(Might surprise you)
What couples talk about and request most in that initial meeting?
“Candid shots.”
Which is kind of funny because you realize that what they are talking about are the unposed photos, and it is most of what you do that day. It’s not just A wedding, it’s THEIR wedding, and you want to produce photos of moments that will, when seen later, evoke that same feeling they remember from that moment.
“You want to produce photos of moments that will, when seen later, evoke that same feeling they remember from that moment.”
At the heart of it all,
what we really do is photojournalism. We are there to document the experience of their wedding day, and help them remember it and re-experience it when they look back through their photographs. And that means being aware, and alert, and understanding of what may happen throughout the day that will be etched in their memory because of the emotion attached to it, and resurfaced through our photographs.
To do less means you are sleepwalking through a shot list and doing less than you should, than you can. It means you’re just another vendor.
Challenge yourself to:
- Know the couple’s story
- Watch their interactions with people important to them
- Be alert to the unscripted moments
- Check your complacency
- Shoot like it’s your first wedding–pay close attention to every detail
- Find the unique
“Shoot like it’s your first wedding.”
Prime example:
A mother experiences so many emotions on a wedding day. She wants so much for her daughter: the perfect wedding, the perfect marriage, and all the joy that comes with those two things. At the same time, she knows there is a little letting-go that’s taking place that day, and that the wedding celebrates and marks that. It can be a bittersweet day for the mother.
Knowing who is who at a wedding and watching for emotional moments or emotional exchanges between those people will produce impactful and treasured photographs.
Another example:
Had this been posed or scripted, it wouldn’t mean nearly as much. Kari was so happy and giddy in the moment that she was totally oblivious to Daniel about to kiss her on her cheek. She told me later that this one photo was one of her most loved. In fact, she had almost forgotten this moment had happened until she saw this image.
Couples will most appreciate photographs that resurface things they felt that day. Posed portraits and formals are nice, and a part of every wedding, but because they are posed they don’t necessarily evoke the same feelings.
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