Professional Techniques for the Wedding Photographer | Date: 05 May 2011, 16:04
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People who don't like people have no
business taking people pictures and, most
of all, wedding photography is a people
business. In the course of their work, wedding
photographers encounter every type
of nuptial ritual, from Christian to Jewish to
Buddhist to "holistic," and enough characters
and situations to fill a book. Sit down
with an experienced wedding photographer
and talk with him or her about the trade—
you'll hear stories both sublime and
ridiculous, and about situations that range
from high comedy to moments filled with
genuine emotion.
But that's what makes wedding photography
such a fascinating profession, or avocation.
To an outsider, each wedding may
look the same, but the seasoned wedding
photographer knows better. It's hard work,
and the demands made during the course of
the day might well leave most mortals exhausted.
Yet, with all the labor comes a
reward—and that's the knowledge that, as
the photographer, you've shared in one of
the most intimate and touching moments in
people's lives.
How you approach this shared time, and
the way you apply your skills as a photographer/
artist, will make the difference between
a mechanical, and ultimately tedious
experience and one that is emotionally and
financially rewarding. It will definitely also
make the difference between your ultimate
success or failure in the wedding photography
business.
If you come away from this book with
nothing else, it's hoped that you'll leave with
this attitude, one that is essential to every
successful wedding photographer. Most
importantly, the job of the photographer is
not only to make copies of faces and record
the day's events, but to make interpretations
and pictorial statements about the individuals
involved and the love they share.
While it's true that many wedding jobs
are run according to a certain script, it's also
true that every job is different because
every couple encountered has their own
life, their own special story. Every wedding
means new people to meet, new stories to
tell, and new challenges to face. Placing
every job into the same category will result
in boring pictures and, within a short period
of time, a bored photographer.
Some people feel that wedding photography
is a simple task, a rote exercise in
shooting a few pictures of a kissing couple
and other setup shots. Nothing could be
further from the truth. In the course of a
day, a wedding photographer will be involved
with formal portraiture, commercial
design, fashion, glamour, group portraiture,
photojournalism, and architectural photography.
At the same time, the photographer
is also a director, a bridal consultant, and
even a referee. Because wedding photography
encompasses so much, it is an excellent
field with which to start, or to hone
your skills.
As those of you who've worked in this
area know, the actual shooting of a wedding
can be a pressure situation. In most instances,
there will not be a second chance
to get certain shots. Wedding photographers
have to know their equipment and
should always be prepared with backups.
Also, time is a factor that must be considered;
efficiency is of the utmost importance.
The photographer has to fit everything
into the schedule of the people who
hire him or her, and he or she may often run
into situations like having to pose a dozen
people for a group portrait in five minutes.
Within this pressured framework, a wedding
photographer has to watch for details,
work fast and, most of all, care.
What then, is the real task of the wedding
photographer? It's carrying the responsibility
of portraying intense emotion
through pictures, at the same time telling a
story about the day of the wedding. This
doesn't mean relying on cliches or putting
couples and their families into unnatural
positions or awkward poses. Rather, it's
taking what is natural to the people involved
and refining it with a few simple rules of
color, composition, and balance.
There's no one "style" that is right; no
one pose that fits a situation every time.
# Unknown Binding: 142 pages
# Publisher: AMPHOTO (1985)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0817456007
# ISBN-13: 978-0817456009
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