Use the force young brides...

I am often surprised how few brides (and grooms for that matter) actually take advantage of the almost Jedi-like power they have over the wedding party. These people, for the most part, are there to make your day easier/fun/romantic/exciting/memorable and in general, great. That means they are usually willing to do just about anything to achieve those goals.

In the case of David and Blanchie's wedding at Cypress Grove Park, the bridesmaids were instructed by Blanchie to really go for it when it came to the bouquet toss. She wanted action. She wanted bridesmaids airborne, hair flying, faces clenched in rapt concentration and she wanted all of this captured by me. While they all may not have given it their absolute all, one of them promised to... and clearly delivered. This girl not only promised to go for it, but actually got higher off the ground than most NBA players. She's gotta be clearing 2 feet (or at least in a bright, shiny blue dress it seems like she is) and for sure gave Blanchie the memory and photograph she really wanted at her wedding. I managed to fire at the right moment and the rest is history, a portfolio piece... and a favorite picture of the bride.

The moral to this story is that if you have any fun ideas, any shots that you just want to try, don't just tell me, tell your people. Tell the best man or maid of honor and have them get the troops ready. Make sure everyone is on board because I'm here to tell you that they are probably game for whatever you have cooked up. They're probably not entirely comfortable in those dresses or suits/tuxes anyway so why not go all the way :)

Style

Above: ©1997 Robert McClory - 4x5 Polaroid Type 55 Pos/Neg film transfer.

I see a lot of "style" in wedding photography these days, and that's a GREAT thing as far as I'm concerned. I "grew up" in photography as a fashion photographer who had dreams of producing cutting edge, funky, artistic fashion pictures all my life. I worked with just my camera and lights to create memorable images (as opposed to all the tools we use now on the computer) and loved every minute of it. Then I encountered the REAL fashion industry (read: didn't like the people too much) and a career in sports and now wedding photography was born :)

The reality is that wedding photography is quickly becoming THE place to see cutting edge work being done. The difference is that we, as wedding photographers, usually don't have a support team and a full day to execute one or two ideas. We have to create, innovate and react in an instant, not only to document all those fantastic moments that happen at your wedding, but to document them with style and flair. Then, when we get the chance to experiment, to more directly impart our vision on the canvas of your wedding, we have a chance to really create signature images that, with any luck at all, will be the emotional catalyst to your wedding memories. When it's done right, the results are nothing short of electric.

Add to that magical mix the tools we photographers now have at our disposal in post-production to add even more beauty, refinement and yes, the occasional funk to your images, and you have a recipe for fine art of the highest caliber.

That's why I absolutly love wedding photography. I get to produce fine art, cutting edge, elegant, simple and funk-tastic images every weekend (or so). As an artist, what could be better than that!