Creativity and Weddings

I received a phone call today from a bride looking for a wedding photographer. That is always good news. The best part was they were both musicians. Classical musicians to be more exact. A dissecting thought is an email I received from a former client...

"Dear Dave,

Thank you so very much for your outstanding photographs. Your photos have so
very poignantly captured the day in the most perfect of ways.

We are so very grateful that you were able to be our photographer for the
day. We haven't stopped raving about you since the day we met you! The
corridor image is one of my favorite images. I have walked down that
specific hallway of floor 5 so many times to visit my dad and the way you
captured it creates so many emotions for me. Thank you.

The one of me and my dad holding hands and just our hands are showing in the
photo is beautiful. And, the one of me and my dad when my back is to the
camera is so wonderful and touching.

The ones of me and Dave together are all fantastic (even some of the less
flattering shots of us!). I love the image of Dave with a great laugh and
smile as we're standing in front of the city skyline (this is our wedding
frame photo!).

We have very proudly shared so many of the images with our family, friends
and even business colleagues. Dave and I getting married in the hospital
chapel and being with my dad in his ICU room were moments that moved so many
people (aside from us). For them to feel so connected by viewing the images
the way you've been able to capture these very precious moments is
indescribable, although so many people sent us some wonderful and
heartfelt comments I'd like to share:

"I am speechless. These are absolutely beautiful and very moving. Thank
you SO much for sharing these!"

"... of all the pictures that grabbed my heart and my emotions was the one
of you walking down the corridor alone."

"The photo of you walking down the hallway is a photo of 1000 words."

"Absolutely amazing! I am touched to see inside. I have streaming tears for
you both happy and sad but no words."

"These are VERY special photographs for so many reasons.

1. I love the one of Dave smiling -- he's so happy and it comes through in
the photography 2. I really love the one of you walking down the hall with
the windows on the right 3. And...I absolutely love the one of you and your
father holding hands

They brought tears to my eyes -- tears of happiness and joy for you both."

"I feel as if I were there with you, if only in spirit. I hope you felt my
support and love, because I send them to you, always.... Seeing you hold
your Dad's hand is more than I can bare without sobbing, and I cannot even
come close to imagining how difficult it must have been for you."

"It isn't very often that I get an email that moves me the way this one did.
I totally admire you as you have managed to keep life in perspective and
what is truly important."

"Wow, Kath! These photos could win awards! Joyous, poignant, moving! Wow!
Thanks for sharing!"

"I just went through all your pictures and bawled my eyes out as if I were
there. They are truly lovely and capture all the emotions involved."

"What a beautiful, loving wedding -- thank you so much for sharing. 2009
has been very challenging for me also, but your story has put it into
perspective. The warmth and love between you and your husband and family is
very much in evidence in the photos."

"Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful and touching pictures with me!
...When I looked at the pictures, especially those with your dad, I was so
touched. As I have lost my dad in January 2007, my father-in-law in ... and
my mom in ..."

"So glad I didn't bother to put make up on...especially mascara!!! I loved
the pictures."

"The pictures are ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL and each one captures this
Very Heartfelt Family Celebration!!!"

If there is anything we can do to help you or your business in the future
with references etc then please get in contact any time...Thank you again.


Very Truly,

Katharine and Dave "

I really appreciated this email because I could tell how much the photos meant to her and she took the time to write. The above email was a very challenging wedding. It was at an ICU because the bride wanted to get married with her father. The father was suppose to be brought down to the chapel where we had one ceremony but his condition took a turn for the worse the previous night. So we had a second ceremony in his hospital room. It was a very touching and emotional moment.

It is these creative, loving, out of the box situations that make my job as a wedding photographer mean something. The wedding couple that doesn't always want the boxed edition of "weddings are us" are what I live for as a wedding photographer.

I love the couples who are truly in love and can let go during their beautiful day. I love the wedding couple that has interesting and original ideas. I love other creatives that want their special day documented as the beautiful and emotional day it should be.

Wedding Photography Styles

These days Brides and Grooms have many different types of styles to choose from for their wedding photography. You can go traditional, photojournalistic or graphic (to name a few). There is a myriad of choices out there. But one thing that all photographers have in common is "Light". We all have to use light in one way or another. How does your photographer use light?

I like 2 styles... natural light photojournalistic with a mix of fashion. I could sit here and dissect all of the styles and how they are performed but that would just be boring for both of us. My style is to see the light, use it in creative ways and finally find the emotion in the image. When I have the bride and groom one on one I like to add a flair of fashion (lighting/pose/post processing) to the photograph. But, the bottom line is still finding what light is there and getting a natural/candid pose out of the photo. I liken my fashion style to a candid, work with what you have, be creative and flexible.



In modern wedding photography you are suppose to see a bride look "happy" so the above image may be something you would see in a fashion magazine but for a wedding photographer it may have failed. A smiling bride is much better. Like the image below.

In this image you see a stronger "graphic" quality. A large amount of Photoshop manipulation. A quick analyisis would show a flattening of all the planes and areas. Detail is lost in a trade off for color and simplicity. I like to call it the "Matisse Style". Flat shapes, great lines and heavy color. This is one of the choices brides have in this digital day and age. Less of a photo and more of a photo manipulation. I love it and it is another creative form. Fashion and photojournalism with a heavy photoshop manipulation.




But, I can also be a purist and usually am. I have expensive Nikon equipment. All professional stuff that renders fine detail very well. Sometimes too well but that is another story. As you can see below, a traditional photojournalistic style is all about the emotion and use of available light.







Straight photography. Finally, a nice balance of all these elements makes for exciting and great wedding photography.





These are photojournalistic...with a slight fashion graphic quality. I don't think one is better than another. I am more about giving the Bride and Groom as much information and knowledge as possible so they can make an informed decision. I like to keep the integrity of the photograph with as much detail as possible. The photoshop should enhance the image not take it over in my opinion. But there is a time and place (photo) for every technique.

I came to photography from a Fine Art background so making something a highly stylistic, painterly, graphic art print is exciting, creative and fun. I don't think it should be overly used in every photo. Some images should be straight, photojournalistic, with minimal manipulation leaning on the found light and the emotion. Other images should look like what you see in a fashion magazine, a mix of great photography and post processing. Finally, use of graphic photoshop qualities that perhaps mimic old darkroom techniques but bring an image into the 21st century can enhance any wedding album.

Balance in everything.

Engagement Shoots

I am a big fan of doing engagement shoots with Brides and Grooms. It is about getting great photographs and those engagement photo will be memories that can be printed for your wedding day in a book or as a large photo for people to sign. But I think there is also a more important reason for including an engagement photo session before the wedding with your photographer.

I have noticed a very large difference in the quality of the wedding day photos between the couples who did do an engagement photo session and the couples that did not. In my opinion it is because of familiarity. When I approach the wedding day the couple who spent two hours with me before hand see me as a friend. They are much less self conscious of a photographer pointing a camera at them. They are not as shy. The couple has taken the experience of being photographed by a professional photographer and built upon the ideas we worked with beforehand. They have so much more fun with the photographer the second time around and everything is much more relaxed. The couple knows what to expect.

From my point of view, I also have an idea of how they react in front of a camera and I have learned more about hw to get first class photographs with the Bride and Groom. So it may cost a bit more money. It may take some time out of your life. But, I always hear that it was great fun and the memories of that time in the couples life are priceless.

Wedding Photojournalist Association

I am a member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association or the WPJA.com for short. There is a certain ethos that goes into being a photojournalist and also being in the WPJA. In short, the WPJA only accepts 15% of their applicants. They are not a fee based advertising site. Every three months the members of the site have a contest, and this establishes the order the photographers appear on the site.

Why do I mention this. Because there are rules to being in the WPJA. The rules are -

Images manipulated through the use of toning, increased saturation or desaturation, selective sharpening and/or blurring, dodging and burning, cloning, blemish removal, correcting or reducing distortions, or adding film grain/noise are not eligible for entry. However, cropping and color to black & white conversions are acceptable as well as slight adjustments to levels/curves.

In other words, minor adjusments are acceptable but the photo needs to be "As Is". This really makes a photographer be more of a "Photographer" than just a Photoshop junkie.





Granted, these are the contest rules and knowing an extensive amount of Photoshop techniques is very important for every photographer. I know my fair share of PS tricks. Many times I just want my photograph to be a photo instead of a piece of graphic art.

My first blog post

I have been focused on wedding photography. I really love weddings. To me it is a photographic study of love. One of the apex moments of a person's life. A commitment to love and bond with another person.

The pageantry of a wedding is amazing. Everyone is dressed to the nines. Children are running around. Multiple generations of a family are represented. It is a ceremony that brings out nervous and happy emotions that spill into a celebratory party atmosphere. I can think of no better photographic experience than being a wedding photographer.

But, being a wedding photographer mean you need to have a wide array of skills. It is like shooting a sporting event, a fashion shoot, a portrait session in a photojournalistic environment. The photographer has to think fast, be entertaining, and cordial. Most of all the photographer has to always be present and observing the action in every corner of the event. At any moment a 5 year old may step over to the cake and dip their fingers into the frosting just for a quick taste.