Weddings are exciting for the couple, their friends, and their families. But as a photographer, a wedding can sometimes turn out to be a boring, tiring day. There are certain types of shots that you must get for your client, leaving little room for creativity, the job feels routine. And that’s not how photography is supposed to be. Photographer Jamie Windsor explains why he feels wedding photography is boring and shares ways you can change that:
Whether you’re watching a TV show, a movie, or reading a book, it’s important that the characters resonate with you. And for the resonance to occur, it’s vital that the characters portray real experiences. When this doesn’t happen, there’s a disconnect between you and the art form.
A wedding is supposed to be about two individuals who have found true love in each other. During the course of the ceremony, you witness different emotions. And these emotions add true value and authenticity to the ceremony. But, when you look at the wedding photography industry today, things feel “synthetic.”
“When you photograph a wedding, like the library of cinematic tropes, there’s load of established formulas for certain shots.”
It’s as if wedding photographers are working based on a template. Almost everyone has a certain set of poses, setups, and types of photography that they offer to their clients. If you go through the portfolios of different wedding photographers, you’ll see that most of them have similar types of photos.
There’s absolutely no problem in trusting tried and true setups. The genuine concern is whether or not you’re capturing the uniqueness of the couple and the people involved in a particular wedding. The images will lose value and individuality if they look like generic wedding photos. The couple may not be able to establish a connection with the images, and you will have failed as a photographer.
Making Wedding Photography Interesting
The real essence of wedding photography is in capturing the candid moments with raw and pure emotions on display. Your aim should be to capture shear glimpses of joy, laughter, and love.
Have a look at the image below that Windsor took at one of the weddings he shot. The image is technically “wrong” with missed focus, lots of digital noise, and lack of sharpness. However, the clients loved it just because the image captures a moment of love and happiness in a single frame.
Here’s another example of the groom cracking up at the best man’s speech. Looking at the image, you can feel how ridiculously funny the speech must have been.
Posed photographs may look good, but the emotions don’t feel pure. So instead of working on a template, look out for candid moments that resonate with people. Capture feelings that people can connect with to add value to your wedding photography.
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Very interesting topic. I like this blog. Exactly, what I was looking for.