In documenting your wedding day with the flow of the day will ensure that day is maximised in the best manner. My style of working during a wedding is, I suppose, rather unorthodox. I think this says more about the typical standard of many in the industry. I just let it go. Let the day flow. Then attack it. I have always preferred to see what happens. Avoiding the tropes. The standard cliche. Instead, documenting a wedding so as to produce a set of images that will reflect that particular day. It would be very easy to knock out the same set of pictures.
And maybe this is what sets the documentary wedding photographer apart from the rest. And I’m talking genuine documentary wedding photographers. Sadly, everyone likes to use the words today, reportage, candid… Why? I have no clue. Maybe the style is in vogue? From what see, the documentary wedding photographer, good ones, remain far and few between.
As far as I’m concerned, viewing images of a couple that look like a million other set ups tells me that the work is anything but documentary. Sure, some of the pictures may be candid. But for me the entire experience of the wedding day, from first to last, should be so. If so then each day without a doubt will be unique
But I digress a bit.
It’s well known by this stage that my style is free flowing. I don’t insist on stopping the day for anything whatsoever. My client base understands this. This is what they prefer for their own weddings.
But I feel that some who view the work may seem to think that this is just a random way of working. There’s no structure to the day.
I was even asked this once. “No structure to the day???”
That way of thinking is completely in accurate. And given the wealth of work I have out there. It’s odd that such a conclusion was drawn. Any set of pictures will have a tight feel and will be coherent.
There’s clearly a structure to the day. Preparation, ceremony, drinks reception meal. speeches… etc.
This is clear. An in and around this loose structure is where I get to work.
Now, my job is at times to aid a choreography to the day too. In a subtle manner. This helps things to run smoothly. I have done this several hundred times. And this is something which, if often unsaid, is still demanded at times.
Quite often I think it is important to forget about the clock. Absolutely nothing can happen without the two people getting married being there.
That experience helps the day run as it should. Post ceremony, a client may ask “what do we do next?” Because I suspect that there is the tendency for set up pictures at this stage. Actually, at times I have felt that tension. Generally, I’ll tell them “keep it moving, keep going”.
The client who books me know what they want, and that is for me to allow the day to breath, and for the day to move effortlessly. In my opinion, stopping the day at any stage just saps the energy. And it’s a short day, keep it moving. This is what I love to do. Documenting your wedding day in the flow of the day brings strong results. And for you a day spent as it should be spent.
