Multiple Generations on Wedding Day
When you hire a WPJA member to document your wedding, you will most likely obtain original, dynamic photos that capture the story of the day. Often this story contains many intimate moments that might appear insignificant to an outsider. But to you, they have tremendous meaning; and the ability to always bring you right back to the people, the place, and the emotion of that day.
Obviously, the emotional aspect of a wedding isn’t just about the love between the bride and groom. Family plays an important part in many weddings, and grandparents and older relatives bring a deeper meaning to the ceremony and festivities. Photographs of your grandparents and other family and friends from older generations can celebrate the bonds of your heritage that you cherish as you prepare for the future. A good wedding photojournalist recognizes this special connection.
KNOWING THE BACKGROUND
A wedding photojournalist’s goal is to guarantee that you remember the day vividly for years to come. To make sure they don’t miss a moment with anyone special, particularly older relatives who may be present for only part of the event, many couples like to do a bit of reconnaissance beforehand.
“As a wedding photojournalist, getting as much information as possible before a wedding is essential,” says Mary Gardella-Hester, a WPJA member from Maryland, USA. “This is when the client tells me who's important and why. More likely than not, I will hear about grandparents and how important it is that I capture them during the event—so going into the shoot I know I need to focus on certain people. This gives me the opportunity to look for great moments.”
Mary Gardella-Hester
This is exactly what happened when Gardella-Hester snapped the photo that became an award winner in a recent WPJA Summer contest. “The elder woman in the photograph is the bride's grandmother. She is very loved and someone quite special in that family, especially to the grandchildren.”
Gardella-Hester knew that a picture with the bride and her grandmother would be special, and was delighted when an opportunity presented itself. “Even though she was quite fragile, the grandmother made a point to get on the dance floor with the younger folks,” she says. “I saw what was happening and I stayed with the situation until this image unfolded before my eyes. I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time.”
The goal, of course, is to depict a memory that will live on. “I would like to think that someday someone will be browsing through their album with their grandkids,” says Nicole Young, a WPJA member from New York, USA says. “They’ll spot a particular photograph that will strike up a memory or funny story about a relative that is no longer with them, and share the story with the younger generation. Sometimes it takes seeing an image to bring back a moment that we had completely forgotten about.”
FOREKNOWLEDGE AND DETAILS
With elder relatives, having all the information also makes it easier to take into account any special considerations.
“I will usually ask beforehand to see if there are any wedding party members, family, friends etc. that may need special attention,” says Sean Meyers, a WPJA member from North Carolina, USA. This knowledge helps him to plan ahead and be present in locations that are more accessible for the elderly or wheel chair bound guests.
The intimacy of taking time out for older relatives can lead to some special moments. “One thing I have found more of my brides doing lately is inviting grandparents up to their rooms or homes while they are getting ready,” says Young. “It gives them a chance to have a few quiet moments together without all the noise and distractions that will be present later. The older family member can then get a close-up look at the dress, the rings, the details of the day.”
Sean Meyers
A similar opportunity presented itself to Meyers when he shot his WPJA award-winning photo. “I was keeping an eye on the bride as she was being congratulated after the ceremony and noticed her elderly great-grandmother patiently waiting for a hug,” he remembers. “Moments like this are often important, so I was next to them both to capture that moment. They started comparing rings,” and Meyers, noticing the contrast in their hands, jumped on it. “I knew it would be a good image.”
THE MOMENT AND THE MEMORY
Your wedding day is not just about what’s next, but sharing with your new partner where you’ve been in your life. Older generations are often a sign of the joy that lies ahead.
“I often take mental notes of grandparents and where they are during the day,” says Meyers. “They provide excellent opportunities to capture those moments between the happy bride and equally happy grandma and grandpa. Documenting the contrast between the couple’s new ‘beginning’ and the grandparents’ ‘developed’ partnership makes for interesting photographs. Grandparents are a critical part of the day's storytelling and are well worth keeping an eye on.”
Nicole Young
This is exactly what Young found when she took the photograph that would go on to place in another recent WPJA contest. “The bride was simply waiting around and walked up and sat next to her grandmother. She was showing her the bouquet and other little things that were special to her. It was a quiet and simple moment.”
Although she knew it would be a beautiful photo, Young also respected the intimacy of the exchange. “I tried very hard to capture the image without them knowing I was there or interrupting them. I’d rather have someone remember that moment with their grandmother and not capture it, than for them to remember me stepping in. In a perfect world I would capture it without them even knowing I was there.”
Perhaps Mary Gardella-Hester puts it best: “It warms my heart to see such affection for our elders. They are so important to our family history and they help shape our future generations. How can I not document that?”
—by Heather Bowlan for the Wedding Photojournalist Association
Original Article at: http://www.wedpix.com/articles/011/multiple-generations-on-wedding-day/
Monday, August 27, 2007
HARD-EARNED TECHNIQUES FOR DOCUMENTING THE CEREMONY
HARD-EARNED TECHNIQUES FOR DOCUMENTING THE CEREMONY
Wedding photographers know better than anyone else that no two ceremonies are alike. For many, the opportunity to capture the unexpected with their camera is what got them into wedding photography in the first place. Nothing about photographing the ceremony is ever rote. It’s impossible to rely on the same cues to take a picture because the setting, lighting, and people are in constant flux. There in the middle of all of this animation stands the wedding photographer, watching and listening, ready at any second to freeze that spontaneous kiss on the steeple steps or the flower girl’s unrehearsed tumble down the aisle.
Brian Phillips
Needless to say, there is a constant (and sharp) learning curve in this field. Many valuable tricks and techniques cannot be acquired through a textbook but through honest, hard-earned years of experience. We’ve talked to three Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) award-winning photographers to find out firsthand what all their years of documenting the ceremony have taught them. From correcting poor lighting to looking beyond the typical ring and ceremony kiss pictures, our experts have bestowed some of their most valued advice upon us.
TRY TO BE INVISIBLE
Can you become invisible? Well, you can get close. With the guests’ attention focused upon the action of the ceremony, it’s critically important for the photographer to not cause any distractions. The importance of making yourself nearly invisible cannot be overemphasized. This does not only involve dressing in the style of the guests — black tie, formal or semi-formal attire — but also relates to your demeanor and how or where you position yourself and your camera equipment. Walking around during the ceremony is distracting to guests, while kneeling or sitting on the floor in the front takes the photographer out of the spotlight. Work quietly, walk softly, and strive to be ultra-discrete when changing lenses, lights, cards, or film.
WPJA award-winner, Brian Phillips, does more than move about discretely and blend in with the crowd.. He explains, “I will focus on them, then I turn my camera in a direction other than theirs, but with my eyes still glued on the guests. When another moment happens, I am ready to swing my camera back in their direction, pre-focused, and I shoot.”
Phillips’ technique works so well due in part to the power of the camera. When it is focused on most people, it doesn’t matter that the most important event of the day is taking place before their eyes, they often become self-conscious and react by stiffening up. As soon as the camera turns away from them, they relax and take on a greater degree of self-assuredness. “This technique has served me very well in capturing extremely candid guest and family pictures,” Phillips notes.
WPJA award winner Stacey Kane’s protocol during the ceremony is to position herself out of the view of the guests. She explains, “During the processional, I’m in the front when everyone is looking in the back, and during the ceremony and recessional, I’m in the back or on the side of the venue when everyone is watching the front.”
DEALING WITH POOR LIGHTING
A major part of capturing subjects in the ‘best light’ is finding that best light. This is not an easy task when many ceremonies take place in a church, mosque, or temple, where the lighting is often muted and inconsistent. Through trial and error, the photographer must come up with special ways to deal with these lighting challenges. Phillips has come up with an excellent solution for low-light settings. He explains, “My Canon 30D cameras have a lens crop factor of 1.6x, so a 50mm lens actually acts as if it were 80mm. Shooting wide open with shallow depth of field makes for unbelievable shots. No flash to distract, and perfect natural light in very dark venues.”
Stacey Kane
Matt McGraw, WPJA award-winner, takes a creative approach to dealing with the issue of poor lighting. His results lend a uniquely artistic style to his photography. When he wants to create a particular mood but the lighting is poor, he manipulates the Kelvin temperature, adjusting the white balance on his camera’s manual controls, to bring out a romantic mood in the photograph.
NOT THE TYPICAL RING AND KISS PICTURES
Though there are certain moments and situations that come with every wedding, there are thousands of different ways to capture them. It takes creativity and experimentation to find these ways. Phillips notes, “All weddings are similar in many facets, but each family, each bride and groom are uniquely different.” Acknowledging the differences allows him to see the wedding, and thus the typical ring and kiss pictures, in a new and exciting light each time.
In capturing these classic images, Phillips likes to have a little fun with the composition. He explains, “I do like to mix it up just a bit and tilt the camera a lot more than I ever used to. This sometimes gives an extra bit of drama to an image and can help create a well-composed image by filling the frame more completely.” However, as to not overwhelm his clients with this type of creative composition, Phillips never provides too many ”crooked horizons.“
Beyond the ring and kisses pictures, there are many moments that help tell the story of the ceremony. These may be pictures of the guests arriving, the musicians, and the handing out of programs. While not the main attraction, these images add color to the bigger picture—the ceremony. Similarly, capturing those spontaneous moments that seemingly pop out from nowhere has the same effect. McGraw recalls a couple who was kissing and then, “she whispered something in his ear and bam, I got the shot I wanted.”
INSIDER TRICKS
For some, mastering the technical side of photography doesn’t come as easily as the creativity. That’s why it’s good to get advice from tried and true masters of their craft. Phillips regularly uses a 1/30th of a second shutter speed. He finds, “So many photographers are scared to shoot at such a slow shutter speed for a fear of a blurry picture, maybe. But the flash stops the action, and the slow shutter brings the background light up so as to not have a dark or near-black background.”
Matt McGraw
McGraw uses a digital camera and up to four different lenses throughout a wedding. Though unlike many, he also has an old Mamiya box camera that gives his work an antique feel using black-and-white film. He’s tried to recreate this style using his digital camera, but has been unable to duplicate it.
IT TAKES EXPERIENCE
For Kane, the secret to a great wedding is to never go to the ceremony venue ahead of time. She doesn’t plan out a thing and relies solely on her ability to anticipate and react to whatever is thrown her direction. As she notes, something always goes wrong or at least not according to plan at a wedding. It is the photographer’s job to be able to respond with her camera to what arises. She says, “If one little thing gets thrown off, then you’re spending more time trying to figure out how to recreate what you had planned to photograph instead of doing what you should be doing, which is just taking the pictures.”
Phillips’ years of experience have taught him that his ears are just as important as his eyes. He explains, “This allows me to shoot other things going on around me, but remain careful enough to still be going along with the ceremony so as to not miss an important picture like the candle lighting.” Opening up your senses to what’s going on around you is essential, and perfecting this ability can take years.
As with all practitioners of the creative arts, photographers are constantly discovering and strengthening their art form. It is essential to the growth and success of their work. And as with the art itself, becoming a better photographer involves gaining inspiration and knowledge from all sources — personal experience, mentors, contemporaries, and the WPJA!
— by Lauren Ragland for the Wedding Photojournalist Association
Original Article at: http://www.wedpix.com/articles/002/documenting-the-ceremony/
Wedding photographers know better than anyone else that no two ceremonies are alike. For many, the opportunity to capture the unexpected with their camera is what got them into wedding photography in the first place. Nothing about photographing the ceremony is ever rote. It’s impossible to rely on the same cues to take a picture because the setting, lighting, and people are in constant flux. There in the middle of all of this animation stands the wedding photographer, watching and listening, ready at any second to freeze that spontaneous kiss on the steeple steps or the flower girl’s unrehearsed tumble down the aisle.
Brian Phillips
Needless to say, there is a constant (and sharp) learning curve in this field. Many valuable tricks and techniques cannot be acquired through a textbook but through honest, hard-earned years of experience. We’ve talked to three Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) award-winning photographers to find out firsthand what all their years of documenting the ceremony have taught them. From correcting poor lighting to looking beyond the typical ring and ceremony kiss pictures, our experts have bestowed some of their most valued advice upon us.
TRY TO BE INVISIBLE
Can you become invisible? Well, you can get close. With the guests’ attention focused upon the action of the ceremony, it’s critically important for the photographer to not cause any distractions. The importance of making yourself nearly invisible cannot be overemphasized. This does not only involve dressing in the style of the guests — black tie, formal or semi-formal attire — but also relates to your demeanor and how or where you position yourself and your camera equipment. Walking around during the ceremony is distracting to guests, while kneeling or sitting on the floor in the front takes the photographer out of the spotlight. Work quietly, walk softly, and strive to be ultra-discrete when changing lenses, lights, cards, or film.
WPJA award-winner, Brian Phillips, does more than move about discretely and blend in with the crowd.. He explains, “I will focus on them, then I turn my camera in a direction other than theirs, but with my eyes still glued on the guests. When another moment happens, I am ready to swing my camera back in their direction, pre-focused, and I shoot.”
Phillips’ technique works so well due in part to the power of the camera. When it is focused on most people, it doesn’t matter that the most important event of the day is taking place before their eyes, they often become self-conscious and react by stiffening up. As soon as the camera turns away from them, they relax and take on a greater degree of self-assuredness. “This technique has served me very well in capturing extremely candid guest and family pictures,” Phillips notes.
WPJA award winner Stacey Kane’s protocol during the ceremony is to position herself out of the view of the guests. She explains, “During the processional, I’m in the front when everyone is looking in the back, and during the ceremony and recessional, I’m in the back or on the side of the venue when everyone is watching the front.”
DEALING WITH POOR LIGHTING
A major part of capturing subjects in the ‘best light’ is finding that best light. This is not an easy task when many ceremonies take place in a church, mosque, or temple, where the lighting is often muted and inconsistent. Through trial and error, the photographer must come up with special ways to deal with these lighting challenges. Phillips has come up with an excellent solution for low-light settings. He explains, “My Canon 30D cameras have a lens crop factor of 1.6x, so a 50mm lens actually acts as if it were 80mm. Shooting wide open with shallow depth of field makes for unbelievable shots. No flash to distract, and perfect natural light in very dark venues.”
Stacey Kane
Matt McGraw, WPJA award-winner, takes a creative approach to dealing with the issue of poor lighting. His results lend a uniquely artistic style to his photography. When he wants to create a particular mood but the lighting is poor, he manipulates the Kelvin temperature, adjusting the white balance on his camera’s manual controls, to bring out a romantic mood in the photograph.
NOT THE TYPICAL RING AND KISS PICTURES
Though there are certain moments and situations that come with every wedding, there are thousands of different ways to capture them. It takes creativity and experimentation to find these ways. Phillips notes, “All weddings are similar in many facets, but each family, each bride and groom are uniquely different.” Acknowledging the differences allows him to see the wedding, and thus the typical ring and kiss pictures, in a new and exciting light each time.
In capturing these classic images, Phillips likes to have a little fun with the composition. He explains, “I do like to mix it up just a bit and tilt the camera a lot more than I ever used to. This sometimes gives an extra bit of drama to an image and can help create a well-composed image by filling the frame more completely.” However, as to not overwhelm his clients with this type of creative composition, Phillips never provides too many ”crooked horizons.“
Beyond the ring and kisses pictures, there are many moments that help tell the story of the ceremony. These may be pictures of the guests arriving, the musicians, and the handing out of programs. While not the main attraction, these images add color to the bigger picture—the ceremony. Similarly, capturing those spontaneous moments that seemingly pop out from nowhere has the same effect. McGraw recalls a couple who was kissing and then, “she whispered something in his ear and bam, I got the shot I wanted.”
INSIDER TRICKS
For some, mastering the technical side of photography doesn’t come as easily as the creativity. That’s why it’s good to get advice from tried and true masters of their craft. Phillips regularly uses a 1/30th of a second shutter speed. He finds, “So many photographers are scared to shoot at such a slow shutter speed for a fear of a blurry picture, maybe. But the flash stops the action, and the slow shutter brings the background light up so as to not have a dark or near-black background.”
Matt McGraw
McGraw uses a digital camera and up to four different lenses throughout a wedding. Though unlike many, he also has an old Mamiya box camera that gives his work an antique feel using black-and-white film. He’s tried to recreate this style using his digital camera, but has been unable to duplicate it.
IT TAKES EXPERIENCE
For Kane, the secret to a great wedding is to never go to the ceremony venue ahead of time. She doesn’t plan out a thing and relies solely on her ability to anticipate and react to whatever is thrown her direction. As she notes, something always goes wrong or at least not according to plan at a wedding. It is the photographer’s job to be able to respond with her camera to what arises. She says, “If one little thing gets thrown off, then you’re spending more time trying to figure out how to recreate what you had planned to photograph instead of doing what you should be doing, which is just taking the pictures.”
Phillips’ years of experience have taught him that his ears are just as important as his eyes. He explains, “This allows me to shoot other things going on around me, but remain careful enough to still be going along with the ceremony so as to not miss an important picture like the candle lighting.” Opening up your senses to what’s going on around you is essential, and perfecting this ability can take years.
As with all practitioners of the creative arts, photographers are constantly discovering and strengthening their art form. It is essential to the growth and success of their work. And as with the art itself, becoming a better photographer involves gaining inspiration and knowledge from all sources — personal experience, mentors, contemporaries, and the WPJA!
— by Lauren Ragland for the Wedding Photojournalist Association
Original Article at: http://www.wedpix.com/articles/002/documenting-the-ceremony/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)