing memories, and then presenting them to your
clients (normally in an album with different sized photographs and layouts).
Every Wedding is an opportunity to document the human experience and the
personalities of two unique families coming together.
Arrive at the bride’s house early before the wedding.
Set the time in advance with the bride and be punctual – you don’t want to add
the stress of the day by making her worry about your being a no-show.
A higher-speed Black-and-white film is perfect for the
hours of preparation just before the Wedding. It allows you to focus on the
emotion and avoid being distracted by other colours in the room.
B/w film also allows each person to interpret the final
image in his or her own way as there’s nothing drawing the eye away from the
emotion of the scene.“The real emotion of the day will often be captured in
Black and White” – based on Photojournalism, of course
When it comes to shooting the ceremony, many
photographers rely on the same standard, clichéd checklist of poses: the walk
down the aisle, the bride and groom at the altar, the ring exchange, the
communion, and the kiss, just to name a few. But in fact, the ceremony is at
the epicenter of the wedding day; it is filled with emotion and your goal is to
document each priceless moment. So let’s make it our challenge to capture
images so unique they’ll require a second album of just the ceremony.
Most brides and grooms will want at least a few posed
formals, and it’s your job to give them what they want. Even if you plan to
take only nontraditional images, you have to understand the rules of formal
portraiture before you can break them, just as you have to understand exposure
and depth of field to create the finest avant-grade images.
The reception isn’t just an event, but a celebration of
family. It deserves far more than a few standard images. You have to capture
the feeling of the moment, of families coming together. The bride and groom
will remember so little from the reception. It’s the photographer’s job to
thoroughly document the event.
Extracts
from Cantrell, Bambo and Cohen, Skip (2000) “The Art of Wedding Photography”
Watson-Guprill