Photojournalist / Reportage style wedding shooters on POTN

I was wondering if anyone can point me to some folks on POTN who adopt this style of wedding shooting. I usually follow the photo-sharing section fairly regularly, but I confess I can't really name photographers who do this.

I have seen some who emphasize candid shooting, but very very few who commit to and then actualize whole sets of photos that have the narratives and aesthetic that define reportage photography.

We set out to tell a story with pretty much all of our weddings, as well as in our blog posts. The only times we actively direct are during the formals. Besides that, we just document what we see.

most of the day for me goes pretty undirected, aside from formals and some loose posing during creative sessions. the rest of the day I pretty much shoot as i see it.

@Mike and Frida: I have the same style of interaction as you do; but I think that's only one criterion of many as far as being the kind of reportage photographer I'm talking about.

As an example, a guest at the wedding might also take a million photos that aren't posed. They may be technically well-shot photos; each of them 'documents' what he or she sees; but I don't think this is sufficient for us to say that this is really documentary photography in the strongest sense.

I'm saying this without having looked at your work--I'm making no judgment on your work; I'm just trying to clarify.

I will have a look at your work though. I totally appreciate it.

I am in there, but don't use the term to market myself because it is too watered down (as are most things in the industry.)

I freelance as a photojournalist as well and have a degree in it, so not much of a stretch for me.

Hey Thomas--what do you think defines photojournalist-style wedding photography ? What makes it different from just decent candid photos ?

I don't think great photojournalist photography is all hands off. I think it is about telling a story. I've got no problem interacting and directing at some level to create the best images as long as I am not influencing the emotions. I want the emotions and the moments to happen naturally in the best possible location and lighting. I think the really great reportage photographers are working with their clients to tell the story rather than just letting everything happen and documenting. I want the raw emotion and feelings, and I want it to happen in beautiful light. Sometimes that takes a little more work for me.

Does that make sense?

I understand what you mean, Christopher. But yeah, we're primarily about telling stories with each wedding, which is how I'd define photojournalist style coverage.

IMO, most of the wedding photographers out there today have the "photo-journalistic" approach. That's what most couples are looking for. I guess shooting "candids" implies zero interaction. That's not how I shoot weddings and I suspect that's now how most shoot weddings. There's always going to be some direction whether it be lighting related, setting things up to help some of the moments to take place, subject placement, choosing the backdrop, etc.

There's a fair amount of direction for the formals as well. I think a lot of couples don't like rigidity when it comes to photos, so I try to keep it to a minimum. Some couples are great doing their own thing while others just freeze up in front of a camera. You need to be able to cater to all of them.

So I don't really care what that style is called. That's how I shoot.

@ Thomas: Yes, and I definitely agree with you about not letting documentary style turn into (or be resultant simply from) a kind of pure passivity. I was just talking about the story behind that Winston Churchill portrait--I think it was Karsh that shot it. It's an interesting thing to think about in terms of what truth in photography means.

@mike and frida: If I gave a camera to a 10 year old and asked for them to follow the bride and groom from morning until evening, you would probably end up with hundreds of photos that would add up to a 'story'. In other words, unposed photography seems trivially to tell stories. That is, one doesn't have to do anything special in order for the photos to have this property. I'm just perhaps too curious about what distinguishes the photos of a good PJ wedding photographer from those of the child in terms of the storytelling that is going on (because obviously aesthetically the photos will likely be very different.)

@Nicksan: are you thinking about narratives as you move through the day ?

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14801483
@Nicksan: are you thinking about narratives as you move through the day ?

You mean trying to tell a story? Sure. It also largely depends on the couple IMHO. I don't think every wedding has a compelling story to tell, nor does it need one for the photos to look great or for it to be special. It's our jobs as professional photographers to squeeze every ounce of whatever story it is that is unfolding throughout the day and to make everything look great.

For me, it's a balancing act between telling a story, getting a good mix of photos, making sure everything that the client wanted was covered, managing time, etc. That's just how things usually turns out.

nicksan wrote in post #14801521
You mean trying to tell a story?

For me, it's a balancing act between telling a story, getting a good mix of photos, making sure everything that the client wanted was covered, managing time, etc. That's just how things usually turns out.

I agree 100% Nick.

We take formals with strobes inside the church with bridal party and families. We also arrive early and get all the getting ready stuff as well. I feel that a good formal photo of the bridal party,bride and groom and the families are very important and as a result we photograph them in a very formal manner. After thatwe are running around telling a story with candids and moments through out the day....I guess people call the later photo journalistic. I just call it telling the story. After the ceremony, were outside, with strobes getting some more relaxed less formal fun type shots. I think you need a good mixture of formals, candids, and stuff that we all do outdoors ( jump shots, sunglasses, and anything else you can think of gets done outside in a less formal setting) to get the client something thats balanced and tells their story as it played out. So to me there is no right way or wrong way to do it as long as the client is happy with the results

However, that being said, I really feel you should provide a mixture of both formals and the less formal styles and candids to make things work. Thats how we do it. Seems to work for us as we shoot 25 + a year

@Nick How about we call it "Causative Candid Awesomeness" for how you shoot? Sounds about right! hah!

@Mike. I even sometimes insist on a few formals because I KNOW there will be someone in their family (grandma, I'm looking at you.) for whom that is most important. They're pretty easy to bang off pretty quickly, though, thankfully (the photos, not grandma..).

Just for background, I'm asking these questions because I aspire to push PJ style shooting into the category art. I'm a long long way off. I find that although I'm able to get aesthetically good candid moments, and although I feel like my photos 'add up' to a story (in the trivial sense I pointed out), I still feel like I'm only able to pick out 3 or 4 or 5 photos from a wedding that are even close to the threshold that I aspire to.

To answer my own question (prepare for an analogy), the child who wanders around taking photos of the day (and whose photos add up to a story), doesn't necessarily understand the relationships between the things and people he's photographing. He groups differently. He might fail to pick up on something that is physically small but of large importance in terms of meaning. Moreover, the child doesn't have a sense of existing narratives with which to play. That's a dense paragraph.

What does it mean to find a story when you are in a room in which people are simply standing or sitting, occasionally sipping from a wine glass, and talking to others in clumps of 2 or 3 or 4 ?

Christopher. Can you give us a name of a photographer that you like that fits that mold? I'm genuinely curious.