I’ve been at this reportage wedding photography malarkey a fairly decent length of time at this stage and if anything, I pride myself on my consistency. From the off it’s been one way of working. Sure, a gradual evolution over the years but never straying from the script. Which has been, for me, working in a tight and coherent reportage style of wedding photography.
Like I have mentioned on many an occasion, there’s many in this game who claim to be “documentary”. Using it as a lazy buzz word than an actual style. I don’t claim to work in any other style, because basically I can’t. Or won’t.
Candid, reportage, documentary… call it what you will. At the end of the day for me at least there will be zero set ups. The need to tell a couple where to put their hand or where / how to look, what to look at is just a bit cringe like. Besides, it’s ten a penny and oh so predictable when viewing the subsequent images.
An image can be found anywhere and how I react to that image is what really matters. Without having to break the mood.
Like the image above. The couple have stopped off at Inch beach on the Dingle Peninsula. At this point they have been for a quick stroll on the beach before heading back in their wedding car, a vivid red vintage Mercedes. In my view it was a perfect moment. The tone and mood and moment were right, and composition wise it feels right. It may have taken a few walks around the car to get into it but eventually the scene will reveal itself.
This is what it is all about, reacting to the moment. Never setting it up. Setting it up just takes up needless time and kills the spontaneous nature of what is happening. What is happening here is just happening in an organic fashion.
I know when a moment like this arises that I get a great kick out of it, and I think those I work for also get that. And they know how naturally it happened.
