Stopping Time

A romantic treat for Valentine's Day!

Photojournalism

Our clients often ask us to shoot their wedding with a photojournalistic style, and it's one of our favorite requests.

Basically, to me, photojournalism means capturing the mood of the event. Of course, we get the important moments in the ceremony. And, since it would be tempting fate to hope that the bride, groom, respective family members and bridal party will spontaneously arrange themselves into a great composition, we do spend some time on posed groups before and after the ceremony. We love the opportunity to add a new twist to these traditional sessions.

But then the real fun starts...

New tradition?

This photo was taken at our friends James' wedding, on what was possibly the hottest day in hot, hot August. (That's James in the tux. That is not his lovely bride, Terri, in the red.) By the time there had been a few drinks and dances, there was a fun party vibe. That's when Chris got this shot. And, although this probably won't be the photo that James and Terri put over their mantle (although I will have my fingers crossed for my next visit...), it's one of my favorites because it truly captured the fun, casual atmosphere of this wedding. And James' ability to ham it up for the camera.

Photojournalism is about capturing the moments you might not see otherwise and making them iconic. Often the best and most meaningful photos we get cannot be posed or planned. It takes a dedicated team of shooters watching every moment from every angle. When it's your day and your event, you deserve the kind of coverage usually reserved for heads of state. And while many good photographers will capture the ceremony and groups flawlessly, a photojournalist will really capture the fun of your day.

It's the small things that matter

The most enjoyable parts of photographing weddings often include spending time with the bride and groom collecting the small details that mean so much to them personally. The family traditions and offbeat little touches that the couple has created are a unique expression of the incredible journey they are beginning. Delaina is our macro shooting expert, and her original perspective and eye for detail is incredible.

If you're planning a wedding, think about the thought you put into on the jewelry, shoes, table settings and all the other small details. If they're important to you, make sure you choose a photographer who can give them the same amount of attention and focus.

And, with no futher ado, here's Delaina!

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One of my favorite aspects of wedding shooting is catching all the small details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Everyone will see how beautiful the bride looks in her dress, but will they notice the special jewels and shoes she carefully selected to complete her outfit? At this wedding the bride made her own fascinator, all the bridesmaid's necklaces and the groomsmen's boutonnieres.



The groom made the cocktail table decorations. He chose records and vintage beer glasses to reflect his love of music and retro swagger.



The tradition in this bride's Irish family is; "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and an Irish penny for her shoe.



The weddings rings are significant and will be with the couple forever, it's nice to photograph them before they are on the hands as well as after. Capturing all the small but momentous details is important.



In this wedding, the couple carefully collected wine corks and thoughtfully created seating cards for their guests. It is essential that these personal touches are remembered. And it's my pleasure to see that they are.

Multiple Shooters at Your Wedding, Part 3 - Focus

Improve focus through a multiple photographer team at your wedding. I'm not talking about focusing the camera, although that is important too...

In business it is often said that laser beam focus is critical to achieve success. This may be no less important in photography. Through the use multiple photographers, a well developed team can focus each member on his or her strengths. 

When it's your special day, every detail and every memory is important. While one photographer is dedicated to portraits of the closest friends and family, another can focus on group shots, and yet another can put a critical eye to the small details, decorations and such, that the couple meticulously assembled to express their own unique personalities.

Of course a single busy photographer can do all of this, but something may be sacrificed, and why would you want that?

Multiple Shooters at Your Wedding, Part 2 - Safety

Part two on the topic of multiple shooters at your wedding, is the benefit of safety.
Wait.... what? Safety?! What's unsafe about wedding photography? This is indeed an interesting topic.


Imagine you hire a wedding photographer and they are a no-show? What if their camera or lens breaks? Actually, they can be held financially accountable. But finances weren't what you and your fiancee were really interested in, what you wanted was a stunning album full of memories to share with your friends and family. Even if they pay you for the loss of shots, and come to do some posed shots after the fact, there you are, without the actual memories of your wedding day recorded in bits and bytes. 


By hiring a team with more than one photographer, your wedding photographs will be safe from a number of things that could go wrong:

• Travel Difficulty: One photographer gets stuck at an airport, in a traffic jam, or worse. Hopefully the other(s) will show up.
• Camera Malfunction: Most photographers take more than one camera to the event anyway, but it's good to know that with 2+ photographers, you'll certainly have 2+ cameras.
• Memory Card Failure: OK, rare but possible. If a memory card corrupts, you want to make sure that you got the shot. With consideration for our previous blog entry, the 2nd perspective, even if not the best angle, is sure better than no perspective.

Memory card corruption can and does happen. Luckily I took about 2 dozen of this group or the moment would have been lost forever. Darn you faulty memory cards! Having a B shooter at the same scene would have also helped by doubling up on the shots, while giving an alternate perspective.

I myself was sick at a wedding and needed break so I missed out on part of the dance. It was good to know that I had two other skilled photogs there ready to jump in and cover what I was missing. 

At the end of the day, the photographer and wedding couple all want the same thing, which is a great album to remember the day by. 

Multiple Shooters at Your Wedding, Part 1 - Perspective

On the topic of multiple shooters at your wedding, one benefit that you'll realize immediately is perspective. And just what is meant by perspective in this context?

A lot is going on at a wedding at any minute. So many emotions, people, scenes, so many opportunities for a great shot. Now if you have only one shooter at one place at any given time what is the chance that they will be perfectly situated to get the exact right shot that will hit the desired note?


These photos were taking by two different photographers within very close timing. Both capture a unique perspective of a precious moment in a very different way. Without multiple shooters one would be lost. You may prefer one over the other, but the combination of the two really fill out the album. Of course the real trick is to make sure none of the photographers photo-bombs the other's shots!

Multiple Shooters at Your Wedding: Introduction

This week we are going to offer a series of articles covering the benefits of working with multiple photographers at your wedding. Next week's series will be about intimacy in wedding photography - so make sure to stay tuned!




Wedding photography is not inexpensive. In fact, the amount of money that people are spending on photography for their weddings is trending higher and higher. You really want to make sure you get the most out of your wedding, so the added expense of additional photographers would be a wise investment.

Now, we're not suggesting that you go out and hire competitive teams of photographers to shoot your wedding. However, that could turn into a really cool reality show! What we're talking about is hiring a team that has more than one photographer. Of course this doesn't mean you have to go deep into debt or take out a 2nd mortgage on your home, as many wedding photographers can offer you this service at a very reasonable cost. Just make sure when evaluating the package that you are considering the real benefits of each line item.

So what are the benefits of having multiple shooters?

• Perspective
• Safety
• Focus

What do these points mean and how do you benefit from them? Over the course of this week we'll dive into each topic, so keep checking in.