Re: [Leica] wedding candids

["Joe Codispoti" <joecodi@thegrid.net>]

In the sixties I photographed weddings to finance my photo education at
Brooks Institute.

In order to avoid pitfalls, and to establish a personal style, I looked at
the portfolios of several local photographers. What I saw was more or less a
record of who attended the wedding, what they ate, and how long they stayed.
I tried to sway prospective brides towards a more casual, intimate, and
personal approach to recording the event. I learned quickly that the bride
to be wants what her girlfriend had when she was married: posed, perfectly
aligned and centered, stiff people grinning at the camera.

Most objectionable to me are the many smaltzy, contrived, and phony photos
such as that of the groom being "dragged" to the altar by his buddies. Or
that of the father of the bride showing empty pockets and sporting a forced
look of distress. The worst I recall was that of an enormous bride seated at
the edge of the matrimonial bed with the groom kneeling on the bed behind
her unbuttoning her dress; no doubt the photo was meant to portray a prelude
of things to come.

A leading local photographer goes as far as photographing the bride while
she dresses. The sequence starts with undies. But I have to admit that the
photos are tasteful and technically excellent (no doubt he selects those
brides that do justice to Victoria Secret).
Most of his wedding photos have the look of studio lighting. In fact he
practically creates a temporary studio setting at the church complete with
studio strobes, assistants, and music.

So, you see Simon, give them what they want and charge them accordingly.

Joe Codispoti


From: "Simon Stevens" <simon@camera-craftsman.com>
> I'm thinking about changing the way I do weddings for my business. I
> really don't like doing all the dumb groups and it's frustrating herding
> disinterested people around like a sheepdog while all the interesting
> photographic opportunities are elsewhere. I'm wondering what experience
> people on the list might have marketing candids-only wedding
> photography? I'd like to do it in black and white if possible, and
> hopefully take the marketing (and the pricing) a little upmarket to
> distinguish myself from the high street wedding crowd.
>
> Finally, maybe you might like to take a look at some pictures along
> these line which I took at a wedding reception last weekend. The address
> for the quickie page I have placed them on is:
> http://www.camera-craftsman.com/wedding
>
> Thanks!
>
> Simon Stevens
>
>