Your Photographer
The single most important thing about your photographer, is do you have a connection with them. Do they make you feel conformable.Will you enjoy spending time with them on your wedding day. Remember that they, more than anyone else, your wedding planner included, shall be at your side, for most of the day.
- After that, and in no particular order, do you like their:
- style of shooting
- examples of their work
- experience
- local knowledge
- knowledge of both English and Spanish (Spanish is really helpful, for quickly getting things done)
- number of photographers (or and assistance) at your wedding
- willing to shoot in a style or manner that you wish
- not just wanting to direct the wedding shoot to their own agenda
- number of photographers at your wedding
Shooting Styles
There are three main styles of photography (and a common extra option)
Traditional (classic) - Reportage (photojournalism) - Artistic (fashion photos) plus Friend of the Family
Traditional
Classic and Timeless photography
The Pros:
Time taken over organising posed photos - so more attention to detail (no closed eyes - no crossed feet - removal of sunglasses, etc)
Great for Group shoots
Make for lovely couple shots
Timeless
The Cons:
Can look stiff and unnatural
Sometimes guests don't like to be bossed around too much
Limited number of shots - each wedding seems to look exactly the same
Takes much longer
All the photos can end up looking exactly the same
Reportage
Casual, relaxed photojournalistic photography
The Pros:
Photo-journalistic
Casual
Natural
Unobtrusive
The best way to capture children
Your wedding as it happens
The Cons:
Can be too casual
Family and friends group shots could be missed
Not everyone is smiling for the camera
Sometimes the photographer is not in full control of the wedding shoot
Artistic
Fun, creative and not out of place in your favourite fashion magazine
The artistic style, whether or not some wedding photographers will admit it or not, is very much in the vein of Magazine fashion photography with a hint of photo-journalism. Those that do it well produce excellent images. Those that have a good feel for it produce great images. Those that tend to have a background or training in fashion or magazine photography, can produce excellent results. It's the opportunity for the artsy-fartsy nature of the photographer to come out BUT be on the lookout for a photographer who wants to shoot 'your' wedding their way and not the way that 'you' would like it!
There is another side of the Artistic photographer and that is the one who loves to do much of their work in photoshop. Everything in moderation. While one or two images look great, sometimes this can be a little overdone, as below!
Well meaning friends and family
In this digital age, inexpensive DSLR cameras produce excellent results, many times as good as a professional would take.
Nothing wrong with that and the more images you have to choose from at your wedding, the better. We've shot 'back-up' to a few of these well meaning and kind hearted photographers, and if they have never shot a wedding before, you are guaranteed to miss a few great shots.
The Pros:
The price is right - most likely they are shooting for free or just expenses.
They already know the bride and groom so there is a comfort zone
The probably know many of the guests, creating a bigger comfort zone
The Cons:
They possibly won't always be in the correct position for the church service
They may have a comfort zone but hardly ever can command respect of your guests
They may feel awkward bossing you around or asking you to pose one more time, kiss again, etc
They won't have the respect of the priest
They won't have the knowledge of what comes next and the time management required to work within your timetable
The wedding service is a one time deal. If something goes wrong you've missed it
They possibly won't have back-up equipment with them
They probably will shoot it by themselves and not with an assistant
They probably know one style, and do not have experience of all three.
An Objective viewpoint from the USA
Recently we made the acquaintance of a top American Photographer, Daniel Sheehan, who thinks along the same lines as we do, when it comes to wedding photography
Photography: A style of wedding photography that works for you
By Daniel Sheehan (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Photography)
http://abeautifuldayphotography.com/
Seattle wedding photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography.
In the beginning, wedding photography was in black and white and the cameras were big and bulky so most wedding photographs were carefully posed. Then came color photography and smaller lighter 35mm cameras and more photographers began to try and shoot candid pictures. Over time, different styles have developed and you may find yourself attracted to one style over another. All of them can be in black and white or color. With the coming of digital, all photos are made in color but can be converted to black and white without any degradation, so it is just a matter of your taste and the style you find yourself attracted to.
Traditional and Photojournalistic are the two primary approaches to wedding photography that the majority of wedding photographers practice today. Classically posed images and a great deal of photographer direction and interaction on the day of the wedding are the hallmarks of the approach of the Traditional Wedding Photographer. The poses dictated by the photographer have been practiced since the days of the big bulky cameras by traditional wedding photography studios and have served them well over the years. Your parent’s wedding was most likely photographed in this style.
Editorial photography style with an emphasis on telling a story of the day with unposed candid pictures, with little photographer direction and interaction best describes the Photojournalistic Wedding Photographer approach. The emphasis in photojournalism is on capturing the story, atmosphere, details and emotion of the day, so the viewer has an appreciation of what the wedding was like, rather than a series of pre-determined poses.
Photojournalism is easier to define, as the term infers the photography is by its nature similar to journalism, where the emphasis is upon reporting and recording events in a newsworthy manner and the photos are more about you than a predetermined pose.
There is now a new approach that sprung up in the last couple of years. This third style of wedding photography, which has lately been gaining popularity, is a contemporary fashion magazine approach. This approach blends elements of the editorial photojournalistic approach with the kind of highly styled posed fashion pictures that find their inspiration in magazines like Vogue or Elle or Vanity Fair. Most of the photographers who follow this approach rely heavily on post-production processing in Photoshop to give their images an over saturated romantic look, sometime layering texture patterns over the picture. Just as the fashion magazines use Photoshop to digitally enhance all of their pictures, this style leans in the direction of fantasy, depicting the bride and groom as glamorous models in an exotic location. Contemporary fashion wedding photography may include an element of photojournalism but is not exclusively that style of photography. The digital manipulations create a more artistic and dreamy look than straight, non enhanced photojournalism alone conveys.
As a matter of course, some photographers blend elements of all these styles in their practice of wedding photography. In fact, due of the rise in popularity of the photojournalistic approach which has been considered hot the last five or six years, many traditional wedding photographers have adapted to the times by creating poses that mimic the look of candid photojournalistic pictures. The poses often look stiff compared to true to life candid pictures, but they offer a different look from their older poses. A number of straight photojournalistic photographers are adopting elements of the fashion magazine approach to some of their photographs.
Consider all three approaches when you look through the online portfolios of wedding photographers before you find the one who you think will best convey the elements your own style.
Thanks for your input Daniel.
And if you've read this far, let me remind you that at Photo Video Spain, we always have two photographers on site, one specializing in Traditional poses, the other Reportage while we shoot artistic images which you've requested and other detail shots we know you'll wish to have should you wish to produce a digital coffee table album.
And don't forget, at Photo Video Spain we like to have fun, to keep you smiling. We're here to help you enjoy your big day.
Keep smiling.
Contact Keith
by hitting the email contact me button,
for more details.