I don't want my Mom's Album

It seems that many young brides are saying that they don�t want an

album that looks like their mothers. They say that they don�t want

those same stuffy posed pictures. Instead they want that hip

new �Photojournalistic Approach�. Or so I hear. Have any

photographers looked at their mother�s albums? I have. The pictures

are usually faded, and the poses seem to be a little less

natural/uninteresting than most modern poses. And of course the

clothes and hairstyles look ridicules (the same way that today�s hair

styles and clothes will look ridicules in 20 + years). In reality

the modern posed album bares little resemblance to the posed album of

20 years ago. Here in Texas many (not all) brides still prefer the

posed album with a scattering of candids. Some (not many) are

totally uninterested in candids altogether. Candids can be excellent

for capturing the emotion and flavor of the event and they often make

beautiful exhibition photos (great for getting brides through the

door). But the posed shots still seem to be the �meat and potatoes�

and the candids seem to be the �icing on the cake�. Has anyone else

noticed this? I realize that many photographers have built their

business around their candid technique and that they attract brides

who want that look, but is it safe to say that a majority or at least

significant number of brides prefer the posed shots (provided the

photographer is skilled enough to get them done in an expedient

manner) as well as some candids?

Todd K.

It appears to be the opposite here in Michigan Todd.

If you type a Michigan zip code (like 48025) into www.ep-o.com/networklogin.asp you'll

see most requests are for mixed or candid. When they say mixed, it's because they want

some posed, but just a few. The client's that say they don't want any posed ...I try to talk

them into it because their folks will want them.

On Easter Sunday I'm photographing a wedding for a very good school teacher buddy of mine (a young lady who I'm sure was some sort of soul mate from a previous life in Nepal, or wherever).

Anyway, she's a bit different. It's at Stern Grove in San Francisco, and, before anything happens, there's an Easter egg hunt for the kids at 11:30AM. Then there's a bar-B-Que lunch. Only after that is the wedding, and then drinks and dinner. She not into much formal stuff, but knows she has to do it for mom, etc. Everything else is "whatever happens!" It will be interesting, and a bit difficult. I'm going to bring out all my cannons (not Canons!). It's so much easier when we march like little soldiers and do everything according to the "list"!

I'm going to do whatever I think might be interesting.

To answer your question, all of my weddings are documentary with the obligatory formals and portraits added.

It seems that most of the brides that approach me are looking for the photojournalistic style. Of course that's what I advertise so I usually don't get people telling me they want the formal look. Like most wedding photojournalists, I shoot my fair share of formals (a necessary evil :-), but I really come alive when I'm simply documenting the event. I have a lot of fun when I shoot my weddings.

I think when a bride says she doesn't want her mother's album, she's really saying she doesn't want an album full of formal pics and nothing more.