Why Choose A Wedding Photojournalist? (Part 2/2)

WHAT'S A WEDDING PHOTOJOURNALIST? (Part 2/2)
Unlike traditional photographers who focus on posed pictures, staged shots, and formal portraits, the wedding photojournalist focuses on capturing the spontaneous, natural moments of the wedding: capturing the personality of the bride and groom, and the unique story of their wedding

By Larry Brunt

Click here to read Part 1

IF YOU CAN GET A GOOD SENSE OF THE PERSONALITY OF THE COUPLE, AND A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT THEIR
WEDDING DAY WAS LIKE, YOU ARE PROBABLY DEALING WITH ABONA FIDE WEDDING PHOTOJOURNALIST.

On the other hand, many photographers will "spice up" a picture with tricks in Photoshop, like vignette-ing (which is darkening the edges of an image) or color-select (where an image is black and white except for one part, such as the bouquet), or toning (sepia-toning being most common).

A high percentage of obviously processed images is an indication that the photographer doesn't approach the wedding as a photojournalist.

Finally, interview the photographer. Find out about the photographer's philosophy in approaching a wedding. Ask the photographer how often he/she speaks to the bride and groom, and what kinds of things are said (a photojournalist, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, says little beyond what is necessary and/or polite).

Find out how the photographer handles things at the reception (the photojournalist will do no orchestration of events at the reception, but let the reception unfold naturally).

But again, above all, look at the pictures.

Because the wedding photojournalist is focused on capturing the couple, each set of wedding pictures will have a completely different look and feel. No two weddings will look alike.

If you can get a good sense of the personality of the bride and groom, and a good idea of what their wedding day was like, then you are probably dealing with a bona fide wedding photojournalist.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Larry Brunt is a wedding photojournalist. His company, Essential Moments Photography, is located in Spokane, WA, and Larry photographs weddings throughout the United States. Visit his website at www.EssentialMomentsPhotos.com or drop by his blog http://www.essentialmomentsphotos.com/blog/.

Source: Why Choose A Wedding Photojournalist? (Part 2/2)