The articles on Classic / Traditional and Photojournalistic / Reportage styles of photography were pretty straight forward: there are associations for photo-journalist in the wedding community with clear definitions of what is (and is not) Photojournalistic photography; and Traditional Photography is very well established. Not everyone who says they are a photojournalist or a Classical wedding photographer sticks rigidly to the style - but at least you know what they mean by the terms, and there are standards that their work can be judged against
When we come to Contemporary Wedding Photography, things are more complicated: there are no real definitions and no way to know what to expect - except not to anticipate anything very traditional - and even that may be too much to expect. Put simply, when you see the word Contemporary against a wedding photographer’s name, it might mean no more than "I like to do clever, non-traditional effects like you see in the wedding magazines that stop me getting into the Wedding Photojournalist Association”.
I suspect few of these photographers could define “contemporary photography” much beyond saying it is more modern than that old fashioned traditional stuff.
I suspect few of these photographers could define “contemporary photography” much beyond saying it is more modern than that old fashioned traditional stuff.
Is that so bad? Probably not - unless your photographer is strongly committed to Contemporary Style or Avant Garde photography; then you risk getting a wedding album full of trendy pictures that are going to date very quickly as the next big thing in photography comes along. We wedding photographers are just as prone to get caught up in fads as anyone else, and today's new idea can soon become tomorrow's cliche. Thing is, we can leave our faddish mistakes behind - you’re the one who will have to live with them!
There is such a thing as good Contemporary Wedding Photography, but it has to be more than just trendy shooting.
There is such a thing as good Contemporary Wedding Photography, but it has to be more than just trendy shooting.
Even good photographers who know what they are talking about mean different things by "Contemporary", and for many, the emphasis is similar to reportage/journalism: to treat your wedding as an unfolding story. They will capture events, feelings and experiences on the day, and present them in ways that enrich your memory and evoke emotion. These images allow people who could not be with you at the time to have an authentic sense of what it was to be part of your wedding day.
If that is going to happen, contemporary wedding photography has to be more than just a series of informal photographs; it involves creativity, effective composition, skillful use of light, and exquisite timing to capture strong visual and emotional moments. It also requires the photographer to have clear ideas about how the photos are to be viewed and to shoot with that in mind, otherwise their vision is very unlikely to be realized: "no prints, just files on a CD" is never going to do it - any more than a handful of random photos passed around the coffee table or stuffed in a shoe box.
Contemporary art is the art of today, and "today" is a movable feast. Writing as I am in 2010, it is the art of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. I suggested that Contemporary wedding photography was defined by its scope and inclusiveness; consider: since World War II, we have embraced Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Post-modernism, Minimalism and Feminist art. They have little enough in common, except perhaps a rejection of the "Modern Art" movement from which they evolved.
Improvisation, commonplace imagery placed in new aesthetic contexts, abstract colour-field painting, conceptual art, hard-edged photorealism and other elements may inform the Contemporary wedding photographer - but I am sceptical: I see little in most self-proclaimed Contemporary wedding photographers that sets them apart from their photojournalistic or traditional colleagues, except a tendency to add candid photographs to their traditional set pieces, or portraits and group photos to their candid coverage. What I do not see is the vast range and complexity of styles reflected in contemporary art or even in contemporary photographic art.
Of course, when the photographer either adds or substitutes the phrase Avant Garde for Contemporary, or worse, Moderne (with that pretentious “e”) we should certainly expect to see something special. What we do see (generally) are ordinary photos with the camera held at an odd angle; images pointlessly distorted by the use of very wide-angle lenses; brides and grooms in places they would never go, in poses they would not normally adopt; odd colour shifts that turn skin green and the wedding dress anything but the gorgeous ivory or white the bride chose; and pictures “photo-shopped” to within an inch of their lives!
You will also see some truly beautiful images, quite breathtaking in their conception and execution: such images win prizes in professional competitions and find their way into Wedding Magazines, and while they have a place in the wedding album, they are more a reflection of the photographer’s personality, artistic vision or individual style than of the couple’s.
Wonderful as they may be, and flattering as it might seem to say to people, “Oh yes, I was photographed by J. C. Supertog”, if those are the only photos you take home from your wedding, you may later regret not having a more honest, personal or complete record - after all, your wedding day should be about you, not about the photographer!
Wonderful as they may be, and flattering as it might seem to say to people, “Oh yes, I was photographed by J. C. Supertog”, if those are the only photos you take home from your wedding, you may later regret not having a more honest, personal or complete record - after all, your wedding day should be about you, not about the photographer!
There is another aspect to Contemporary wedding photography, which has little to with art and much to do with fashion. Neither Traditional nor Photojournalistic wedding photography encompasses the kind of location photographs loved by the Contemporary school. A photo session in a forest, swamp or by the harbour or maybe in a gritty, dirty factory, fallen down tenement or graffitied lane- provided it is incorporated into the record of the day (not substituted for more traditional photos) it can add a unique flavour to the day’s photography.
The plethora of ads in Vogue-type magazines, the TV and Movie ads featuring location shoots, creative, high energy music videos - these all add something to the style, and they are so pervasive that many modern couples step into the role of high-fashion model or rock star for an hour or so with great joy: will these catwalk inspired images carry the same sort of memories and lasting emotions as the traditional wedding pictures?
Perhaps not, but if the couple "owns" and embraces the experience as an integral part of the wedding day - if it is not just contrived for the photographer, the location shoot may come to mark their transition from single to married life in a less formal manner than the Ceremony or Reception - this is often the first time that the couple can really relax and let go after the stress (positive though it may have been!) of the their wedding day, and be their first adventure together as Man and Wife.
The plethora of ads in Vogue-type magazines, the TV and Movie ads featuring location shoots, creative, high energy music videos - these all add something to the style, and they are so pervasive that many modern couples step into the role of high-fashion model or rock star for an hour or so with great joy: will these catwalk inspired images carry the same sort of memories and lasting emotions as the traditional wedding pictures?
Perhaps not, but if the couple "owns" and embraces the experience as an integral part of the wedding day - if it is not just contrived for the photographer, the location shoot may come to mark their transition from single to married life in a less formal manner than the Ceremony or Reception - this is often the first time that the couple can really relax and let go after the stress (positive though it may have been!) of the their wedding day, and be their first adventure together as Man and Wife.
Contemporary Images from some Practicaps weddings have been posted as a slide show on Vimeo. See Contemporary Wedding Photography.Your feedback on the images (and on this post) are welcomed, as ever.
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