Wedding photography confessions

I have a few friends that consider themselves documentary or commercial photographers, and also do a lot of weddings “on the side.” Depending on who the client is (and how much insistence there is on super cheeze), some of their documentary-style wedding work can often be quite subtle and beautiful. Yet, try and find their work online… no one likes to admit that they do them. Well, unless they are shot in another country or a minority culture, at which point they might be referred to as “ethnographic studies in culture” (yes, that is tongue in cheek).

I read an interesting post on A Photo Editor the other day about wedding work. Key notes: do it, there could be value in admitting it, but find ways to market it separately from you other work while incorporating relevant elements in your editorial/commercial portfolio.

By now I have shot a few weddings myself and, to be honest, the experiences have given me a lot that I can take into my documentary work:  making quick decisions about lighting, location, lenses; dealing with clients and what they want while staying true to your own style; standing on your feet for 8 hours shooting; making sure you get all the key shots that they want to see (that ring exchange or cake in the face is only going to happen once); and making something unique and personal out of potential cheeze… There is some work I’ve shot that I really like and hope that similar conditions come up in my documentary photography…

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- london, uk, 21 degrees this fine cloudy evening (!), listening to “Lola” by the Kinks

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