What does wedding photojournalism or photojournalist style wedding photography mean for your wedding?
To answer that, first we want to define the term photojournalism, which essentially means documenting a story using photographs. The emphasis is on documentation, that is reporting as-is, which journalists do without influencing the unfolding events in any way.
Now, to apply that concept to wedding photography, it means that the photographer will be present in a non-intrusive way and will document your wedding as the day unfolds.
How does it differ from the “traditional” wedding photography?
I haven’t seen a so called traditional photographer at work. I can imagine “traditional” refers to a style where there is a lot of orchestration or direction from the photographer for producing the shots.
But don’t we need directions for making the shot perfect?
The answer is yes but not always. There are shots especially the formal portraits for which orchestration from the photographer is essential. The photographer must ensure the light is nice, the background is not distracting and everyone is properly posed yet not giving an impression the shot is “too staged”. For individual and couples, the photographer must also pay careful attention to shooting angle to compensate any physical features that could stand in the way of the people in the photograph appearing the very best they could. For the rest of the times you need the alertness and skill from the photographer of that of a great photojournalist – otherwise your wedding photos will be like cardboard cutouts. Trust me when I say that is very likely that the most memorable pictures from your weddings will be the ones taken in a natural way.
What is not wedding photojournalism?
It is not a cover for throwing the rules of photographic composition and lighting out of the window. Yes, the skill to use lighting matters. Yes, the skill to compose shots matter. And yes, it is possible to capture you wedding in a photojournalist style with all that and not getting in the way. All you need a photographer who knows how to.
The conflict between documentation and art
You want your photographer to be creative and produce photographs which are works of art. Yet, as you know art cannot be rushed. Art requires direct intervention from the artist. But weddings are fast paced. So how to bridge the gap? This is why is so important to find the perfect wedding photographer. An experienced photographer with a background in creative photography, with a wide range of photographs to show you, not necessarily from weddings but of people in busy setting is something you should look for to bridge that gap.
The decisive moment
For the photojournalist, every frame has a decisive moment. It is a split second. It is the split second, not the one before and not the one after. How did I choose the picture to go with this article? Please play close attention to the right thumb of the lady holding the phone. Not only the bride’s image is visible in the phone and everyone is looking at her, but also the thumb is poised to touch the shutter. That is the decisive moment for this frame. When you look at portfolios in your selection process, see if you can get a feel for the photographer being capable of capturing the decisive moment.
So what is the buzz about photojournalist style wedding photography?
I suppose someone used the term with reference to weddings and it caught on. Everyone started talking about it as if it was something, although pretty much any wedding photographer today is doing it. I haven’t seen any portfolio where that style does not apply. But what differs is the ability to effectively use the style and transform your wedding photographs to works of art. So that when you look at a photograph you not only see the people in there but get a sense of the story as it happened – the story of your wedding.
