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When Annie Hayes looks over the photographs taken at her wedding nearly 20 years ago, she shakes her head in disappointment. She keeps the pictures—mostly proofs—stashed away in a box in her hall closet, deeming very few worthy of display in an album.
"The photographer just did a terrible job. But really it's our own fault because we didn't check out his work before we hired him. A family member referred us to him and he offered us a good price was right so we went with him. We were young and didn't really know what we were doing."
If she were to do the wedding over again, she says, she'd earmark a greater percentage of her wedding budget to photography and be more selective in choosing a photographer. "The pictures are really important. Eighteen years later they're all that's left of this once-in-a-lifetime event."
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| Define the Style of Photography You Want |
Baron Spafford, a photographer who often brings technical and artistic expertise to multimillion-dollar nuptials, understands Hayes' feelings. "The longer the marriage stays together, the more important those wedding photographs become." Spafford, who photographs about 50 weddings a year, offers valuable advice to couples trying to figure out the best way to capture their weddings on film.
"First of all, define the style of photography you're after. Some brides and grooms have a real fantasy about their weddings and want the photos to look a certain way." Wedding photography styles fall into two categories: formal and photojournalistic.
The more traditional, formal approach has the photographer directing the activity and running the event like a photo shoot. He takes few candid shots, preferring his subjects posed and poised.
The photojournalist, on the other hand, "views the wedding as an event to be captured, not directed." He keeps formal portraits to a minimum, spending no more than 15 minutes after the ceremony getting the traditional bridal party and family shots and devoting the rest of his time to capturing the essence of the event.
Neither approach is better or worse than the other, Spafford says, "they're just different. And the bride and groom need to know what they want." |
| Start the Process as Soon as a Date is Set |
The process of selecting a photographer should begin as soon as the wedding date is set, Spafford adds, and can start with the bride and groom talking with wedding planners, florists, caterers and other members of their "wedding team" and tossing out different names.
"Listen for a reaction. In the local market certain names keep coming up because of their professionalism and abilities." Once the bride and groom have whittled the number down to a handful they should visit photographers’ studios and take a look at their work.
"And interview more than one photographer," Spafford advises. "The process is about more than just beautiful images, but also the way in which those images are captured." He likens the photographer's presence at the wedding to the service offered in a fine restaurant. "You can either have too much service where the waiter is in your face, or not enough and you can't find him when you need him."
Your interviews should include a discussion about all the associated costs, the availability of negatives and whether the photographer will produce an album for you or just hand over packets of photographs. Make sure your artistic sensibilities match those of the photographer and he or she will be able to produce the kind of images you want."
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| Rehearse the Photography as Well as the Vows |
When you have selected a photographer, consider scheduling a portrait session a month or two before the wedding. "It's like a dry-run with the hair stylist," Spafford said. "The photographer and the couple can get to know one another a little bit and develop a rapport so the photographer won't be coming in cold on the wedding day or at the rehearsal dinner."
To make sure the wedding album includes a complete selection of the photographs you want, jot down the names of people to be included. "Make a list of who you want photographed and assign a close friend to accompany the photographer and identify people on the list."
Spafford advises taking a few minutes during the rehearsal dinner to fine tune the photography game plan and remind key individuals where and when photographs will be taken. Also, find out how the photographer feels about friends and relatives standing nearby and shooting pictures with their own cameras. "Some photographers don't want anyone else taking pictures during their sessions. Others are more open about it."
While traditional color prints remain popular for wedding albums and photo displays, black and white and other, more stylistic finishes, are finding favor among brides and grooms. "There's more attention to black and white images right now," Spafford says. "Black and white gives a more artistic bent and has a timeless quality. It has a great photojournalistic look."
As photography and computers converge, and digital graphics become commonplace, photo finishing and photography styles will becoming more creative, according to Spafford. "In the past there was a concern as to the kind of equipment a person uses. Now what's more important is the eye and persona of the photographer. You're paying for the artist's talent and experience." |
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