Wedding Photojournalist
Encyclopedia
A wedding photojournalist is a person who takes photograph
s during a wedding
using an alternative approach where image
s are captured spontaneously to emphasize moments and emotion. Much like photojournalists for the media, wedding photojournalists present the story of the day through their photographs. A wedding photojournalist typically shoots images quickly using available light or on-camera flash rather than using traditional, formal posing techniques and studio lights. The phrase wedding photojournalist has been in vogue for at least 10 years and has now become almost synonymous with normal wedding photography
.
Publications such as Life, Sports Illustrated and The Daily Graphic began using photographic technology to enable the photographers to use photojournalism to tell a story through observation of scenes instead of staged poses and photos.
Most wedding photojournalists still provide wedding group photos, often referred to as formal wedding portraits. The main difference here is that these are typically less rigid and make up only five to 10 percent of the entire coverage. Wedding photojournalists commonly use an on-camera flash or take the portraits outside instead of using elaborate lighting set-ups for these portraits.
The development of digital photography
has evolved the photojournalistic approach to wedding photography. Evolving camera technologies have allowed photographers to take more images than ever before, however this informal style of wedding photography is much more than snapping candid photographs. The craft requires a strong sense of composition, lighting, timing and editing. Wedding photojournalist predominately use available light in order to better record the atmosphere and minimise disturbance to the couple, Wedding photojournalist Jeff Ascough was described as a master of available light photography by the Washington Post.
Wedding photojournalists typically use online photo galleries to display their edited images, or deliver the digital files to their clients as well as albums. Many times, the images are presented in chronological order to better tell the story of the day.
Because photographs were shot on the fly, exposures probably weren’t optimum. They often required post processing, and it is common for photographs to be delivered more than a week after the wedding.
contest category in 2008. The WPJA has an online magazine called WedPix.
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s during a wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
using an alternative approach where image
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
s are captured spontaneously to emphasize moments and emotion. Much like photojournalists for the media, wedding photojournalists present the story of the day through their photographs. A wedding photojournalist typically shoots images quickly using available light or on-camera flash rather than using traditional, formal posing techniques and studio lights. The phrase wedding photojournalist has been in vogue for at least 10 years and has now become almost synonymous with normal wedding photography
Wedding photography
Wedding photography is the photography of activities relating to weddings. It encompasses photographs of the couple before marriage as well as coverage of the wedding and reception...
.
Style and Technique
Wedding photojournalists consider themselves to be photographic storytellers. Most wedding photojournalists value shooting techniques that minimize posing and scene manipulation. Their goal is to be as unobtrusive as possible while capturing the reality of the event with little interference. They focus on finding moments during a wedding that happen naturally, rather than setting up portraits.Most wedding photojournalists still provide wedding group photos, often referred to as formal wedding portraits. The main difference here is that these are typically less rigid and make up only five to 10 percent of the entire coverage. Wedding photojournalists commonly use an on-camera flash or take the portraits outside instead of using elaborate lighting set-ups for these portraits.
The development of digital photography
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
has evolved the photojournalistic approach to wedding photography. Evolving camera technologies have allowed photographers to take more images than ever before, however this informal style of wedding photography is much more than snapping candid photographs. The craft requires a strong sense of composition, lighting, timing and editing. Wedding photojournalist predominately use available light in order to better record the atmosphere and minimise disturbance to the couple, Wedding photojournalist Jeff Ascough was described as a master of available light photography by the Washington Post.
Wedding photojournalists typically use online photo galleries to display their edited images, or deliver the digital files to their clients as well as albums. Many times, the images are presented in chronological order to better tell the story of the day.
Because photographs were shot on the fly, exposures probably weren’t optimum. They often required post processing, and it is common for photographs to be delivered more than a week after the wedding.
Organizations
The Wedding Photojournalist Association was founded in 2002 and is an international, membership-based organization dedicated to wedding photojournalism. The association is a networking organization for wedding photojournalists, as well as a search engine allowing individuals to research different wedding photojournalists. Every year there are five main contests, 4 quarters and one of Bride Magazine. They accept Trash the DressTrash the dress
Trash the dress, also known as fearless bridal or rock the frock, is a style of wedding photography that contrasts elegant clothing with an environment in which it is out of place...
contest category in 2008. The WPJA has an online magazine called WedPix.