Tag Archives: my book

To See or Not to See

Posted on by
Reply

A question that always comes up when preparing to photograph a wedding is whether the couple plans to see one another before the ceremony.  There is no question that doing so makes the wedding day flow more smoothly in many, many ways.

First and foremost, the couple is invariably SO much more relaxed once they see one another, and it makes the pre-ceremony time much more enjoyable for them.  I always make clear that we will still make “the moment” a very special one, planning it out and finding a beautiful spot that will make for great photos.

They’ll still get to experience the fun and anticipation of getting ready separately…

Image

Image

I love taking the opportunity for a portrait of the groom as he waits for his lady…

Image

A sweet shot as she makes her entrance…

Image

And then, finally, “the reveal”…

Image

Image

In my book, I describe my method of shooting this moment as a kind of choreographed dance.  It’s definitely one of the more “directed” moments of the day, which allows me to capture all the many varied aspects of the moment.

Logistically, of course, it makes the photo schedule much more manageable when the couple sees one another ahead of time because we can ask the family and wedding party to arrive early and then get most, if not all, of the obligatory (and often dreaded) “group shots” out of the way.  This makes the “formal” session much more pleasant for everyone involved (not just the photographer!) for a couple of reasons.  First, people are more inclined to pay attention and follow instructions during the calmer, pre-ceremony time period, so we can blow through the list much more quickly.  Second, there is no cocktail hour to lure them away, or cause them the pain of watching other guests enjoy the party while they are stuck waiting for their turn to be photographed.  And of course, the beauty for everyone involved is that once the ceremony is over, they CAN actually go enjoy that cocktail hour.

If the ceremony is later in the day and close to sunset, there is even more reason for the couple to see one another so that we can take advantage of the natural light for some beautiful outdoor photography before it gets dark.  It’s just silly to painstakingly select a drop-dead gorgeous setting for one’s wedding, and not take advantage of using it while it’s still daylight!

Image

If my clients are truly dead-set against seeing one another before the ceremony, I abide by their wishes.  But I’m glad to see that more and more couples are deciding to see one another ahead of time, as it really does make the day more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Simple and Good

Posted on by
Reply

My book, Weddings:  From Snapshots to Great Shots contains a chapter with my thoughts about the most useful photography equipment for covering weddings.  As an off-shoot to the book, I recently wrote an article for Peachpit Press (out in November) about what lens features are most important for wedding photography, and how to determine one’s next lens purchase.  This got me thinking about the equipment that I’ve used over the years… especially when I was just starting out.  The first few weddings I shot were unpaid portfolio-building gigs — friends, or friends-of-friends… basically, anyone I could find that was getting married, and didn’t mind me showing up with my camera.

My gear?  An old, completely mechanical Olympus body and three lenses (a 35mm, a 50mm, and a 135mm), a hand-held light meter and some 35mm film (mostly black & white).  Oh, and a fully loaded, fully taped-up Holga with 12 frames.  That’s it.

And here’s the thing.  The images are lovely. 

My gear was old, but it was sturdy, and most importantly, the glass was beautiful and sharp.  I couldn’t zoom into a scene, so I moved around a lot more to get a good variety of shots.  I only had one camera body, so I was more limited in what I could do at any given moment – but that made me very thoughtful about my choices.

Before long, of course – and before I began charging for wedding jobs – I upgraded my gear.  For many years, I’ve had amazing, expensive zoom lenses with a much wider range of focal lengths and incredibly smart camera bodies with all sorts of capabilities.  They are phenomenal tools, and I’m grateful to have them at my disposal.

But it’s really nice to go back to these very first wedding images and realize that, provided a few key quality criteria are met, then truly – the work has much more to do with the person making the images than with the tools used to make it.

Don’t be seduced into thinking that you need to buy that $2,000 lens or that $8,000 camera body to make wonderful images.  Are they nice to have?  Absolutely!  But are they completely necessary?  No way!

Research and choose your tools wisely; get to know them intimately so they become an extension of you; and invest the time and effort to hone your craft and develop your creative vision, and you’ll find that you have all you need to create the images of your dreams.