 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
From Behind the Camera’s LensWedding photography as seen from the other side of the camera Photographer Andy Marcus is at the forefront of wedding photography
and has helped usher in this era of stylish new choices. Andy is
a friend with whom I’ve worked numerous times over the years.
To get a behind-the-scenes look at all that goes into the making
of a wonderful wedding album, I followed Andy as he photographed
a particularly elaborate wedding (all the better to show you the
range of possibilities). My field trip started, as this couple’s
had, with photography’s end results, as we took in the seemingly
countless choices for both photo styles and album finishes at the
Studio offices. Tip #1Do your homework first by looking at friends’
albums and seeing what appeals to you. Later, when you interview
a potential photographer, ask to see entire wedding albums—not
just a compilation of the photographer’s best picks. (It’s
not so hard to get one or two great photos from each wedding.) Of
course look for crispness of the images and the quality of the lighting
(no shadows, everyone looks beautiful, etc.), but also pay attention
to how the story of the day is told. Andy is very specific about what he considers a true photojournalistic
approach. It is not simply a matter of black and white versus color.
It requires watching, waiting and then capturing a moment in time;
the photographer is aware of the action unfolding before him but
he never causes it to happen. Andy snaps a shot of the bride’s
veil sitting in the sun near the window moments before she pins
it on, the reaction of the mother as she first sees her daughter
in her dress, and a private father—and-son moment. These are
the tiny bits of wonder that, woven together, flesh out the narrative
of a wedding day. Tip #2Be realistic. No photographer can be in two places at once nor can he handle two cameras at once. If, for example, you want to have your walk down the aisle portrayed in color, but the reaction of your guests to this taken simultaneously in black and white, you must consider hiring a second photographer—and most likely an assistant as well. But a photographer can often offer both sorts of coverage, as long as you decide in advance how you want each aspect to be covered. Formals, for example, can easily be shot in black and white as well as color, requiring only a change of film.Tip #3If you are going to take family portraits before your ceremony,
it’s recommended that you begin dressing 21/2 hours
before, and be ready to take these shots an hour before
the ceremony. Tip #4Make sure the area used for formals has a plain, generic
background. No wild patterns or strange sconces on the
wall. Even something as seemingly innocuous as a tree can appear
to be growing out of your head in a photo. One couple I know had
to have their portraits corrected when a damask wallpaper pattern
appeared as Giant Mickey Mouse ears on the couple! It is unfortunately a bitter cold day in Manchester, but the couple
heads outside anyway; one of Andy’s trademarks is taking the
wedding party outside. His playfulness is infectious and often results
in truly unique shots. He has stopped double decker busses in mid-tour
to get the bride and groom waving from the top, and has posed a
couple under the starting sign for the Manchester fun run, as if
they were about to begin sprinting. Somehow these shots never look
contrived, but are instead playful and romantic—a couple’s
love poems to each other as well as to the city. |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
