The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

LEFT—Greg Gibson has a finely honed knack of discovering great unobserved moments during the wedding day, a quality that gives his wedding
coverage uniqueness. RIGHT—Images like this can’t be staged, they must be captured with only one or two frames available in a brief window of
time. Marcus Bell’s sense of timing and composition are flawless in this wonderful wedding image.
STORYTELLERS
The reality of the event is where the elements of the story
will come from. By taking this mindset, the photographer
becomes the storyteller. Linking the spontaneous events
of the day forms the wedding day story, which is what the
modern bride wants to see.
While such coverage reveals flaws, the savvy wedding
photographer knows that these are part of reality. This is
not to say that the reality captured by the wedding photojournalist
is harsh or otherwise unappealing. To the contrary,
the record of the day should be a sensitive portrayal
of the events that highlight the emotion elicited.
REACTION TIME
The skills involved in good wedding photography are the
same as for the photojournalist or sports photographer:
preparation, observation, concentration, and anticipation.
In short, the better you know the event, the better your reflexes
will become. But there is an intangible aspect to re-
22 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
action time that all photographers must hone and that is
instinct—the internal messaging system that triggers reaction.
It is a function of trusting yourself to translate input
into reaction, analyzing what you see and are experiencing
into the critical moment to hit the shutter release. Master
wedding photojournalist Joe Buissink trusts his analytical
powers of concentration and observation, saying, “Trust
your intuition so that you can react. Do not think. Just
react or it will be too late.”
THE EMOTION OF THE DAY
The photographer must be able to feel and relate to the
emotion of the event. At the same time, you cannot be
drawn into the events to the extent that you either become
a participant or lose your sense of objectivity. All of one’s
photographic and storytelling skills go into making pictures
that evoke the same emotion experienced on the
wedding day. Celebrated wedding photographer Joe
Buissink, who shoots about half of his wedding coverage