I hate this toppic, but I have to ask.

[Kai]

Okay... I am creating an ad tonight for a small wedding magazine.

Would you use a picture of a beautiful "not so thin bride" or would you stick with a beautiful average size bride. You can go back and look and some of my weddings and tell me which picture you would use. Does it really matter?

[ImagesByInku]

Okay... I am creating an ad tonight for a small wedding magazine.

Would you use a picture of a beautiful "not so thin bride" or would you stick with a beautiful average size bride. You can go back and look and some of my weddings and tell me which picture you would use. Does it really matter?

Unfortunately, I think it does matter...

[mizuno]

I generally find that I use images of the type of client I want to shoot.

People will be attracted to advertisements that they can personally identify with.

[notapro]

Okay... I am creating an ad tonight for a small wedding magazine.

Would you use a picture of a beautiful "not so thin bride" or would you stick with a beautiful average size bride. You can go back and look and some of my weddings and tell me which picture you would use. Does it really matter?

For the record, I find it to be a distrubing reality that portfolio bride = pretty bride, but if you were a client that I was designing it for, I would use a picture of a selnder bride. A subject with lesser aesthetic appeal detracts from the overall aesthetic appeal of the ad. It's kind of a bothersome truth, but it is true I think.

[howzitboy]

pick up any wedding magazine and what do u see? only beautifully thin brides w/perfect everything.... wish all weddings were this easy.

[temptation]

The thing is tho, as a recently "larger" bride i really would have liked to see, in the numerous portfolios i viewed, what a photog could do with one of us, not everyone is skinny obviously and if the photo is really that good showing your skills making a "fatty" look beautiful, the "skinnies" should be able to look at that and say well if she looks that good i'll look fabulous

A really stunning pic, no matter the size, would get me in cause i would know you could do anyone, infact i'd probably be more tempted to go to you if it was an awesome "larger" pic!

Having said that the sad truth is that image counts- be brave! Do "fatty" add AND a "skinny" add!

( please no one get upset at my "size" terminology - as i said i'm large myself- its just an easier way to term it all )

[BaliHai]

This question has been asked by advertisers and catalogers for years. Some time ago studies were done using the larger model versus the smaller model in catalogs that focused on the larger woman, sad to say sales dropped in those books but remained consistent in those with the smaller model. It is all in how we and society see ourselves. I too am a larger lady not model thin and would buy from the beautiful shots like Temptation of either but my eye is on the quality of the image not the beauty of the model we are not the average client as we have an understanding of the photo process.

[notapro]

The thing is tho, as a recently "larger" bride i really would have liked to see, in the numerous portfolios i viewed, what a photog could do with one of us, not everyone is skinny obviously and if the photo is really that good showing your skills making a "fatty" look beautiful, the "skinnies" should be able to look at that and say well if she looks that good i'll look fabulous

A really stunning pic, no matter the size, would get me in cause i would know you could do anyone, infact i'd probably be more tempted to go to you if it was an awesome "larger" pic!

Having said that the sad truth is that image counts- be brave! Do "fatty" add AND a "skinny" add!

( please no one get upset at my "size" terminology - as i said i'm large myself- its just an easier way to term it all )

I completely agree that a portfolio should include some photos of larger brides (or grooms). But for an ad, I would avoid it.

It's funny how the choices, though, were beautiful bigger bride and beautiful thin bride. Why not average-looking bride? Will the unattractive people of the world be checking portfolios to make sure you can shoot them?

[John Mireles]

Your subjects shouldn't be fat. That's not going to fly under any circumstances. Your bride doesn't have to be drop dead gorgeous, but she should look it in your ad. Your job is to make people look their best. If someone looks "average" then you didn't do your job. I figure that my job is to take normal or even not-so normal people and make them look like models. It doesn't matter how they started out, it only matters that they look great in your photos.

John

[Kai]

It's funny how the choices, though, were beautiful bigger bride and beautiful thin bride. Why not average-looking bride? Will the unattractive people of the world be checking portfolios to make sure you can shoot them?


To me, all my brides are beautiful!

[notapro]

To me, all my brides are beautiful!

Nice save :p just kidding.. I'm sure you're being sincere.

[shannyD]

a while back. i saw an ad of a guy who had a larger model, and a skinny model both in the same ad. both were beautiful models. just one had a bit more weight to her.
i wish i could find it otherwise i would scan it and send it. but this was probably longer than im thinking it was. and he was advertising his business ( photography) and i think he did it well because both models looked so good, that i think he appealed to me more because he had both of them on there like that. i guess basically showing he can make either size look good.
if i would have known about photogs like this when i would have gotten married i would have had better wdding pictures ( i was 4 months pregnant)
shannon

[Kai]

Your subjects shouldn't be fat. That's not going to fly under any circumstances. Your bride doesn't have to be drop dead gorgeous, but she should look it in your ad. Your job is to make people look their best. If someone looks "average" then you didn't do your job. I figure that my job is to take normal or even not-so normal people and make them look like models. It doesn't matter how they started out, it only matters that they look great in your photos.



If I was doing an image for a huge bridal magazine then yes I would probably hire a model. However in real life my brides have been "not so thin" beautiful and "average" beautiful. So... this is what I have to use. Yes, I do the best I know to make my brides look their best in my portraits, however wedding photography is capturing an event- they are not posed in most pictures.

I kind of wonder if you read my question correct?

I can see where you are coming from if you are into big ads. But I am talking about a city wide directory.

[Kai]

Thanks Amanda.

[canonpink]

Okay... I am creating an ad tonight for a small wedding magazine.

Would you use a picture of a beautiful "not so thin bride" or would you stick with a beautiful average size bride. You can go back and look and some of my weddings and tell me which picture you would use. Does it really matter?

Goes with the same logic as retouching. I think you know the answer.

[notapro]

If I was doing an image for a huge bridal magazine then yes I would probably hire a model. However in real life my brides have been "not so thin" beautiful and "average" beautiful. So... this is what I have to use. Yes, I do the best I know to make my brides look their best in my portraits, however wedding photography is capturing an event- they are not posed in most pictures.

I kind of wonder if you read my question correct?

I can see where you are coming from if you are into big ads. But I am talking about a city wide directory.


I really only made my comment in reference to people suggesting that overweight people will be checking your portfolio/ads to see if you can photograph them well. I just thought that it was an interesting parallel to think of unattractive people doing the same thing, and yet we never see them considered in these discussions. It wasn't even really directed at your question, but at the response to it.

[Kai]

ok, I see now. Thanks.

[song4themoon]

I am one of the first people to speak up against this whole "thin is in" thing, however, as sad as it is, if you advertise you are better off sticking to it. Unfortunately thats what the society wants to see and thats what will make your ad look attractive.
Make sure to have some pics of larger brides in your portfolio, but for an ad, I would use the thin bride

[Nicole Faith]

I see what people are saying, but personally - use the shots you like, reguardless of the actual "size" of the person.

As others have mentioned - women of all sizes will get married and wouldn't it be great to find a photographer who can both shoot and pose someone who isn't tiny or rather thin? If you find samples of someone's work that does amazing things with subjects that are not "the norm", then just think of what that photographer can do with "the norm". It goes both ways. :) If you do beautiful work, you do beautiful work - the client just helps!

[Bobster]

go with whatever your best shot is :)

[NanC]

Will you show the pictures that you are considering for the ad? It is hard to make a decision without seeing the images.

[Wazza]

Take the photo with the best surroundings, so-called average person, who has a great smile and simply enjoying herself - now that IS beautiful