Chris63 Loc: Central WI

The photo you are quoting seems acceptable because both the contrast and details are there; plus rocks are of "earth-tone" aplenty. Thanks for sharing.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

No, but they do tend to belong to the same trade organizations, go to the same trade shows and seminars, visit the same trade association web sites, use the same suppliers for their marketing/advertising materials... I blame PPA and WPPI for cookie-cutter sameness.

ELNikkor

OK

SueScott Loc: Hammondsville, Ohio

I know a gal who had family photos taken and they all had a brownish cast to them which made them look rather depressing - definitely not an appealing look.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

That is either a sign that the photographer does not understand color management, or a sign that they have no taste.

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

I have been shooting weddings for nearly 6 decades. I have been CUSTOM printing color photographs for wedding albums since natural color became more affordable, accessible, and popular in that segment of the industry. So, in answer to your question As to the wedding photograhers "going nuts", here is my opinion. It is given in sincerity and is not meant to be mean-spirited, crass, or condensing.

There are many "professional' weddingg shooters who simply do not REALLY know what's are doing. There are folks blogging, writing articles, making videos, "tutorials" and promoting styles and trends, that frankly, REALL do not really know what they are talking about about about like the "influencers" that cause teenagers to act out. Mix these two groups together and you get ridiculous concepts and poorly crafted work.

Many of these wedding shooters latch onto a "style" and begin to run before the walks. They have no basic concept of color balance, color psychology, and rudimentary color technology as it applies to wedding photography.

Before getting into moods, special effects, and stylized color biases, it is essential for the photograher to be able to produce a NATURAL SKIN TONE, CLEAN WHITES with detail in wedding gowns, and RICH DETAILED BLACKS. If this is achieved, every else should fall into place.

As for "earth tones": Traditionally speaking, WARMER tones have always seemed to be the go-to standard in portraiture. In the film days, many color-negative films, intended for portraiture and wedding photography were biased toward warmer skin tones, so much so that the greens in foliage and the blue in skies became desaturated. There was nothing bad about the warm and romantic effects but what was ongoing was that the entire coverage began to look like a SEPIA monochromatic rendition. It seems that this TREND is back with a vengeance! It's like the ghost of the early version of Ektacolor Professionl Type C film has returned and invaed the digital wedding photography world.

Obviously, not every wedding takes palce out-of-door in the woods or on a beach. In rustc settgs, perhaps more earthy tones are more in keeping with the venue and the style of the occasion- more casual.

So, for your son's wedding, find a seasoned pro who knows what he or she is doing. It's not only a matter of color palettes and white balance. Someof the stuff I see is passed off as professional work and is NOTnot even in sharp focus, well composed, elegantly posed, or spontaneously captured. Too many "NOTS!
If you need to "color-correct" the pro's work, something is wrong. If a pro photographer only has one methodology and expects "one stylization to fit all", he or she is in trouble!

Chris63 Loc: Central WI

Thanks a lot for your comment and for your expertise.
Chris

SueScott Loc: Hammondsville, Ohio

Either way, the photos all had the same tint. However, the family liked them so I guess that's all that matters??

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Truth...

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The 80/20 rule is alive and well in wedding photography. 80% is formulaic and often forgettable. 20% is very good to excellent. The top 5% is outstanding.

Technical skills should be a given in the 21st century, but all too often they are missing or inconsistent.

Beyond technical skills, though, are photographic style and vision. The best wedding work I saw come through the lab I worked for was done by exceptionally sensitive photographers who got to know their principal subjects, teased out aspects of their personalities they could reveal, and captured moments that reflected their uniqueness. These people were in HIGH demand. They could charge accordingly.

It's one thing to cover a list of traditional wedding photo moments. Those are expected of a competent photographer, but stereotypical. It's quite another to capture unplanned emotional moments that tell the joyful story of the day.

These days, some weddings are covered by teams of "hybrid photographers" — those using multiple identical cameras recording both stills and video. There used to be a vast separation between the photographer and the videographer, who got in each other's way. But now that the same camera can record both stills and video, a growing trend is for a wedding to be covered by a team who coordinate stills and video coverage. They create both a shared online video, plus albums, prints, and digital stills. Often, the video is full of stills intermingled with short clips and set to music. Sometimes, clips from guests' smartphones are included. It's wedding coverage as a SERVICE, more than as a set of PRODUCTS (prints, albums).

Rick Garside

I think this trend might be to help set 'professional' photographers apart. If you look at a photo and the colors feel somehow stylized, it justifies the high cost of a wedding photographer. If the photos look 'natural' - i.e., colors are life-like, maybe they seem like Uncle Joe could have taken them. (albeit a well-composed shot). If the pros give you something that stands apart from all the photos friends and relatives take, it keeps their services more relevant. Just a thought...

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

To quote a line from Eddie Murphy in "48 Hours," "I ain't fallin' fo no banana in my tailpipe!"

There is a very fine line between tasteful "mood" color and plug ugly WTF color... It's easy to cross it.

Filmmakers often think they have to "color grade" the life out of their films to win awards or sell tickets. Personally, I don't want to watch every scene in a film look like the people in it are pumped full of embalming fluids. If they're in a coroner's autopsy lab, that's okay. But on a sunny day outside???

Real Nikon Lover Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Probably the latter. ;)

mindzye Loc: WV

DROP the Mike!!

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

[quote=burkphoto]The 80/20 rule is alive and well in wedding photography. 80% is formulaic and often forgettable. 20% is very good to excellent. The top 5% is outstanding.

Technical skills should be a given in the 21st century, but all too often they are missing or inconsistent.

"Beyond technical skills, though, are photographic style and vision. The best wedding work I saw come through the lab I worked for was done by exceptionally sensitive photographers who got to know their principal subjects, teased out aspects of their personalities they could reveal and captured moments that reflected their uniqueness. These people were in HIGH demand. They could charge accordingly.

It's one thing to cover a list of traditional wedding photo moments. Those are expected of a competent photographer, but stereotypical. It's quite another to capture unplanned emotional moments that tell the joyful story of the day"

GOSPEL! COMMANDMENTS! TRUTH!