The Evolution of Wedding Photography

[ian_cooke1]

I'm sure quite a few people on this wedding forum are familiar with the old traditional styles of posed

wedding photography with all of the standard looking formal portraits... and most other photos derived

directly from a standard "shot list"... very 70's / 80's looking wedding photography... maybe not all

wedding photography was like that... but mostly that's what was out there.<p>

Fast forward to a few years or so ago..... a somewhat different style of wedding photography began

gaining popularity and became more of the main stream. Maybe this was because of a younger generation

of photographers shooting weddings, or because of the advent of digital photography, or because people

just got tired of the traditional styles, or some combination of the above. In any case, wedding

photography started becoming somewhat "cool" or at least "more cool" (I'm not saying it wasn't already

cool) and more popular. Obviously there's a lot of people wanting to shoot weddings these days so the

popularity (as well as ease of entry) seems to have risen.

<p>

My point..... We moved from generic traditional poses and shot lists to (arguably) more creative, unique

and photojournalistc style of wedding photography. However... are we perhaps coming full circle? The

majority of wedding photographers are shooting with Canon DSLRs, processing images with the same or

similar Photoshop Actions, sharing ideas, copying each other's techniques and ideas for shots....<p>

...It's all good, but I wonder if people have become more interested in copying another photographer's

"look" instead of developing their own unique style (which everyone has in them). When I look around at

wedding photographer websites, I see so many people with the same compositions, set up shots, poses,

and overly Photoshopped images, they all start looking like bad imitations of each other. I've gotten a

little tired of all the overly saturated, high-contrast, vignetted, textured images I see every day. I'm not

saying it's all like this. There are definately some very creative and talented photographers doing original

stuff and excellent candid and documentary style work. But there is a lot of imitation going around. And

most of the people who claim to be "photojournalistic" are really not. <p>

Whether the set up shots are old-school traditional Monte Zucker style poses or "modern" 2007 style

poses... if anything is overdone it will start looking cheezy and boring..... <p>

So where do we go from here?

[surfidaho]

I try to be creative and artistic, but a certain percentage of my shots will always be "cheezy and boring", because no matter how much the bride and groom like photojournalism, Grandma wants her old fashioned formals, ducks in a row, not a hair out of place.

 

That's fine with me. I'm at their service, not the other way around.

 

Later,

 

Paulsky

[laurenm]

The more cheezy, boring same old stuff there is out there, the more your unique style will stand out. Once your stuff starts getting copied you'll have to challenge yourself to a new style. Imitation is flattery. But, the market demands the product and it amy all come together over and over again each time being started by the first new style. I guess like any other business you need to be the first to get the new product out while it is still your idea and new.

[mreul]

we go get a drink and rethink... ;O

[fotografz]

"So where do WE go from here?"

 

 

Ian, IMO, that question, by the nature of your observations concerning homogenization,

isn't a "WE" question.

 

 

It's a very personal one.

 

 

For me personally, it is to get better at what I already do and continue to sharpen my

observation of human interaction. I don't want to be like anyone else, I want to be like me,

only more of it. It's what I do, have always done, and hope to always do ... no matter what

way the trendy wind blows.

 

I think this way because I believe that sharp observation of human emotion and interaction

never goes out of style. Ever. It is what gives me joy and drives me personally, and did so

before wedding photography, and will if I ever stop doing wedding photography.

 

Photoshop tricks and other trendy devices can't mask the lack of sensitivity to your

surroundings, or the people interacting with-in those surroundings. I believe that kind of

superficiality is like a match being lit in a vacuum.

 

 

Also, IMO, the idea that posed work or traditional images are the "same old cheesy stuff" is

a self inflicted criticism. The images are of the clients on their wedding day, and if done

well, no picture of them will be unappreciated. So learning the craft of doing it well is

never going to go out of style either.

[greg jansen]

I've been wondering about the same things. What's next?

 

I think we have gone too far from what is considered a normal, as the eye sees it, photograph. The realism has gone away and in its place is the over-saturated, contrasty, actions-based look, or the overly muted, washed out and desaturated look.

 

What are we trying to hide?

 

I hope there is a return to a picture that actually looks like the scene did to the naked eye. I think nothing looks as nice as a well exposed, well printed print from a good film, like Portra 160NC. This is not a plug for film, but for the look it gives. I like things to look real, and I think things have drifted too far from that. I don't think digital manipulation can go any further than where it is now. I think there would be a backlash from the public. Things look pretty unreal right now, I.M.O.

 

I agree a lot of the stuff I see today is going to look dated in a short time.

 

Hopefully the cameras and editing software will get better at making things look real. Then what will seperate the good from the bad will be things like exposure, composition, use of light, etc. Clean, creative talent; not the latest manipulation technique.

[joey_grob]

it's easy to know what to do...follow the herd but beat them by practicing....

[joey_grob]

i'm sure when the first roll film camera was introduced in 1888, the hard plate guys were saying "this will never last ! it's not perfectly flat !"

 

 

it's popular for a reason....

[greg jansen]

The question is where is the herd going?

[kosta_cherry]

It's all about fashion. Same fashion comes and go. Look at the clothes - we dress like in 70's. I bet in 10 years from now we will dress like in 80's :). Same for the photos. If you paid attention recently, "color splash" is very popular now, just like 40 (?) years ago (remember "hand coloring"?). I bet in 10 years from now people will look at today's photos and will say "oh, they are so old fashioned" :)

 

 

As for "where WE going" - Marc said correctly: there is no WE, there is only ME. Most people follow fashion, some dictate it, and some ignore it. There are customers for any of these approaches. For example, I'm the one who ignores fashion due to my anarch personality.

But my clients love that, so I don't worry :).

 

 

SY-

Kosta.

[gina_marie1]

Don't you perhaps think that in the 70s and 80s photographers could say the same thing about their oval matted albums and traditional poses, only it was at the competition at the local bridal fair rather than internet forums?

 

Just like all other forms of art & media, finding something truly and completely original is almost impossible after the centuries of artists before us. You gain inspiration and fine tune it to your own likings to create something new for you.

 

And then there are many that are just giving what the public wants, if a bride loves oversaturated bright colors, than they may fill their portfolio with that until the next rage like textures or desaturation. My opinion is done in moderation okay, but sometimes, I am surprised at the amount of overprocessing that even the big name, reknowned photographers apply. Apparently, it is working for them and their checkbooks.

 

Ultimately, you go where you want to go with your photography :)

[sean_r2]

You're right, Ian, wedding photography has evolved to come full circle. It started out as maybe 12 good shots, all formal thanks to the technology of the day. Then boosted over the years. 20 formals...30 formals...40 formals...50 shots mixed formals and ceremony...on and on until candid photojournalism became popular and couples expect many images, both formal and not.

 

But its evolving again, now, thanks to the easy access to photography, couples are saying, "Oh, I can save money and have my Uncle Bob shoot it" or "Oh, I can save money and put a guest camera on every row/table." Then they get squirrely amateurs shooting a ton, and thanks to their skill, getting maybe 12 total good shots.

 

Full circle.

[christiaan_phleger___honol]

We'll all go back to shooting Hasselblad 500c/m, 60mm, Norman 200b and LH-2 on a

Bacharach bracket, and an A-24 loaded with VPS III. Back to the Future!

[edsel_adams]

The "classics" are called classics, for the same reasons ,that "trends" are called trends.

[jag1]

> It's all good, but I wonder if people have become more interested in copying another photographer's "look" instead of developing their own unique style (which everyone has in them).

 

Yes, this is what is happening in large, unprecedented numbers. For example go to Flickr and other large-scale photo-sharing websites to confirm just how many ideas are being copied and ruthlessly rehashed by others.

 

Imitation is not flattery if you do not credit the artist you are stealing ideas from. Preventing imitation is best done by not publishing your most innovative work on the internet, or not publishing there at all.

[brooke_moore]

One of the things that clients say over and over to me is that what they see in my studio looks like art photographs and not yearbooks.

 

There are many photographers out there right now who know only digital and many don't know that very well. I agree that much of what is seen is similar and ofter over processed to make up for lack of basic technical and visual skills.

 

A beautifully composed image whether formal or informal will always catch the eye. More and more I look to classical painting for ideas for images that really push at the heartstrings. Last weekend I found inspiration from japanese prints and shot my clients through a japanese maple branch letting the leaves form the vingnette around them. Simple, elegant, different, modern and yet timeless. Exactly what photography means to me.

 

I still love getting people together and knowing that the formal groupings will tell the story of that day for years to come, yes the candid and captured moment is a big part of the coverage but so should be the controlled and organized.

 

The future of wedding photography will have a mix of style because we can and because clients look to have not only the obvious but the often almost missed moments of their day. While there are many who think it can be done by anyone I do think that we will all see a return to the pro in the next year or so as more current brides urge their sisters and pals not to make the mistake of thinking that anyone can do it.

 

For most of us the push to challenge our image making skills comes not from the outside but from the inner urge to be fresh and interested in the moments. Not easy on a long hot day in mid summer but so worth while when done.

 

Brooke

[djphoto]

Marc said what I would say, only better. At every wedding I need to remind myself that these people are individuals, different from any other people I've ever photographed, and if I open myself to them and observe carefully, they will reveal their individuality to my camera. This kind of photography will never go out of style and will never be duplicated by anyone else, because no one else sees exactly as I see. This is what drives my photography, even though I'm far from being as good at it as I want to be.

 

Here are some relevant quotes from Elliott Erwitt, surely one of the all-time great observers of human nature:

 

"All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice things."

 

"It's just seeing - at least the photography I care about. You either see or you don't see. The rest is academic. Anyone can learn how to develop"

 

"....manipulation of pictures. I think it's an abomination. I

reject it all. I mean, it's OK for selling corn flakes or

automobiles or for taking pimples out of Elizabeth Taylor's

face, but it undermines the thing that photography is about..."

[russ_konrad]

What I find very humorous is a photographer who claims to shoot in the "photo-journalistic" style over and over and his/her website and then every image in their gallery has been overly saturated, contrast pumped up, vignetted, and textured to extremes.

 

The result is much more staged and "fake" than any traditional posed images.

 

Many photographers really need to look up what "photo-journalism" means.

[lisa_berry___northampton_m]

this thread is awesome! thanks ian for starting this thought. the big move forward is

something that everyone in the herd can follow. . . individually. each photographer can

work to improve his individual shots, in camera. if the raw material consists of carefully

observed moments, and the pursuit of beautiful light, then the final images will be specific

to each couple instead of a collection of new poses.

[jmichaelc]

"For most of us the push to challenge our image making skills comes not from the outside but from the inner urge to be fresh and interested in the moments. Not easy on a long hot day in mid summer but so worth while when done"

 

I'll second that....good thread.

[eric v]

It's nice to know there are others out there who dislike the current contrast/saturation/vignette PS action trend going on. We can take comfort in knowing that it will pass at some point. There has always been the creative bunch leading the way for the masses to mimic, and there always will be. You just have to shoot whatever you like and hope that someday Oprah says that you are cool.

[aka eve adams]

I agree completely. I try to do a balanced mix of pj and traditional. If everyones photos look the same, you don't have anything different to offer the client. then the deciding factor is price, and what you offer in your package. I recently found myself surfing websites for posing ideas... that is admittedly an area i struggle with. I found i was going oooh, i like that angle, ohhh i like that pose... and to an extent this is fine, but i realized that it was going beyond ideas and i was trying to copy certain shots... I remembered when i started out as an overzealous artsy moody teen.... my work was very natural and very fashion like... I loved it, and it was unique at the time... my first wedding i shot candids, my bride was amazed because back then, there wasn't very many doing this.. As i was looking around at the sites i could see so much photoshop work... So many seniors i have seen, look like porcelain dolls because of the ps work. I hear people tell me, i don't like that look... I all it the phormaldehide look... :) If we focus on finding our style, and improving technical skills, people will start seeing the difference. I think it's crazy that people are using so much photoshop to make up for poor technical skills, instead of enhancing the good pictures already. I don't want to get caught up in this... ;) Lets revolt!!! LOL

[think27]

Love what Marc said...

<p>

Interesting that you said things changed a "few years ago".

<p>

For me that would be 16 years ago... I was never trained or schooled in the old studio type style nor did I ever like photos that look like high school portraits. Right from the start I was lucky enough to work with a wedding photographer/former model with an eye for natural and emotional and artistic shots.

<p>

She was always better at setting up something to "look" natural.and

has tons of amazing dramatic images that look like ads. I was always better at helping people feel very in the moment and comfortable and I would get back with my zoom and capture the very real and emotional interactive shots. I keep trying to improve on that formula with great lighting and backgrounds and will help just a tad with making sure they are sitting or standing or leaning in such a way they are comfortable. If the body is comfortable, the face is more relaxed and the point is to make sure there is not stiffness whatsoever in the shot. The emotion that evolves could be romance, flirtation, playful or whatever the real nature of the couple is.

<p>

Like Marc said...<p> <em>"For me personally, it is to get better at what I already do and continue to sharpen my observation of human interaction. I don't want to be like anyone else, I want to be like me, only more of it. It's what I do, have always done, and hope to always do ... no matter what way the trendy wind blows.

<p>

I think this way because I believe that sharp observation of human emotion and interaction never goes out of style. Ever. It is what gives me joy and drives me personally, and did so before wedding photography, and will if I ever stop doing wedding photography." </em>

 

<p>Marc, I couldn't have said it better. <p>I feel good that I'm not imitating anyone and that emotional captures will never be dated or cheezey - only the clothing could possibly look dated someday - however I do tend to attract brides with a classic style from the dress to the decorations to the classic style matted albums.

[ian_cooke1]

Great thoughts everyone.

 

<p>

Mary, I actually said "a few years <i>or so</i> ago".... there's no definitive date as you

imply. It's been an 'evolution' I guess maybe from about 16 years ago up to "a few years"

ago.

<p>

I also love what Marc said. Observing "human emotion and interation"... Capturing the

real stories and moments are what it's about. The poses, the lighting, the photoshopping,

etc.. are all enhancements to the real deal. <p>

I think when a photographer is able to "dig deep" enough (of themselves and with the

couple), that's when those magical, real moments and expressions of emotions are able to

come out and be captured consistently. That is the type of photography I enjoy most...

the "real life" images... <p>

...What I'd like to see is for photographers to explore their own styles more and create

unique interpretations, but all the while remembering what it's really about.

[davebell]

"Look at the clothes - we dress like in 70's"

 

Speak for yourself Kosta :-)