Matrimonial Foundations

In an industry where following the trends may land you more clients, walking a different path have its costs and rewards. The business of photography is not in any way stable for most of us.

Although the demand for photography is quite substantial, getting out there and to find clients to photograph is one of the challenges on being a freelancer. In this day and age where competition is tough, we often get to focus on getting clients and making the money rather than the craft and why it is beautiful.

Beautiful is an understatement; photographs are windows to memoirs of a time which was and never will be again. When I started out 6 years ago, I nudged it into myself that the only way to make that paper was to shoot weddings, debuts and events. True as it may seem, everybody will eventually get married, and those who do needs to have photographs of their momentous occasion. And even up to this day when I’m all over the country, I still get some calls and messages from clients who’d want me to photograph their holy matrimony.  Allow me to share for the longest time 3 things I’ve learned in photographing weddings:

Moments

                I may get into hot water for this but moments aren’t directed by photographers. The best photographs are the ones when you’re just standing in the corner and photographing the scene that transpires in front of you. But I find it best to know the program and sequence of events that will happen before it all begins. As a couple, you will remember the moment your flower girl helps you with your gown, or when the best man puts on your suit through another side, or just maybe when you look out the window and see the guests arrive to your big day. Yes, it is necessary to have standard photographs of the couple, parents, entourage, and such. But there is just something else about documentary or reportage style of wedding photography which tells your true story and not some made up story of another person.

Their Shoes

                We’re not talking about the pair of footwear that the bride and groom will wear but rather put into mindset how would you want the photographs to come out if this was your wedding. Put yourself in their shoes and be more observant of what goes on in that particular moment. From the preparations, ceremony, and to the reception, we should always try to find the best possible outcome of our photographs no matter what the situation. Back then, I’d always shoot at the lowest possible ISO to get “clean” shots which resulted in slower shutter speeds but I later realized that the couples would appreciate more the output (no matter how noisy) of a moment than to have one blurred or deleted at all.

Monochrome

                Black and white is elegance and beauty, refined into 2 outcasts of true physical colours. I’m a big fan of monochromatic photographs, for me it just shows the soul of the subjects. It keeps it simple and focused on them. From portraits to moments, one can never go wrong when shooting in this style. Personally, I prefer to maximize the contrast of my camera in order to get the “true” black output in my photographs. Printing black and white photographs has this certain feel which I myself could not explain. Perhaps timeless might be the best word which fits the bill and it is without a doubt the best description of monochrome photographs captured in the best light, angle, story, and moment.

                As a travel photographer, I have to admit that I got my eye trained by shooting weddings. Street photography trained me to be quick on my feet but patient enough for that decisive moment. A combination of both led me down this road. All in all, our journey and taste in photography may all be different, but it is never wrong. Find your path and learn from each project. In this business, always stop by and smell the flowers when you can. Look back, find yourself, be humble in triumphs, learn from defeats, rekindle the passion, and adjust your sails for oceans ahead. Keep moving forward.