”You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
— Ansel Adams
— Ansel Adams
No matter in which part of the world we are, the foundations of a wedding day are always the same: happiness and love, two of the best parts of the human being. Be able to witness and narrate this side of our reality might be seen as a privilege in a certain way.
That’s exactly why I love wedding photography, but I am convinced it has an underlying problem. I would say that 90% of wedding photos are all the same. If you are looking for a photographer you will have noticed this too. Don't get me wrong, there are many great ones, and their photos are always beautiful, well made and carefully crafted. But again, they are all pretty much the same. That's because the approach to wedding photography has become standardised, probably flattened by its popularity on platforms like Instagram. If a lot of people like something, the people selling that thing will all do it the same way, make sense, right?
I don't see it that way, your wedding day is something unique in your life, and photographs will be the memories you will cherish forever of that day. If your memories are the same as so many others then they lose their value, they are fake, plastic memories.
That’s exactly why I love wedding photography, but I am convinced it has an underlying problem. I would say that 90% of wedding photos are all the same. If you are looking for a photographer you will have noticed this too. Don't get me wrong, there are many great ones, and their photos are always beautiful, well made and carefully crafted. But again, they are all pretty much the same. That's because the approach to wedding photography has become standardised, probably flattened by its popularity on platforms like Instagram. If a lot of people like something, the people selling that thing will all do it the same way, make sense, right?
I don't see it that way, your wedding day is something unique in your life, and photographs will be the memories you will cherish forever of that day. If your memories are the same as so many others then they lose their value, they are fake, plastic memories.
This is where documentary photography comes in. Outside of direction during family photos, I just blend in as a guest to silently observe and capture what happens, never altering or staging any situation. No two weddings are the same and so should your photographs be.
It might not be what you want, but the goal is let you experience your wedding without worrying about the photos, almost without even noticing the photographer himself, freely enjoying your special day. And after a few weeks you will have your memories back, in the form of photos that tell your story, the details and emotions you missed, the sounds of laughters and toasts, the motion of dances and celebrations. Pictures that are yours and yours alone, real, familiar and authentic.
It might not be what you want, but the goal is let you experience your wedding without worrying about the photos, almost without even noticing the photographer himself, freely enjoying your special day. And after a few weeks you will have your memories back, in the form of photos that tell your story, the details and emotions you missed, the sounds of laughters and toasts, the motion of dances and celebrations. Pictures that are yours and yours alone, real, familiar and authentic.