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Sunday Morning Photographer: Wedding Photography and the “$39K Schmuck”
If you’re a prefessional wedding photographer, then Mike Johnston’s latest weekly column is essential reading:
“On November 6th, on http://www.cbs.marketwatch.com, a reporter named Chris Plummer wrote an article that has caused a stir among professional photographers. The article purports to name the ten most overpaid jobs in the United States. The top ones are just as you’d expect: CEOs of failing companies, washed-up athletes working out the remaining years of big contracts, and mutual fund managers. Surprisingly, however, the #10 spot named, of all things, wedding photographers.”
Personally I’d never photograph a wedding, especially for somebody that I knew - all that pressure to get things exactly right, in a very small amount of time. I’ll stick to photographing buildings, thank you very much!
Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: Wedding Photography and the “$39K Schmuck”
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Canon PowerShot SX260 HS
Fujifilm X-Pro1
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
#1 SeanB
Interesting article. I was asked to photograph two weddings this year for close friends and family. I did this for 'free' as a wedding present.
Having never done this before, I can honestly say it was the about the most difficult and challenging photographic job you can do.
Firstly, you have to get it right on the day. No chance for a reshoot. You have to work extremely quickly, with only the chance to take one or two frames of each shot. Getting people to behave and act as models for the day is very difficult. More than 3 people in the shot and you can guarantee one of them will blink, pull a funny face, close their eyes, etc whilst you press the shutter release.
And at the end of it all, you have to put together an album of 40+ perfect prints which capture the happy day.
I think I learnt more in two days photographing these weddings than in 2 years of my own photography.
I enjoyed the challenge of doing it, but I think a good pro wedding photographer earns his crust. It is a difficult, stressful assignment, although rewarding as well.
P.S. I am booked to do another friends wedding next year!
8:48 pm - Sunday, November 16, 2003
#2 Mark Goldstein
Were your friends happy with the photos?! And did anything go wrong on the day? What kind of photographs did you go for - traditional or the more modern reportage style?
10:12 am - Monday, November 17, 2003
#3 seanB
Luckily my friends were happy with the end results. Nothing went wrong on the day, but as usual with hindsight I wish I had done several things differently. I was on a steep learning curve!
Most of the photo's were of the traditional format, with the usual mixture of bride, groom, and family group shots. I didn't try anything too adventurous. I just wanted to make sure I got a good set of 'portrait' shots of everyone on the day. In addition to the core set of shots, I also tried to take some more informal shots as well, and managed a few which worked.
I shot on film, and also digital as a backup and for candid shots.
Probably the hardest aspect of taking the pictures is getting the composition and expressions of the subjects right. To me, that is where the skill of a professional photographer comes into their own. And you have to work very quickly. 20 perfect pictures in half an hour! Not easy.
12:29 pm - Monday, November 17, 2003
#4 Mark Goldstein
20 perfect pictures in 20 minutes! Do you mean well exposed, composed etc, or shots that blow your socks off? Either one would still be difficult to achieve...
2:43 pm - Monday, November 17, 2003
#5 SeanB
I mean well exposed, sharp, and with good composition and good poses by those being photographed. Anything else is a bonus!
If you could take all day, then most photographers would end up with a set of competent pictures. The difficultly with wedding photography is that there is not usually much time to take a set of pictures which means everything is done in a bit of a rush, so it is very easy to make mistakes or overlook something.
The other hassle is working with the available lighting and location to get good balanced lighting, and finding pleasing backdrops to the photo's. Church yards are not always the best places for this I found out! I also learnt about the wonders of fill-in flash, which is a great technique to use on bright summer days when taking outdoor portraits.
10:32 pm - Monday, November 17, 2003