E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Many experienced wedding photographers will agree that the quality standards in wedding photography have suffered a decline over the last number of years. I feel that now is the time to examine the situation and look ahead to better tings to come- looking in to the future rather that stagnating in the present and dwelling in the past. It is, however, a wise idea to examine a bit of history in that I believe that if one does not know and appreciate where their craft originated that it is more difficult to understand where it is going and what each of us can do to elevate it, not only in our local communities but eventually on a global level.

Formal wedding photography is nothing new. I have seen quite lovely and masterful images dating back the beginning of the 20th century. Some of theses images were handed down in my own family and others came to me from clients for restoration services. Many of theses were beautifully posed, expertly lighted and very nicely finished. They were indeed elegant and flattering to the subjects, had remarkable gradations of tone and exceptional detail in the elaborate wedding gowns. Most of theses images were made in studios. The bride and groom along with their bridal parties and immediate families came to the studios after the wedding ceremony and sat for a session before going on to their celebrations.

Formal wedding photography was more or less confined to the studio up until the period just after the end of World War II where a number of factors converged on the state of the art. There was in influx of trained photographers coming home from military service who were looking for new civilian careers. The availability of professional photographic equipment that had been restricted for the war effort was now being produced and was out on the market. The owners of portrait studios were thinking about offering a “following photographer” service to not only make formal portraits but to cover the wedding day by making “candid” images as well. Many of theses candid shots were posed or directed but the did add a new dimension to wedding photography in general and this in turn gave birth to the wedding album. The key issue I am attempting to put forth here is that wedding photography remained within the domain of the portrait studio. Wedding photographers were somewhat based in the art of portraiture or trained with certain aesthetics in mind. The key issue here is that most portrait studio photographers realized that, above all, people want to look GREAT in their portraits and especially in their wedding pictures. In many cases, nowadays, this is what is missing.

Examine the situation: Consider the money, part of the wedding expenses that are spent of attire; the bridal gown, veil and floral elements right down to the shoes, all the bridesmaids attire, the formal rentals or purchases on the groom’s side and the parents as well. What about makeup and hair? All of this plus dressing up the ceremony and reception venues- all matters of aesthetics.

So…I scan through many photo-forums, websites from “professional” photographers and look at many ads and displays and what to I fine is so many cases: SLOPPY STUFF and a total lack of elegance. I can fill a book with wedding photography no-nos but here’s just a few: Let’s for starters, just talk about the bride- I see; washed out details in the gown, messy veils, flowers held awkwardly, flowers held too high causing “right angle arms” (not at all graceful) and covering the bodice of the dress totally killing its lines. Does anyone know how to drape a train anymore? I fine the trains hanging down like a towel on a rack, not following the line of the dress or pulled out in front of the skirt of the dress- not al all the way the designer intended it to look. The bride is hardly ever posed considering the foot and leg position which affects her posture and gives line and shape to the dress!

I see grooms and groomsmen with baggy pants, poorly arraigned shirts, collars and neckties, badly placed boutonnières, dreadful postures and doing silly stuff! Much of all of theses issues are the responsibility of the photographer. Even if the clothing is properly tailored and fitted, poor postures and bad posing will make clothing seem to be ill fitting. A glance in a better bridal fashion magazine will yield some invaluable information about how gowns should be draped and a good course in bridal portraiture and/or a few seminars on formal bridal photography should be mandatory before a shooter is let loose on an unsuspecting bride.

Now! This is not a formal vs. wedding photojournalism argument. I do all kinds of grab shots at weddings- I did a stint shooting news and I have attended hundreds of ethnic weddings with some really heavy duty action- I know how to do that and I love to do it!

So my question again is; WHERE’S THE ELEGANCE! I have seen full length “formals” of couples where there is a high degree of distortion caused by foreshortening. Some of theses photographers don’t even know that in a proper full length portrait or candid, the camera needs to be at the subject’s waist level on only with formal portraits buy with simple shots like walking up and down aisles, leaving churches and entering ballrooms, the first dance sequence and many other routine situations. Shootin over one’s head or high vantage points is fine for certain shots but not where folks are dwarfed by the distortion. Making shots like theses with a wide angle lens, at too close a distance can oftentimes worsen this affect. Technically speaking it is not the lens or its focal length itself that causes the distortion it is the distance that brings on the effect. If one fine themselves in unplanned close quarters and uses a shorter focal length lens, it is important to keep the camera as parallel to the walls as much as possible- no downward or upward tilts and address too much ceiling and floor or ground and sky in final cropping.

Some other kind of crazy things I have noticed: Some of theses wedding coverages and albums are beginning to look like “joke-books” with so many “gag-shots”! The groomsmen and the groom in “shades”, the bride in running shoes, the groom trying to escape the ceremony, the bridal party walking down the center of a busy urban street- hand in hand etc.! I like to inject real humor in wedding coverages but that, to me is part of the candid work and catching all the fun and crazy events that naturally occur. I also like some detail shots of the gown and other items but I rarely see an absolutely magnificent full length portrait or the bride or the couple as the bride first envisioned her perfect dress when she spotted in a magazine, in the store window, at a fashion show or right there in the bridal salon and said “THAT’S THE ONE”! It’s like I want to take all the detail shots and put them together like a jigsaw puzzle!

During the height of the “traditional vs. new school (photojournalism)” wedding photography wars; a number of “new poses” emerged like the couple doing a dance-like dip position on the beach or at their wedding venue. Some of it was kinda romantic and some of it was rather awkward looking. Point is, theses are POSED picture not impromptu shots or real grabs! So…just like some of their “old school” stiff predecessors many, of theses “new concepts” have become old and hackneyed cookie-cutter wedding photography.

Nothing says that formal wedding portraiture has to be stiff, old or dated when expertly executed by talented and knowledgeable photographers. Nothing says that strictly candid photography has to be sloppy, poorly lighted and badly composed either. The ideal wedding coverage, to me, is a perfect melding of formal, casual and candid photography.

I am not suggesting a throwback to the olden days- believe me there were plenty strange crazy special effects, fads and laughable wedding pictures back in the day. But there was also an incredible body of work by masterful and creative photographers- styles and concepts that are due for a comeback which can certainly boost the status of wedding photography now and in the future!

Stand by fellow Hogs- for more on this! Comments, arguments, agreements, rants and raves will be gracefully accepted and welcomed!

Ed

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

All the elegance has gone down the societal toilet along with the wedding as a societal value. Most of the "Formal" weddings of today are mere shortcuts to the signing of the marriage documents. There are two kinds of actual weddings conducted today: religious and legal. In the first, a wedding certificate is signed by the officiant; in the second, a marriage license is signed by the officiant. In a few weddings, both are signed, creating a "traditional" wedding. I always sign a marriage certificate, a Covenant between the couple and God; if asked, I will also sign the license, a covenant (difference in case of spelling intentional) between the couple and the "state" or whatever the legal entity calls itself. I guess a lot of it depends on the involved parties attitude toward and definition of a wedding. Actually the whole argument comes down to the differences in a wedding and a marriage. Various legal and religious entities have different legal and religious criteria for each. In the past, a civil ceremony, a marriage was accepted as the basis of union, with a religious ceremony, a wedding, considered to be a union of the two ceremonies. Today, it is not unusual to have a religious ceremony with no regard for the legalities. It is true that such a ceremony gives neither celebrant any legal rights under most laws, but, in some cases, there are advantages to such ceremonies.

WHERE'S THE ELEGANCE? Other than in the hearts of the participants, the spiritual values, if you will, it has gone the way of many of the rest of the trappings of civilization, e.g., etiquette, charity and hope; it is a victim of the wars of power, economic and social warfare.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Wow, Ed, you are my hero. Have you ever considered doing video tutorials (Paid or unpaid). You've made some points here that I've tried to make with second shooters and Interns for years. I've actually gotten in some pretty heated arguments (not in front of anyone) with my business partner about the "cutesy" photos, and how many he loves to do. NOBODY purchases them, and it takes extra time. As a matter of fact, we've almost dissolved the partnership a few times over some of those creative differences.

His argument is that the couples have fun doing the poses, and I do see a lot of smiles and some laughs, but at the end of the day, considering what they pay, people just don't want those photos.

Even in my own wedding 100 years ago (ish) the photographer had the bridesmaids all put mouse noses on...which messed up their hair and makeup. The bridesmaids had some really angry looks on their faces, and there was NO WAY we would have wanted something so dumb. I get the feeling that many couples feel the same way when they actually see the results of the silly pose. (now, I'm angry at my partner again...HA)

I sometimes feel that maybe I'm a stick in the mud, but my style, is to try to make even the most simple wedding look like it was done for royalty. Sometimes hard to do, but that's my goal.

Thanks again for the awesome post. I think articles like this do a great service for ALL wedding photographers, not just the new ones.
Bob

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

My goodness Ed,,,,,YES. I also visit many websites, see everything from elegant to just plain boring and downright ugly. Brides (not) posed to look just about as big as they can look, with no accent on the natural curves God blessed them with. Grooms standing square to the camera. The couple together with all kinds of daylight between them just to name a few. I'll be the first to admit that my posing may not be the best, but I do try to make the couple look their best. I'm not sure that is the goal of a lot of wedding photographers these days.

I recently had a bride ask me if I was comfortable posing people, as she stated that un-posed photos don't flatter her. I found it refreshing that this was important to her. Basic fundamentals go such a long way in posing, such as turning the body at an angle to the camera, bending things like a knee, wrist and arms. Pointing a foot, slight head tilt, hand position etc. I see bridal party photos all the time that look like police line ups, all the bridesmaids stiff legged, and the guys in the fig leaf pose. Boring, dull and not flattering.

When it comes to posing, I try to keep one person in mind. Don Blair. In my opinion, one of the best there ever was. Posing is part of the art that is getting lost, but can definitely set you apart from the pack.

I believe that after all the money that is spent by a couple to look their best, it's our responsibility as photographers to showcase them with thoughtful correct posing, not to mention technical proficiency. I may not always be as successful as I would like, but I never feel guilty for not giving it my best effort.

fotodon Loc: Oberlin, OH

It is difficult these days to discern exactly what the bride and groom want let alone what the mother expects. Thankfully, digital has given us much more latitude to shoot away. No more click/dollar, click/dollar. However, that click/dollar thing taught us old timers the value of judicious shooting. I think lack of that training is where some of todays problems (junk wedding albums) come in. Shotgunning, OMG, 2000 shots at an average wedding hoping you get some nice ones. Shoot and burn as in, "I don't even have to look at my shots to get paid". There is no room for ELEGANCE in this kind of shooting. Worse yet, most brides of today don't even expect elegance because they don't know what it is and don't see it in the wedding photography they are seeing online and in some wedding publications. I have even observed Rangefinder magazine (WPPI) publishing some pretty bad stuff in an effort to cater to the newbie crowd.

And, shame on us pros for not sufficiently correcting that problem. I don't know if the overall problem can be corrected or if evolution will prevail to the demise of the wedding photographer as a true craftsman. I probably won't live long enough to see either happen.

Going back to my first sentence in this post. I find that establishing a strong relationship with the bride and groom from the start is mandatory. The shot list no longer serves the purpose it once did. The only way to know what the bride and groom expect/want is to establish that relationship right from the start. It is always about what the B&G want but this is the proper way to steer them in a direction that you feel appropriate. It is never appropriate to pressure them into a shot (mouse noses???)that they are uncomfortable with. My partner recently did a sub-contract second shooter job where the main shooter pressure the wedding party to walk out on some rocks in river. The best man fell in the water. Luckily, he was not hurt but his tux was ruined. The aftermath of that was a nightmare.

Don

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Some of my family, friends, business associates, cohorts, doctors and colleagues tell me that I am certifiably insane because at the age of 71 (as of February 2015) I am still shooting weddings! In turn, I accuse them of ageism! I am still a strong old dude, working at my studio full time and I ain’t gonna give up one of my lucrative areas of work anytime soon. I know what I am doing and in many cases can shoot better and faster than some of my more youthful assistants and trainees. I can’t do this forever and I do have a bit of arthritis setting in but I’ll let y’all know when I am gonna walk down the aisle backward for the last time and I guarantee that the occasions won’t find me in a rather large wooden box! There operative word here is “walk”!

Yes! There are days when I feel that the entire professional wedding photography business is going down the toilet at whirlpool speed but I quickly recover from those thoughts because I know better. I see progress in my own business and those of many successful wedding shooters that are still keeping their standards up and bringing in the profits that are commensurate with their high quality of work. I do think that some of us old timers succumb to too much negative thinking by listening to some of the young whippersnappers who think they are wedding photographers, cry the blues, complain of poor business conditions and pay and don’t realize that it’s all because the don’t really know what the hell they are doing. They produce “crap” and want good money for it. In today’s world of consumerism; that does not work! Then some of us more experienced guys and gals are sitting back and not showing their good stuff and applying it to some of the newer concepts. This is what I call a pull down economy and what it amounts to is that the “bad photographers” are pulling down the quality and service and throwing the industry into that proverbial toilet and the ones who should know better are “pulling the chain” or the flush handle or the super modern electronic valve that flushes it all away. If you don’t know what “it” is, just ad the letters “sh” in front of it!

Here’s my to-do list if anyone wants to get back in the game:

1. Forget about the wannabes, tax evaders and inapt “photographers” and get the heck away form them- as far and as fast as you can. Leave the illegal operators to the government employees who are well paid and have long pensions for rooting the bad guys and gals out- that’s not our job- we are PHOTOGRAPHERS!

2. A brick and mortar studio no longer defines the “professional” wedding
photographer in that nowadays, most of the work is done on location,
many professionals in many fields work from a home based office and
unless you do other types of work that require a studio space, the
additional expense of a separate location can be very uneconomical.

3. If you really know what you are doing and conduct you business as a
real pro, STOP calling yourself a “weekend warrior” a basement operator, a part-timer or anything like that. I don’t care what you do as a full time job, you can be anything form an undertaker to a brain surgeon but come Saturday, you are a professional photographer because you are hired on as such, you are expected to deliver a professional quality job and if you don’t- there will be hell to pay! If you do not maintain this attitude, things will go south and I don’t mean a tropical vacation!

4. If you have a studio- GOOD FOR YOU! It may be time for a face lift. Renew your look, display a new portfolio, come up with some interesting package plans and utilize the digital age to YOUR advantage. A paint job may be in order! If you operate from home you may need to fix up an office with an impressive display that exudes professionalism surround by a home-like cozy atmosphere. You can do business, serve coffee and put your potential clients at ease. This helps foster good client relationships. When folks get to know you as a nice person, they will more readily accept you as their wedding photographer.

5. Not to drive myself crazy, over the decades, I go by two important principles: People will not give you (or me) their hard earned money of they don’t like us. Not everyone can be your (or my) customer and much of this is based on price. If you do good work and expect commensurate and fair payment for you skills, efforts and hard work- not everyone can afford you or do NOT prioritize the photographic aspect of their wedding budget. The potential customers who appreciate what you do will be pleased to engage you as their wedding photographer.

6. Every time I hear a horror story about an inept photographer screwing up a wedding assignment, acting like a boor, causing a mishap at a wedding, having to defend a lawsuit and/or forced out of business, I do not relish in this news. The public has a propensity for painting all “photographers” or may other folks in different crafts, with the same brush and that brings us all down in the public eye. The good guys have a big job to dispel this negativism.

I am sorry if I am coming off as a gruff guy but I like to express myself frankly and to the point. This maltase in our industry is nothing new! Theses kinds of complaints arise all the time and at regular intervals when there are market changes and shifts in consumer’s buying habits. When this occurs there are many photographers who react by trying to shift blame away form themselves and on to other photographers, the amateurs, the part-times and worst of all the consumers- the brides- the grooms and their families. The have invented new words like “Bridezillas”, criticized mothers in law, amateur cell-phone shooters who impeded their work at weddings while the real cause of theses problematic situations is that they themselves have lost control of their own professionalism!

Some photographers are booking wedding over the Internet or on a telephone call without any in-person planning. Doing that is tantamount to setting one’s own booby traps at the wedding with no ground rules, expectation of cooperation and a total negation of professionalism.

It’s up to the real pros to reverse these situations in their own service areas. Job one is to do great work and give good service.

Ed

fotodon Loc: Oberlin, OH

Wow Ed. I could not have said it better. In fact, I think I have said the same thing many times. The only thing different is the age and birthday. I will be 66 in Sept. 2015. After reading your post I had the greatest urge to reach out and shake your hand or high five you. I hope to do just that in Ottawa in June of 2016. God willing I will be there for a meeting of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission which I serve on as a US advisor.

Don

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Hi Don!

Keep this telephone number on file (613)792-4837 and this Emil address: edshapiro@sympatico.ca

Let me know when you are about to leave for Ottawa in 2016 and give me a call when you arrive. We can shake hands and and break bread for sure! Ed