The History of Wedding Photography

In the last 20 years, wedding photography (and indeed photography itself) has changed out of all recognition.

Traditionally, wedding photography was no more than a series of formal shots of the bride, groom and family members. The style of these photographs was dictated by the photographer with the bride having very little input into the results from her biggest day.

In short, the bride was merely part of the day with little or no say in the proceedings.

Wedding Photography in the 21st Century

Today’s brides are both astute and aware of what is being produced by photographers worldwide – mostly due to the internet and publishing booms of recent years.

Modern wedding photography attempts to capture aspects of the day that were never considered 20 years ago – the tears, joy, love, emotion and fun of a modern wedding can all be captured by a skilled photographer using modern high-speed equipment.

Today’s brides are demanding of their photographer – and you should be too!

Getting your Photographer - The Planning Stage

For ANY Bride, there are 4 major items that she must get planned WELL in advance:

• Venue & Official
• Reception venue
• Photographer
• Cars

These are generally regarded as being ranked in order – and it’s not an accident that the photographer’s position is so high on the list.

With many photographers restricting themselves to one wedding per day (often from midday to late evening), its commonplace to find that the best photographers are booked well in advance – generally made about 18 months in advance.

It’s for this reason that you should consider booking YOUR photographer NOW if you haven’t already done so.

Finding your Photographer

Reputable professional photographers are easy to find – they have 2 main organisations:

• The Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers – www.swpp.co.uk
• The Master Photographers Association – www.mpa.co.uk

These organisations have on-line listings of photographers, generally by area of the UK.

Being a member of such organisations means that they are bound by a code of conduct, have had their work assessed by a panel of experts and some may have letter after their name – these letters indicate the photographers level of attainment, though not all photographers believe in the merit of having such letters !

More importantly for the bride, a member of such organisations has a number of other photographers who maybe able to stand in for them in the event of illness or injury.

Naturally there are other avenues – such as the Inverclyde Wedding Directory, BT Phonebook, Yellow Pages, Yell.com. There are also several publications, such as the Best Scottish Weddings Directory, where many of the countries finest photographers advertise.

Once you’ve found your possible photographer, demand a wedding meeting!

Interviewing your Photographer

This is the most important aspect of your decision to book the photographer.

In general, the bride should be looking at 3 key aspects of the photographer:

• Can this person deliver the kind of images I want?
• Can I work with this person and keep my day on schedule?
• Can this person deliver the finished pictures in the way that I want?

Any good photographer will listen closely to your requirements for the day and make notes, but it’s their reaction to your requirements that distinguish the good from the bad.
In general, several of the on-line sites list ideas about what you should be asking your photographer – all are valid, so look them up and ask your prospective photographer – he’s expecting you to ask them, so go ahead.

The bride should come away from the interview with one clear thought – can I trust this person to shoot my wedding day, produce great images and produce a finished product in the format of my choice? – its the photographers job to convince her that he or she can!

When deciding, remember that the photographer that turns up to your day should be the one that you’ve had at least 2 meetings with in the run up to your wedding.

Working with your Photographer on the day

On your wedding day, think FUN!

Having done all the planning, it’s your day to enjoy (and it just flies in…) so make the most of giving your photographer your attention by ensuring that the Best Man and Bridesmaids handle any problems on the day.

Having discussed styles of photography beforehand (yes, you should have…) you should be comfortable to trust your photographer when he asks you to pose in a particular way – if you’re not sure, ask why you’re doing it!

Comfort is paramount, so take time out from photography to take a drink, loosen those shoes or go to the toilet – you know you’ll want to!

Most importantly, bring a sense of you as a couple into your photographs. How you achieve this is up to you and your photographer, but it forms an integral part of a 21st Century wedding!

Article and photographs courtesy of Andy Currie Photography, March 2007.
www.andycurrie.com

Andy Currie is a member of the SWPP and is based in Inverclyde.
He specialises in producing unique and beautiful wedding photography in venues across Scotland and is the resident photographer on the Inverclyde Wedding Directory.