A Narrative Approach to Wedding Photography, Part 2

This is the second of a series of articles I'm currently writing - thought I'd pop it on the blog. More will follow in the next few weeks....

In the first part I touched on what I think makes good wedding photography - how it should be a personal choice, a story that YOU want to tell, an aesthetic that is your vision - and in saying this it simply means that I can't hope to dictate or impose the sort of images that you should be shooting nor would I. So simply over the next few articles I'm going to talk about how I prepare for a wedding shoot, what I look for, how I conduct myself, how I choose to shoot and how I post-process the images afterwards. Take from it what you will but make it your own.
Pre-shooting Preparation:
There are three fronts on which I have to make sure I'm prepared. Firstly, equipment. I always have 2 camera bodies with me (and I'm often shooting on both) and if I'm away for a night doing two consecutive weddings I'll have a third body locked in the boot of my car just in case. The night before a shoot I make sure that cameras are cleaned, lenses dust free, batteries charged, spare batteries charged, memory cards formatted, cameras are pre-set to the settings I anticipate I'll be using so I only have to make minor adjustments straight out of the bag. Flashes are checked and re-chargable batteries topped up with spares ready to go. My current equipment list is as follows but it's only how I shoot and I am using Canon cameras for the simple reason that I learnt on them and know them well (I don't get into the Canon/Nikon/Sony debate):
- Canon 5D mk 2
- Canon 1D mk 4
- 28mm Prime (wide and great in low light) - hotel rooms and family houses
- 50mm Prime (classic documentary length) - Reception and congratulations
- 85mm Prime (great close portrait lens) - Ceremony in smaller rooms, portraits
- 135mm Prime (Superb fast telephoto) - Big churches, reception and speeches
- 16-35mm (ultra-wide and a bit funky) - Evening Dance
Flashes, batteries, spare batteries, cleaning material, lens hoods for everything, memory cards, off-camera flash cable, business cards, water, snacks, breath mints.
Secondly, details about the day. I talk to my couples about the day the first time they make an enquiry - I want to know what their choices are and how they are tailoring the day to suit them. I then meet up with them at the venue about a month before to make sure I have the final timetable of how the day is to run and any last minute thoughts, ideas or special things that they might have decided (write EVERYTHING down, you won't remember it the night before or on the day). Then armed with all this information I can tailor my photography to their day. The night before I make myself a crib sheet that I can slip into my pocket and refer to on the day (it has on it the timetable, anything special things of note and when they might occur, any special requests and on the reverse a list of all the formal shots requested).
Thirdly, and this is the most esoteric of everything I do, I prepare mentally for the day ahead. I rehearse the day in my mind - when and where are things happening, what space is available to me, what's the journey between venues, how long am I physically shooting before a break, what shots do I want to achieve (now this might fly in the face of a documentary approach but I want to make sure I've 'banked' certain shots to create a framework for the story of the day and then I can hang the reactive and situation led shots on that). I get my head into a place that is calm, observant, reactive and hopefully tuned to the day ahead.
Next time what happens when, after all this preparation, I step into a room full of people getting ready and try to put everything into practice.

'Bus Stop' rehearsals at the New Vic

I was asked to drop by rehearsals this week for 'Bus Stop' at the New Vic Theatre. The theatre likes to get some images of the actors working to generate some pre-publicity and create content for the website and I like the opportunity to try to shoot 'process' shots and capture peoples' working lives.
It's nicer to be brought in earlier in the process as you have more visual props to indicate what's happening (scripts in hand, more discussion about the scene etc.) otherwise it can look like a performance without the costumes or props or scenery! But it was still a great opportunity to show something people generally don't get to see and break the ice with the actors before I shoot the Dress Rehearsal in a couple of weeks time.

Contemporary Wedding Photographer Staffordshire

This is how I'm describing myself. I've had a lot of irons in the fire and now it's time to throw my energies in one major direction. The New Year brings a re-branding of me and my wedding website (http://www.weddingedge.co.uk) which I hope to have time to concentrate on and launch around April. I've had to think hard about what I love about shooting weddings (the people, telling stories, capturing unique moments, surprising people with what I've observed and how I've chosen to show it)and how I can stay true to the way I want to photograph events (natural, unguarded, candid, relaxed - with fun and unstrained 'formal' shots). This has to be reflected in how I represent myself to the world so this is going to be a hard road, but fun I hope.
I'll still stay fresh by doing other photography and I'm really happy to be working again this year with the New Vic Theatre, Partners in Creative Learning and some models and bands. Welcome 2011, bring it on!

Adam & Renu

In the interests of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) I have been advised to link from YouTube in order for the Google spiders to find me. Apologies for the boring nature of this post but please enjoy seeing Lizzy's wedding in Oxford...
I'm shooting my last wedding of the year this Saturday in Exeter and am really looking forward to it (as long as the snows stay away). I'm also in the middle of a really interesting project with Creative Partnerships in Staffordshire (Partners in Creative Learning) working as part of two affinity groups in schools and documenting the process... more from this in the New Year. Have a happy Christmas one and all.

And then the snows came....

Last weekend saw the start of some very wintery looking weddings. Snow came, windscreens were iced up but everyone was warm inside in front of some roaring fires and even the first Christmas decorations I've seen. Hot toddies replaced Pimms and fun fur wraps were dusted off for the occasion.
Here are the first images of the Winter Season - we even ventured outside for a couple of quick photos, then ran straight back inside for hot chocolate!

New School Project

A brief note about an interesting project I started yesterday. I'm working as part of two Affinity Groups in Primary Schools in Stoke-on-Trent to helps teachers and staff approach learning in a creative way. As well as joining in the sessions I am also documenting the work photographically - which kind of puts your head in two places but it's interesting being a part and apart from the group. The idea is to gather some reflective shots of the excercises and processes the groups go through and also add a practicing creative input to the sessions.
This is carrying through until May next year and I'm really looking forward to the future sessions....

An email to Andy Pickard

I was asked by another photographer Andy Pickard about post-production and photographer's personal style. He'd produced one of my shots in the style of Jeff Ascough and we really just had an exchange about taste, fashion and style. Here is my emailed response:

" Hi Andy,

It's a great idea to have a look at a lot of people's work and see what you like about it. You are right that I don't like to over process (it's taken me a while to get there as I used to do a fair bit) but that is to do with confidence and belief in what you shoot. Some images need more 'direction' in them in terms of guiding the viewers eye by dodging and burning but for me if you have to process it within an inch of it's life then the shot probably doesn't work.
I have started doing less and less recently - crop, colour balance, contrast, sharpen, dodge and burn if needed and add a vignette (strong or weak depending on what works for the shot). Black and white treatments are just a conversion in Lightroom (occasionally adding a bit of warmth by subtle split-toning). That's about it.
Don't get me wrong I love some of the images by Jerry Ghionis et al but it's not my style and I would say to a couple who wants that to get someone else. I'm still struggling to develop my style and identity, moving closer with every wedding, and it take a great deal of time to have the confidence to say to people 'This is what I do and how I do it. If that's what you want 'I'm your Man' if something else there are plenty of others who will do that for you'. I'm nearly getting there.
I like a lot of the processing I've seen on your portrait images - it looks very polished and professional - but I think it is about creating a continuity of work. It'll take time to develop a style that works for you, it's taking a long time for me. I also think it's not a fixed thing - you have to constantly develop and refine what you do based on outside influences. I go to galleries, I look at other photographers work, I look at advertising and fashion mags - but it's taken me a while to not keep jumping on the next 'big thing' and just do that all the time (see 'Off Camera Flash' or 'Cross Processing'). Know about them, practice them, see how they work, see when they work, use only if it will enhance what you are trying to say in your image...
I've had a fresh look at the image you worked on to get the 'Ascough' look. It's one that lends itself to that style of processing as you have to lose the centre of the photograph in order to connect the two subjects - I did this on the original I sent to you by burning you both and dodging the rest of the image, although not to an Ascough level. The image is weak in the sense that your best woman is quite prominent but in an awkward position and you both have head popping over your shoulders but I tried a subtle 'save'. Have a look at the image variations I've attached - I think they are subtler and work in different ways, it's how I would process that shot now.

Cheers

Andy B "