Wedding photography telling the story with moments between posing

Posing in wedding photography can help tell the story, but it is between the poses where the most powerful images often are.

How many times have you as a wedding photographer been shooting a wedding and when it comes time to work with the bride and groom you suddenly are out of ideas on how to pose them? This can be overcome by having a sound relationship with your couple and by learning to look for special expressions and reactions between the couple during the posing. This requires having excellent timing, a strong connection and a willingness to “pull back” a bit. When that happens you can have wedding photography that tells the story in posing.

In the images above from a beautiful wedding in Savannah, Georgia,we had just returned from the ceremony and these images were made outside overlooking the river. The couple just wanted to “escape” a bit after all the rush and high emotions of getting ready and the ceremony. While I am sure they were aware of our presence as we followed them outside, we were not their main focus. That was on each other and in our opinion that shows wonderfully here and that is what makes these images.

For the above images, we had positioned the bride near the window for a few images. Once we told her we were done she was genuinely looking out the window when a burst of sunlight came through. With her head tilting just so this became a beautiful mostly silhouette image. For the image in the church we had been shooting a few formals when the brides little sister just happened to lean into the pew. With the bride facing away and the angled lines of the pew the image was made. For the last image during the getting ready portion and bridesmaid formals everyone was crowding around trying to assist in earrings etc. . A quick shift of position and the image was made with that beautiful expression on her face.

The above image is an all time favorite of mine. Immediately following the ceremony the couple had been put into an area while people were filtered out of the church and were getting ready for the formals and reception. During that time with a dear friend looking on the couple leaned in, touched noses and smiled at each other with a joy that is there for all to see.

For the above images the couple was having such a great time with each other as we moved from one area to another for images that this playful image was created. For the other image we were intentionally working close, waiting for a reaction and we sure got it!

In the images above while we were posing the couple behind the veil we had backed off as if to change a lens. That was our ploy and their queue and you can see the results here. For the next image while we are not posing you do want to be aware for special moments in between even in the ceremony.  For the hands image watch for repeated gestures between your couple. Images such as this are unique for the coupe and can be very special to them.

For this Image we were working in North Georgia for this wedding. During the posing session I had told the groom that if he had anything funny or sexy to say, whisper it to his bride. On a pre-arranged signal he did and the results were gorgeous.

In closing, posing in wedding photography is a wonderful tool to tell the story of the day. Keep in mind it is often the moments BETWEEN the poses when perfect moments can happen. Capturing those is what our job is all about.

We shoot with our hearts on the shutter, and it looks like this.

The most personal wedding images you can give your clients are the most powerful Images.

Why making more personal images leads to the most powerful images.

In the competitive landscape that is wedding photography it is an incredible challenge to stand out. To stand out offering unique artwork and or services is a must. Handing clients their wedding album with the most personal images you can get allows you to reach them in the most powerful way. For wedding photography the most personal images are the most powerful images.

Spending your time and efforts to get to know your clients will allow you to open doors to the insights you will need to capture personal and powerful images. This does not necessarily mean that those personal images have to be iconic or “hero” shots, but they do need to be personally tailored to your clients and to what is strong in their hearts, minds and spirits.

In the images above the getting ready portion was critical for the couple. While we did not have the most elaborate venue, finding personal, powerful imagery is your job as the wedding photographer. The image with the hands on the bible was among the most powerful and treasured images of the wedding.

This wedding took place at McIntosh Reserve. You can check them out HERE:

In the images above the church, the family, especially the children, traditions and the joy and emotion of the celebration were really what their day was all about.

For this couple, two artists, the 1st look was something they wanted to capitalize on. Their couple portrait was fashioned to imbue a sense of classic timelessness.

This Wedding took place at the Historic Tate House. One of our favorite places to work. You can check them out HERE:

For this fabulous couple above…it was all about the beach….the beach yes, but also a celebration of their wonderful intimacy with each other….in cases such as that timing for their movement and expressions with each other is paramount.

You can check out some details about Clearwater Beach Florida HERE:

In this story the image of the lone chair decorated with photographs would get overlooked by most people…however getting to know the couple and family we discovered that the day picked for the wedding was the birthday of a sister who had passed away years earlier. Did your perspective shift when you look at the image now? This is the central truth of personal images for your clients. The more personal the imagery, the more powerful the imagery.

In closing , if your choosing to offer the most personal images you can for your clients, I guarantee they will be the most powerful.

It DOES require you to be involved with your clients. To spend time with them. To learn what you can about their own personal love stories…and it is an investment.

Your clients will love you for it.

You will love yourself for doing it.

The Impact and Importance of Wedding Photography Equipment on the Industry

A Discussion of the importance of wedding photography equipment on the wedding photography industry

If you poke around a bit you can find a good deal of discussion on wedding photography and the impact of equipment in the industry.  Specifically the notion or idea that the equipment really does not matter. That a talented photographer could grab an iphone or any cell phone with a camera and produce amazing stuff.  There is truth to that..just not complete truth…Let me preface this discussion with the caveat; I am a commercial success that sees himself as sill learning.  It’s my intention to make the reader I am stating all this as my opinion, and as the opinion of one who is not at a final destination but has a journey ahead.

Guess what? The equipment DOES matter!!!!

Let me draw an analogy….how often do you see a craftsman building a fine home with antiquated or outdated tools?

How often do you see a competent auto technician work on your car with anything other than the latest and greatest in the way of tools and diagnostics?

Answer…you don’t, at least not often. The tools DO make a difference. For us it can mean much faster auto-focus and the ability to shoot in varying lighting and still obtain a quality image.

So if we are accepting of the fact that the latest and greatest tools WILL allow the amateur to capture better images, what do we do?

How do we, as the professional photographer move forward? Do we accept the canon call that professional photography is dead?

I refuse to believe that is the future. I believe what we should be doing is concentrating on ourselves and our professional development. Looking at what we can do to get better, to produce results that would be very difficult to reproduce for the person who has the latest and greatest tool but who does not totally understand the tool and the ability to operate it.

We should be working to have better timing, to understand and control lighting, composition and finally to deliver to our clients an heirloom album that is so different than something they could produce from a friend with a great camera via common and easily produced books from any number of non-professionally dedicated producers.

So if we can accept the fact that the equipment will continue to evolve, and that evolution will undoubtedly allow for better images, made easier with less ability to understand the principles of photography required for everyone, then we realize we ourselves must change

Ill close by stating again, I am nowhere near where I should be or want to be, but it’s a journey I believe all professionals should commit themselves to. If we want to be successful ourselves. If we wish to grow personally and professionally.  If we want our industry to flourish we need to continue to develop ourselves and what we can deliver to our clients. Like almost any industry you can think of, the best of the best always rise to the top. They do not just continue to survive, they flourish  Maybe it’s time we committed ourselves to be more.

I would recommend an excellent opportunity to learn at the PPA’s Super 1-Day Classes. You can read and sign up for those HERE:

I would also recommend going to PPA’s Imaging USA. It is a bucket full of learning with classes by industry experts and a dynamite expos. You can find it IMAGING USA:

I’ll be there.

I hope you will to.

We owe it to our craft.

We owe it to our clients.

We owe it to ourselves.

A Day in The Life Photography.Why Wedding Photography still needs an actual Print.

Wedding Photography and Print vs. Digital Only

In the present environment for wedding photography, it is difficult to not encounter photographers offering digital only services. In wedding photography it is still of paramount importance to educate potential clients over actual physical prints and albums vs digital only files.

An heirloom wedding album filled with carefully chosen images that tells a complete story of the wedding day is not only a cherished priceless memento, it is the very first family heirloom.

Think that’s just the photographer talking to increase his sales? Think again. There is solid data to show the difference on our brains, and our emotions with print vs digital…a terrific article concerning this appeared in Forbes. You can check it out HERE.

This particular wedding was held at Cherry Log Event Center. A wonderful, intimate event center in Cherry Log, Georgia. You can check them out HERE:

To be successful, in our opinion, you may have to offer some level of digital files, however that should not obviate prints and albums. Understanding the respective culture may mean being able to leverage digital in ways that make strong use of it, while retaining your brand as well as the uniqueness for your clients.

Custom Apps built and Designed for your clients are an excellent way to use digital while maintaining the worth of the images. You can see an example of such an app HERE:

Loving your clients means doing AND offering your best to them, Actual physical prints and heirloom albums is in our opinion the optimum way to deliver the best to your clients.

Professional Prints and Heirloom albums are, in our opinion,  tell the story in the most powerful way possible, and the most personal story, is the most powerful story. We will be talking more about that in our next blog post.

Telling the Story In Wedding Photography

…and we are telling the story in wedding photography when we make good connections with our clients.

Telling the story in wedding photography involves telling the message of the couple. You can’t convincingly tell a message you don’t know intimately and you cannot tell a convincing message you do not believe in. All of these things involve a relationship with your couple. When we meet with a couple it is ultimately our job primarily to tell the story with wedding photography by producing beautiful and unique images of the couple on the day of their wedding.

This particular wedding was held at Cedar Plantation, an awesome venue in Acworth Georgia…you can check them out HERE:

Knowing…and loving your clients!

The very first thing we set our minds to do is to learn about them. How did they meet? What are their likes and dislikes? Are there special moments, things or places that are very unique to them? Learning things and setting your mind to learn all you can about your couple can play huge dividends on the days of shooting. Telling the story in wedding photography involves both knowing and loving your clients.

We are huge believers clients do not let you “in” until they understand that you care and that they can trust you. That trust is about your ability to convey their unique spirit accurately. As I tell all our students in our Super 1 Day Classes, we strive to shoot not just what it looks like, but what it feels like!

Connecting with your clients successfully hinges strongly on finding YOUR clients. After receiving a contact query we set up a meeting with the prospective couple. In this meeting we outline what we do, as well as what we do not do. We do not try to be the cheapest, we do not try to reduce or match prices and we do not do shoot and burns or digital only. Our focus is on a boutique experience in telling the story in wedding photography and our final product is an heirloom album.

When you love your clients, you want what is best for them…and educating them about an actual physical print and heirloom albums makes all the difference in their experience and value in their wedding photography.

Capturing true emotion in the wedding story

Are you shooting to deliver a disc or are you shooting to deliver an heirloom?

As a wedding photographer what are you shooting for? The answer should be to capture the true emotion of a wedding story.  It should also be for a printed, finished and complete product.  If you are a professional we all shoot to earn a living but what is the goal of what you shoot for with your clients? Are you delivering only a disc of images or are you delivering a complete and finished product such as an album and wall art?  To have both value for your clients, tell their unique story and to be the very first family heirloom there, in our opinion, needs to be integrity and true emotion in the telling of the wedding story.

Capturing true emotion requires trust from your clients. It also requires some level of people skills. Backing off and having a very strong awareness of key moments and key emotions goes hand in hand with putting clients in positions with suggestions given to trigger or set up interaction between the couple to capture the essence of their relationship.

Capturing true emotion means every couple will be unique. Every couple will have a different type of relationship between them…some will be lighthearted and joking, some more serious and quiet , some will be very sensual and physical and with many many variables in between.  Those same couples and families will also have unique back supporting stories where other family members , some deceased will still play a role in the magic of a wedding day. Being sensitive to those people, places and things can go a long way to capturing and triggering true emotion on the wedding day.

Never, ever fall into the mindset that your job is done as a wedding photographer after the ceremony and the formal and couple images are taken. With the reception to follow emotions will be on a different kind of high. Think of a “we did it” joy for both the couple, the parents etc…this can lead to some priceless images, provided you are sensitive to those key moments.

The only love story at a wedding is not just the couple. Parents, grandparents etc can have some incredible moments that are true emotion in a wedding. Having heightened awareness of those moments, good timing with your eye and camera and a mindset that you are “on” until the actual departure.

It is our belief that success comes from being in those moments, from being involved in our client’s lives and for shooting an heirloom that just does not just show what the wedding day looked like, it shows what it FELT like.

Recently we had the pleasure of shooting a wedding at Payne Meadows in North Carolina. This is a hidden gem of a venue with 38 acres of beautiful land with an authentic farmhouse. Adding to this picturesque charm are the most hospitable hosts. In this business, that cannot be overstated in importance. After shooting here we can state emphatically that a Payne Meadows Wedding is different!

Many times when people are planning a wedding, they tend to fall into the trap of believing because a wedding does not  have 300 people then it somehow does not deserve to be covered beautifully. Thankfully this couple believed just the opposite!

Locating this beautiful and authentic barn/farm location was a stroke of both luck and genius. The farmhouse is welcoming and wonderful for getting ready and being comfortable. The barn and other buildings are gently updated to be secure while retaining their authenticity. The land, the land you just cannot say enough about….rolling beautiful green hills with a gentle creek running through….with the slope of the land breezes are a wonderful natural cooling system!

Robert and Linda the owners are subtly on-site to attend to anything without being in the middle of the bustle of a wedding.

James, Holly and their precious daughter along with family and friends were here to celebrate a day that is truly like no other!

Payne Meadows does weddings the way we think they should be done…and in doing so proves a few points we have believed and promoted for many years, namely that a couples attitude and outlook greatly affect the success of their day….and…it isn’t the size of the wedding, it’s the size of the hearts in the wedding!

If you’re looking for an intimate rustic barn locale with terrific people and a welcoming atmosphere, please check out Payne Meadows Weddings in North Carolina…tell them John & Tamera sent you…you will be glad you did!

Blessings,

In Previous post we have discussed some of the various components that make up Wedding Photography and Telling the Story. You can check those out HERE.

Of those main components the connection, in our opinion, most critical in telling the story in wedding photography.

Here is where we digress a bit, but hang with us. I promise to show you how it is relevant to wedding photography and telling the story.

When digital came along it did many things for photography; the ability to shoot in varying light conditions with a single camera body, to utilize both color RAW files as well as beautiful black & white.

It also did some likely unintended damage to professional photography. Suddenly with a digital capture the belief started that anyone who could own and point a camera could be a professional photographer (after all, how hard could it be, right?!) That battle, so to speak, is still being fought today for clients who have yet to be educated on the difference between professional prints and a flash drive of digital images.

For the professional photography industry this is, as I stated, a battle still being fought to show the difference a professional photographer makes.

But some wounds are of our own making.

With the advent of digital combined with the lack of many photographers pursuing continuing education, one situation I would use as an example is we see time and time again photographers checking out the back of the camera more than they interface with their clients….

Let me ask you, the reader this, how much of a connection do you feel with someone who clicks a shutter then gazes at the back of the camera. I am not talking about evaluation of light, your settings etc, but of the need to continue and to hold the all-important connection you have hopefully built with your clients.

What we are really speaking of is the complete skill-set of the professional photographer combining technical mastery with an understanding of light, the ability to connect with their clients to shoot those all important images that are positioned between the skin and the soul…to shoot their essence. This is what is critical to wedding photography and telling the story.

Finding a professional photographer in the sea of so any out there is difficult for the clients. A terrific place to start is HERE!

What I hope to convey here is that the cameras are but a tool, and to continue to work on ourselves in this profession and that connecting with the client in wedding photography to tell the story is a huge key to success.

Blessings & Happy Shooting!

Wedding Photography . Telling The Story with CONNECTION.

Last week we discussed the importance of wedding photography telling the story. We specifically discussed getting to know the client and that out of that grows empathy which can tell you what to shoot and what will make that job unique for that particular client.

This week we would like to discuss the connection in wedding photography. To give the closest parallel I can think of , I would suggest the relationship building that happens in a good portrait session. Platon Studios does this about as well as it can be done . When viewing any of his incredible images, you will usually note that incredible essence of the subject via the eyes. This is no accident as Platon spends time speaking to his clients and in fact, as he himself detailed in a Netflix Special , he spends more time speaking to the client than he does shooting, but that time allows him to create and make that connection, and that connection , as he defines it, if he is lucky allows other viewers to feel something…. You can see his work HERE:

I believe the same things are true for wedding photography. While it is very unlikely we will get to spend more time with our clients than the shooting time, given that our weddings are 12 hours or so a day, it IS important to create that connection. What you want is for the client to let you in, to give you their essence and in doing so, allowing you to tell their unique wedding photography story. This is wedding photography telling the story This is what becomes the family heirloom, irreplaceable and deserving of PRINT, not just digital. We will discuss that in a future blog…As well as the impact of digital on the all important client connection.

Happy Shooting…

Blessings,