Jenn M
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Feb 4, 2008, 10:16 AM
Post #19 of 20
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Re: [Brackish] Vertical shots outsell horizontal shots 4:1
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I see plenty of those, too - the ones who spend a ridiculous amount of time with every possible combination of family and bridal party groupings - my first wedding was like that. She, too, said they didn't need a lot of formals... until we got to the park, to which she invited everyone - family, bridal party, family of bridal party etc. ... it was ridiculous, and we nearly ran out of time for shots w/ just the bride and groom. At the end, she's like, "Well, that's everything..." and I'm like, "Whoa, what about the 2 of you..." And she said, "Oh, yeah, I guess we need some of those, too."
So from that experience, I learned to 'nip it in the bud' and have that discussion ahead of time b/c you can really screw yourself out of time. Logically combining groupings is the most efficient way of getting through them, and reminding the couple that you need time w/ just them is part of the professional photographer's job.
Another thing I've noticed is that the more 'sophisticated' contemporary couples are the ones who are saying they want fewer 'formals'. And I think, in their mind, they are lumping all those traditional posed, cheesy shots in with the notion of formals - groom awkwardly kissing the bride's hand as he kneels on one knee; bridal bouquets on the gown train; mom and dad each kissing the bride's cheek; groom looking at his watch in dismay - overly-posed stuff. Stuff they saw in their parents' albums, stuff traditional photographers had to count on b/c they had a limited number of frames, so they had to set up the shot. So when a bride tells me they don't want a lot of 'formals', I translate this to mean they don't want a lot of cheesy posed stuff. Which I admit, I'm guilty of and in a panic, I've fallen back on some of those corny scenario's and darn it, if they just don't look right. So now I get it. I know what they are talking about when they say they don't want a lot of formals. And like I said, I don't believe them when they say they don't want any 'formals' period. I just realize what that they want the basic family formals to be over quickly, and they don't want to spend time doing cheezy, posed stuff, which is cool with me.
That same couple from August (the one w/ the small wedding who ended up ordering an album...) my sis-in-law said that the bride told her she was amazed at how much stuff we got b/c we didn't spend a lot of time posing them. A-ha - the switch went on. Those photos were, in fact, captured during the so-called formal photo session - we just didn't pose them to death. We told them to interact with each other and just shot around them. In her mind, it was candid, or that beloved word 'photojournalistic.' This works for most couples, but not for all. Some need or want some direction, or guidance. I'm getting better at recognizing this and learning how to communicate to them. As a videographer, the old fly-on-the-wall, who's supposed to be invisible, this can take some getting used to.
As far as the group shots at tables - I will only do them if the bride and/or groom are in the shot and they request it, and typically I'll just have them gather on one side of the table (or near-by it), get nice and tight and take a decent semi-posed shot. It's usually more about the people in the picture than the setting, so I don't get too bent out of shape about backgrounds and clutter, etc.
As a rule, I do not go around from table to table, like traditional photogs have in the past, and do deliberate table shots of guests - I just don't see the point and most couples agree. Half the time the guests don't even know each other. I will typically shoot candids of the couple visiting their guests - those are strictly 'photojournalistic' and not posed. They are also typically a pain in the butt b/c most of it is junk, but people seem to like it. And for every 10 junk shots, there is one really cool one with genuine emotion and/or reactions (which I feel is better represented by video... but whatev-ah). For example, one of my favorite shots, still or on video, is guests checking out the bride's/groom's ring. But I don't ask for it - I just wait for it to happen, and sometimes it never does.
-Jenn
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