In our last article we introduced you to the three major styles of wedding photography that dominate the scene right now. These are the traditional, photojournalist and combined styles. One of these styles is right for your wedding and it's important to know the difference between these styles so you can make a choice that fits for your own personal aesthetic. You'll have to live with your wedding images for a long time.
Can you visualize the press photos of the mid twentieth century movie stars like Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby? They were beautifully lit and highly stylized photographs that really spoke to the style of the great depression and World War II era. This is the basis of the traditional style of wedding photography still performed today.
The lighting in these portraits projected what was considered high style at the time. The subject's pose was highly choreographed by putting them in exactly the correct position to use the lights set up by the photographer. Makeup and hairstyling was perfect. And the photographer used a few tricks along the way like gel on the lens edges to create a soft, blurry effect. Making these photographs was work for the subjects and time consuming for all concerned.
The advantage to hiring a traditional photographer is repeatability. This kind of photographer knows the look he creates and works tirelessly to make sure your photos have that look. The lighting and poses in your photos will be perfect and because this photographer uses a shot list, he/she will cover all the bases. This means you will certainly have stylized photos of all the major touch points of the wedding like the rings, the cake and the bouquet throw.
One disadvantage to the traditional style is the control that the photographer must impose on your wedding. Creating all those highly structured photos requires time and precision. You'll need to work with your photographer to help him create his look. This takes you away from your guests and the flow of the wedding for a serious amount of time.
Another problem with traditional photography is missed opportunities. With your photographer spending his time and effort creating the photos on his shot list his attention will not be on all the emotional interactions between the wedding party, the parents and the cherished guests. You need to consider this as a tradeoff.
A photojournalist will approach your wedding from a different perspective. These photographers learned their trade working in the news business and where they had to fight it out with their competition for the best photos. This style of photographer is all about capturing human emotion as it happens.
Photojournalists returned their photos to a professional picture editor. These editors are demanding and know the quality of the photos they are looking at. There is no place to hide for this style of photographer. They had to be good or they would be looking for a different line of work.
Quick reactions are required to be a good photojournalist. Attention to the events happening around them is essential to their trade and a good wedding photojournalist will deliver you many rare and unique views of your big day.
Spontaneous photos are the benefit of hiring a wedding photojournalist. Always on the look out for fast breaking emotions and action, they will deliver you a unique and energy packed set of photos.
The wedding photojournalist generally does not work from a shot list. They do take the standard posed shots of the wedding party and families. Instead they will concentrate on higher intensity human interaction and will deliver you an exciting set of wedding photos.
The hot style in wedding photography now is wedding photojournalism. This has forced many traditional photographers to add "photojournalism" to their list of services. These are often not true photojournalists and you should be aware of that at the start of your information gathering.
Your photography selection should reflect your personal style. Trust your instincts about art and style and you will easily know which style of wedding photographer is best for you.
Can you visualize the press photos of the mid twentieth century movie stars like Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby? They were beautifully lit and highly stylized photographs that really spoke to the style of the great depression and World War II era. This is the basis of the traditional style of wedding photography still performed today.
The lighting in these portraits projected what was considered high style at the time. The subject's pose was highly choreographed by putting them in exactly the correct position to use the lights set up by the photographer. Makeup and hairstyling was perfect. And the photographer used a few tricks along the way like gel on the lens edges to create a soft, blurry effect. Making these photographs was work for the subjects and time consuming for all concerned.
The advantage to hiring a traditional photographer is repeatability. This kind of photographer knows the look he creates and works tirelessly to make sure your photos have that look. The lighting and poses in your photos will be perfect and because this photographer uses a shot list, he/she will cover all the bases. This means you will certainly have stylized photos of all the major touch points of the wedding like the rings, the cake and the bouquet throw.
One disadvantage to the traditional style is the control that the photographer must impose on your wedding. Creating all those highly structured photos requires time and precision. You'll need to work with your photographer to help him create his look. This takes you away from your guests and the flow of the wedding for a serious amount of time.
Another problem with traditional photography is missed opportunities. With your photographer spending his time and effort creating the photos on his shot list his attention will not be on all the emotional interactions between the wedding party, the parents and the cherished guests. You need to consider this as a tradeoff.
A photojournalist will approach your wedding from a different perspective. These photographers learned their trade working in the news business and where they had to fight it out with their competition for the best photos. This style of photographer is all about capturing human emotion as it happens.
Photojournalists returned their photos to a professional picture editor. These editors are demanding and know the quality of the photos they are looking at. There is no place to hide for this style of photographer. They had to be good or they would be looking for a different line of work.
Quick reactions are required to be a good photojournalist. Attention to the events happening around them is essential to their trade and a good wedding photojournalist will deliver you many rare and unique views of your big day.
Spontaneous photos are the benefit of hiring a wedding photojournalist. Always on the look out for fast breaking emotions and action, they will deliver you a unique and energy packed set of photos.
The wedding photojournalist generally does not work from a shot list. They do take the standard posed shots of the wedding party and families. Instead they will concentrate on higher intensity human interaction and will deliver you an exciting set of wedding photos.
The hot style in wedding photography now is wedding photojournalism. This has forced many traditional photographers to add "photojournalism" to their list of services. These are often not true photojournalists and you should be aware of that at the start of your information gathering.
Your photography selection should reflect your personal style. Trust your instincts about art and style and you will easily know which style of wedding photographer is best for you.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about great San Francisco wedding photography, then visit John Santoro's site and see top wedding photojournalism.
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