The Wedding Photography Generation Gap

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(Free-Press-Release.com) October 19, 2010 -- Your parents think that you want different photos taken at your wedding than you actually do. They have very different ideas of what is important to be taken at a wedding, in fact. Wedding photography as recent as a decade ago was a very different landscape. With the birth of the digital era in photography, brides and grooms learned about another type of photography, photojournalism, which, along with a host of new styles of pictures, edged out some of the older “classic” or “traditional” wedding photography that your parents, or your family, may expect.

When weddings were shot on film, the average number of photographs taken was much smaller (think 300-400 as opposed to today’s 700+) and the vast majority of these photos were classic portraits. Two people, posed, looking at the camera, smiling. “One, two, three, CHEESE!” Photojournalism often only showed up during the ceremony, when the photographer was unable to pose his subjects for obvious reasons, and for a small number of dancing photos from later in the evening. Otherwise the day was mostly spent takingformals at the bride’s dressing location, formals at the church, post ceremony formals, the big moments at the reception, then backdrop formals for much of the evening.

With digital photography, the number of photos we can take on a given day is staggering, and has changed what we photograph tremendously. No longer do these formals dominate your collection because we’re able to take photos around the formals, candid photojournalistic photos that greatly enhance your wedding pictures by showcasing the real moments and emotions of the day. This ability to shoot more than just the standards once the digital switch was complete, really gave rise to the demand for photojournalism.

This demand caused a fundamental shift in the way wedding photography was done. Slowly some of the more traditional pictures that were considered “must haves” fell away in favor of more time at locations, and the photographer spending more time being a photojournalist and capturing candid “in the moment” shots. This shift, in as short a time as a few years, has helped cause a disconnect between what parents want, and what the brides and grooms often want in wedding photography.

With digital photography, the number of photos we can take on a given day is staggering, and has changed what we photograph tremendously.

The other change that happened was the emergence of online proofing. Before the shift, the only people that got to see all the wedding photos were immediate friends and family, because of the hassle of carrying around (often) stacks of bound 3.5×5 photos. For the first time guests at the wedding and distant family and friends were able to see the non-traditional photos being taken, the ones that weren’t winding up in the classic wedding album.

And these photos looked like fun!

Because of this newfound awareness of non-traditional and photojournalistic photography, wedding companies were suddenly getting new and different requests, and the focus began to shift. Whereas once the bridal party pictures at the altar were the photos that every bride and groom absolutely needed to have, now those were pictures they want because they “should” have them, but what they REALLY want is a picture of the two of them walking away from the camera on their golf course location, or those moments where they’re laughing and kissing when they think no one is watching.
The parents, though, often still prefer the inherent value and tradition in the formal photographs and classic albums. Which can lead to a battle of sorts between the happy couple and the parents and in-laws. With only so much time in the day, and a very different priority focus, there can be a struggle that puts the photographer square in the middle, trying to please everyone, and sometimes unable to please ANYONE.

So, how does one bridge the generation gap that causes this conflict, and get the amazing photos they really want. Well, it’s as simple as talking to your photographer as well as talking to your family. Explain to your family that you don’t want to spend that extra half hour at the church, you’d rather spend it in a park, or on the lakefront downtown. Then figure out the photos that your families cannot live without and give those to your photographer in your photo shot list. Make it clear what is really important to you to both your family and your photographer, so you can avoid a clash when Mom wants you to do one thing, you want to do another, and your photographer has his list of things you requested which suggests still ANOTHER photo that needs to be taken.

Through compromise and planning, though, you’ll be able to all have the photos you really want from your most special day!

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David B. Grelck
http://www.essencepv.com

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