methodist musings

I’ve noticed a trend over the past few years in wedding photography. There has been a shift in the type of photographs that families want taken, and I attribute some of that to the digital camera.

It used to be that a photographer showed up, set up his or her equipment and did primarily “traditional”, posed photos the the wedding party. Most it those photos were done in front of the altar. The shift has slid in the direction of photojournalism, in that rather than the posed images in front of the altar, the bride and groom want snapshots of life throughout the day. In other words, they don’t want to be told where and how to stand to have their pictures taken. They prefer, instead, to have a photographer that can capture the day as they live it. To catch them in moments throughout the day.

That shift has been possible due to the digital camera and changes in supplementary equipment such as remote flash triggers, on-camera strobes, etc. The question that comes into play is how to please two audiences…

While younger generations (usually the bride and groom) want photojournalistic weddings, parents and grandparents prefer the more traditional posed work. I foresee another shift in the works: as time passes and fewer photographers do any amount of posed shots, couples will begin to miss some of that formality and will begin to prefer it again, although less than their parents and grandparents.

So, the question, is:
1. if you’re married, what type of photography did you have done?
2. When you get married what type do you prefer and why? Or, if you are already married, are you happy with the style you got? Why or why not?

–originally posted on my facebook group for Still Life Photography