D-Day... a wedding reportage with fun, love, emotions, laugh... and many other unique moments...
The easiest way to tell you more about my vision of wedding photography is to tell you a story about a "regular" wedding day... to tell you about the kind of photos I like or don't like... to share with you the reasons why I'm so enthusiast and addicted to fresh wedding photography...
Of course... and hoppefully... every wedding is different and unique... And therefore, it will not match what i will describe here... but anyway... it will give you an idea of the way I'm working and what you can expect from me...So... Once upon a time... (really too) early in the morning... a wedding photographer (myself actually :-) )... was trying to get out of his bed... (ok... I admit... I don't like to get up early... evenmore when it is the week-end and that all my family is still deeply sleeping). I skip the details (you know... shower, etc...) and I'm on the road...
I usually meet the bride-to-be at the hairdresser... allowing me to capture the first moments of the bride getting ready...
This also allow me:
- to meet some family or friends (mother, sister, bridesmaid, ...)
- to be consistent with the photo journalistic approach
- to show to the groom what happened while he was........ still sleeping ;-)
Of course, not all steps have the same importance... We are not there to make a beauty shoot for L'Oréal or Gemey Maybeline... But, the fact that I come so early in the day allow the bride to get used to my presence, to be more and more confident... which is evenmore important if we did not had the chance to make an engagement session shoot.
Now it's time for a first magic moment.... The wedding dress!
While competitors enjoy making a sort of underwear boudoir photograhy shooting at this moment... I prefer to focus on the shoes, jewelry, veil, etc... and only capture the very last moments of the dressing (am I credible ? ;-) ).
At the same moment... some optimists arrive (they are sure we will respect the scheduled planning... but believe me... it never happen ;-) ).
So now.... Time for the Shooowwww....
The groom, the family, the friends... everyone holds his breath... and.... here she is..... The Bride !
"Waouaaaw !", "Gorgeous.... !", "Awesome.... ", "You are so cute.... !", etc....
A lot of emotions (shout, cries, ...), a real pleasure for the wedding photographer too...
Now... Hurry up... It's time for the civil marriage.... let's go at the Communal House.
I'm so excited at this moment... because there are so much fun during the civil ceromony. No i'm just kidding.... eventhough it's a wedding.... we all know that this step is probably the less exciting ;-)
Nevertheless... I've got one or two ideas to share with you while we met... that can transform this step in a funny one too.
After this.... it can be the church or already a nice meal or whatever actually... But for my story.... let's go to the church...
Religious ceremonies are usually very intense in terms of emotions... and offer also other very kind moments (like the child or the old man that falls asleep ;-) ).
Belgian tradition expects that the wedding photographer photographies each couple at the output of the church.... but I'm not a fan at all... it is static, frozen, soulless, long ... brief ... boring and uninteresting wedding photography. There are so many better things to capture as a wedding photographer...
At this stage of the day ... it feels like a general appeasement... And that's good for the photos too. People are relax, laughing, smiling.... enjoying the wedding. Just love and happiness actually ! That's the moment when I socialize with your family and friends.... because human behaviour and feeling is certainly 50% of the picture, the rest is technic, light, chance, ... !
Let's have a break in the story to discuss two important points : technic and human feeling:
Wedding photography is technically complex... I won't lie... You have to switch between portrait photography, close up (details, meals, flowers, ...), events photography, fashion photography, deal with an ever-changing light (natural light, artificial light, darkness, sunlight, backlight, ...), etc.... And all of these must be mastered to be able to quickly react and capture the moment before it disapears forever...
I love this complexity.... because it leads me to challenge myself every time... she pushes me to give my best... and that's the minimum you can expect from me ;-)
However... does a technically good photography makes a good very photography ? No way ! And that leads me to the second point: the human feeling.
This one is essential... I have to be in a good mood with the people, they have to trust me, they have to see me as a nice guy (which I am actually... ;-) ), and finally they almost have to see me like a guest or friend who has just a bigger camera than the others...
This relationship will allow me to make really funny photos during the Studio Shooting in the evening...
Ok... the psychology course on human feeling is done... ;-) Let's continue our story...So... The cocktail is going on... people are eating, drinking (and I also try to catch a glass of champagne ;-) ).
And it's time to make some photo of the "jsut married" couple...
This can take place at the venue itself... or anywhere you want, from traditional garden to forgotten industry places or anything in between. The only constraint I would recommend... is not to leave your guests alone for too long.
I will also take some time to photograph the venue, the decoration, the flowers, the details, the dishes.... while avoiding to photograph people that are eating ;-)
Oh.... Did I mention that I also eat and drink ? As an epicurian... I will never thank you enough ;-)During the evening... there are the traditional first dance, the party.... and of course.... hidden somewhere in the venue.... the famous Studio Shooting !
And... I only take a picture of the DJ if he does not speak in the micro all the time ;-)
And finally come the tears ... the heartbreak ... when I go back home... ...but ...all good things come to an end... ;-)
That's it (in summary)
My approach is different... and I'm proud to be different than the traditional wedding photographer !
You want to know more : questions or want to meet as soon as possible: contact
Does this difference implies higher price ? Well.... I don't think so... As long as you compare appels and appels, and that you you beware of scams carried out by "low-cost" wedding photographers.
I'm convince that my price is competitive... and if we meet... you will be more than convince too: price .
See you soon...
Olivier.
Wedding Reportage