| What are the elements that make up Contemporary | | | | be so many opportunities available in any conditions if |
| Wedding Photography? Photojournalism or reportage | | | | you always put light as the main ingredient in your |
| plays a huge part in the story telling element of the | | | | recipe! |
| wedding. Then with all the details that need to be | | | | Composition is very important and there are lots of |
| captured, commercial photography or product still life | | | | inspiring measures that you can tap into when |
| photography is another skill that is needed to help set | | | | composing a picture like negative space, this you can |
| the scene and capture all the factors of your clients | | | | use a lot as it always adds a very strong design |
| special day, but it is the creative part that excites | | | | element to an image. Also, the way an image is |
| and is what makes contemporary wedding | | | | cropped can make a huge difference. A useful |
| photography such a creatively satisfying industry to | | | | quotes is "it's the silence between the notes that |
| be a part of. | | | | makes the music" and equally important is what you |
| Preparation for the wedding is crucial and it's very | | | | leave out of a photograph as what you leave in! |
| important to educate clients exactly what is required | | | | Cropping out the eyes or even the heads can quite |
| from them on the wedding day itself. Explain to your | | | | often make the viewer have a completely different |
| clients that you are not strictly reportage | | | | relationship with an image. |
| photographers and that to capture the kind of | | | | Lens choice can also make a huge difference to an |
| images that they've seen in your display albums will | | | | image. Shooting wide and emphasising perspective |
| require some time set aside for this - but this does | | | | can really exaggerate drama in an image especially if |
| not mean that you will take them away from their | | | | it is a panoramic crop - also shallow depth of field and |
| friends and family for too long! Obtaining experience | | | | selective focus can transform an image. |
| in enabling yourself to work quickly in capturing your | | | | Whenever you are shooting an image the last thing |
| signature images and then use whatever time you | | | | you should think about before pressing the shutter is |
| have available to experiment and push yourself | | | | the expression - it has to be believable and it has to |
| creatively. This creative time is very much about | | | | suit the narrative of the image. Smiling can still be |
| being spontaneous and 'in the moment'. There could | | | | arty as long as it is real and gives you an emotional |
| be a number of things that can inspire originality like | | | | connection, but quite often there is so much beauty |
| the location or the lighting or the couple themselves | | | | in an unassuming glance or simply asking for your |
| and their body language can quite often compel you | | | | subject to close their eyes. It's all about context and |
| to shoot in a new way. | | | | if you can get that right without it being a contrived |
| Contemporary wedding imagery is very much the | | | | moment you will always deliver true images that will |
| same as a fine dining experience - subtle flavours, | | | | remain timeless for the couple. |
| nothing too over done and lots of space on the plate. | | | | The postproduction stage is where you can add the |
| Continuing with this metaphor the most crucial | | | | final sprinkle of creative magic, assuming you have |
| element to fine dining is the quality of the ingredients! | | | | got all the elements right for your image and it was |
| There are certain ingredients or photography | | | | executed with accuracy and passion you then have |
| techniques that can be crucial to creating remarkable | | | | the opportunity to fully realise your vision. The |
| artworks on a wedding day. | | | | important thing is to start with the end in mind. Think |
| The most important and probably pretty obvious is | | | | about what is going to enhance that image the most |
| LIGHT - directional light is a very powerful tool for | | | | and it's important that you stop when you've |
| creating drama and depth to your images and by | | | | reached that stage! Sometimes a simple vignette and |
| controlling the right amount of shadow and contrast | | | | a black & white conversion will be all that an image |
| in a picture will make all the difference. Learning to | | | | requires - drowning an image in the latest action fad |
| see and to assess the light is essential as there can | | | | will not make it art. |