Does Wedding photography have to be boring?
Wedding photography you either love it or hate it there is no middle ground really.
It can be a very regimented and dry, for the photographer. You've got you're list of must get photo's in your head, or an actual list folded up in your pocket if you're a noob just starting out (No judgement I did that at one point). You stick to this list, it's safe and after all that's how it's usually done. The bride's mother gets all the family photo's
She wants to show Auntie doris and the distance relatives (that don't actually care if you all stood in a line and smiled)
After a week or two the photos never see the light of day again, I mean why would they they are just like everyone else's aren't they?
Where is the creativity, where is the uniqueness?
I found this when I first started, I was too scared to take complete creative control of what I wanted to do, what I saw in my imagination.
let's be honest most couples on their wedding day aren't thinking about the album in depth are they? but they all want something special and unique.
So that means it's all in your hands as the photographer, it's only dry and regimented if you let it be, It's only creative and unique if you make it so!
I would like to show you a few examples of what I consider my most creative and unique wedding photography. With this I hope I inspire some of you just starting out to take more creative control and be a little different. In this competitive field you have to stand out and offer something that no one else is, otherwise you just fade into the background in the mass of photographers out there.
Some of these photos that I'm going to talk about weren't taken on the actual wedding day, I asked the couple if I could have a few hours of their time either before or after the wedding day.
Most couples will agree to this especially if you say "I want to do a really creative photo shoot with you both" or "This idea I have will make your album completely unique" because let's face it everyone wants something that sets them apart. Although these weren't done on the day there is no reason why you couldn't fit them in after the ceremony and before the reception if the couple has the energy!
Ok so this wedding photoshoot was based on the theme-
Levatation
Levatation?! how are you supposed to incorperate that into photography let alone wedding photography? I hear you ask. Well with effort and planning, once you know how it's done and you've tried it once or twice it's quite easy and the results can be awesome.
So let me show you a couple of examples from this shoot
In my opinion to have photos like these in a wedding album would really make the couple happy. I haven't seen a great deal of wedding photographers doing shoots like these. I think not only do they look intimate and beautiful but they are powerful images which will make your portfolio really stand out to new clients. Whenever I find a couple willing to try a creative shoot I get really excited and can't wait to see what ideas I can come up with.
You can inject some humour or a narative into these photos too, I decided to play around with a few other props in these two below.
When producing photos like these you have to spend a lot of time thinking about the shot you want, how to prepare for it, setting it up, shooting it and then even more time in photoshop. It's a long process but it is definitely worth it.
I will post a tutorial on Levitation photography very soon so you too can incorperate this technique into your photography or if you're feeling brave your wedding photography.
I hope you found this post inspiring and are looking forward to the tutorial, make sure you follow me so you don't miss out on it.
Thanks everyone looking forward to hearing your feedback on my photography.