The Art of Wedding Photography

On more than one occasion, I’ve read about a bride and groom on a budget who either booked a mom-and-pop photography business to shoot their wedding, or let a family member with a DSLR get the job. This isn’t always because the bride and groom don’t want beautiful, artistic photography – it’s because they’re dealing with an exploding budget, a ballooning guest list, and more unexpected expenses than you can shake a stick at. Trust me, I know. My fiance and I are planning our wedding as we speak.

But when the dancing is done, the cake all eaten, and the flowers wilted,  all that’s left is the wedding photography.

Advances in technology have put cameras in everyone’s hands, whether it be on their phone, a point-and-shoot, or a DSLR. I think that this is – for the most part – wonderful. However, these advances have also led some people to believe that all it takes to get beautiful photography is an expensive camera.

I pride myself on three principles. The first is the bond that I form with my clients, which puts everyone at ease and results in natural, candid moments which I capture in my photojournalistic style. The second is my eye, which lets me spot these moments and preserve them forever. The third is my post-processing style – it’s the hours and hours of work that go into my photographs after they’ve been captured on film. This post deals with that third principle.

Here’s a photojournalistic shot of a bride making her way to the front steps of a church. The original shot (straight-out-of-camera) captures the moment, but it’s rather flat. Tweaked, the sunlight coming down really adds some warmth to the shot. After my full edit, the colors become more vibrant and there’s a considerable increase in contrast. For some photographs, I’ll perform an artistic edit, taking the image beyond simply a photograph and transforming it into something more.

Let’s look at this shot from an engagement session of a couple embracing. The s.o.o.c shot isn’t bad, but again, it’s flat, and the lighting is unspectacular. Tweaked, the image becomes noticeably brighter. Fully edited, the image is more saturated, and the contrast between shadows and highlights is more defined. The artistic edit adds a little bit of texture to the wall behind the couple, slightly vignettes the image, and adds even more definition between shadows and highlights.

Finally, let’s look at this black and white shot from a wedding reception. You should have figured out the pattern by now… the original straight-out-of-camera shot is flat. Tweaked, you really see some definition between the shadows and highlights. Fully edited, you have whites which are bright but not blown out and rich, dramatic blacks.

Consider your wedding photography to be an investment. Business majors will be quick to tell me that an investment, by definition, requires the expectation of profit. And while you may not ever be able to sell your wedding album for a small fortune, the sentimental value of beautiful wedding photography is absolutely priceless.

Want more?
Wedding Photojournalism | Wedding Portrait | Engagements