Style
You will have your own photojournalist recording your wedding unobserved; when you see the pictures of your event you should feel as if you were there both as an observer as well as the center of attention; this will be the record of every last detail that you have been planning ever since you were old enough to know what this day means. Since the preparation and rehearsal is part of the whole, my price includes shooting both the rehearsal as well as the wedding ceremony and reception.
I shoot exclusively with Leica ( http://www.leica-camera.com ) camera equipment and lenses, the best of the 35mm tools. This allows me to capture the event in the wedding photojournalistic style, a more artistic style which records the event as a whole rather than just a collection of posed images. Mind you, I have nothing against posed images of you and your family and will spend a half hour or so making those. If, however, you are looking for the more traditional, formal, wedding album, I am not your guy. I will be more than happy to refer you to a couple of photographers ( http://www.glsphoto.com http://www.dozier-photo.com ) who I believe are the best in that type of coverage. Please take a look at all of the images here on my web site to see if my style is what you want.
Legacy means film. I have nothing against digital and in fact part of my process is done digitally. My issues with digital capture are several: many of the digital images are just too sharp - there is an artificiality to them. It’s the difference between watching a video tape on the tv and seeing film projection in the theater. It’s just different. And I believe better. Newer and faster isn’t always better. Certainly digital imaging cuts the cost of film and chemical processing (re-useable electrons) which is wonderful for photographers, but I am not so certain that it is the best for you.
You keep the negatives. Thus, for your 25th anniversary, you can have reprints made without having to keep your old computer equipment or having to try and find me.
What I DO use is http://www.pictage.com. This service scans the film and makes light jet images on photographic paper and they produce truly beautiful archival prints in an assortment of sizes and styles. The advantage is the ease of ordering, both for you and for your family and friends. I will ship the developed film to PICtage™ for scanning and hosting. Once I have been advised that the site is ready, I will release it to you for editing. You then do any editing that you desire, write captions, and release the event for your family and guests. That's it. Everyone can order whatever they want directly online and the prints will be shipped direct. Another advantage is you can order prints for up to a year after the wedding.
Some folks simple hate being consciously photographed. For them my Photojournalist style works well. I stay out of the way and take photos when my subjects are involved in the events of the day and aren't all tense thinking primarily about being photographed. Others love posing for the camera and in turn the camera loves them. Traditional style works well for these people as well as those folks who want to take advantage of my being there to make special images with loved ones whom they don't often get to see.
Most actual Ceremony images could be easily classed as either photojournalism or traditional photographs. While they are photos of a given culture or family's traditions, I don't direct them into being. Rather I capture them discreetly from the sidelines, so I consider ceremony photographs to be more Photojournalist in nature.
The trend of the last few years is toward a less directed and a less posed form of photography with only a very few formal poses for tradition or family reunion sake. While the trend is also toward Black&White photography I have found that after the wedding, most couples prefer having the option of being able to print an image in either Color OR Black&White which can easily be done when ordering the prints from PICtage.com™
The term "wedding photojournalism" defines a genre that recognizes coverage in real time by a photographer respectful of the natural occurrences and flow of the wedding day without assuming a leadership position in arranging, staging, or prompting subjects.
The hallmark of the concept is both perspective and attitude, based on a mandate to be truly reactive rather than proactive, and a dedication to record events as historian rather than director. Content with reality, the wedding photojournalist quietly documents while anticipating action, sensitively observing details and nuance, then documenting moments without subjects actively aware of the process.