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As I live and breathe, if I see one more jumping bridal party I may puke!! I am all for original/funky photos, but come on! I have been finding photogs with at least 3 jumping photos on their site...i am looking for fresh, clean, natural photos at our wedding. This is more of a vent, than an actual question. Also...is this a sign to NOT book someone who has tons of cheesy candids, but a great eye...would I offend someone if I asked them NOT to do these kinds of photos? I wouldn't be upset, but I am not a PRO!
This isn't really answering your question, but for the wedding I was recently in, the photographer made us all line up and hold hands and "play Red Rover" swinging our arms back and forth. Not just the bridesmaids, but the groomsmen too in a big line. It looked and felt absolutely rediculous and I vowed to never hire a photographer who makes people do stupid things like that if it has zero significance to the couple :P
I think it depends how many photos are the cheesy type. Sometimes the couple may have asked for the photos so it wouldn't be fair to blame the photographer, but if the majority are photos you don't like, then it's probably best to keep looking because you want to make sure you end up with photos you love in the end.
good luck!.
I think some of those things are just to loosen up a bit, rather than for the photo itself?
When you meet with potential photographers, I'd definitely talk to them to get a feel for their style and express the style you're looking for. We found that we could look at websites all day, but the true sense of their style came from talking to them. To me, it was a personality meshing. If you know they fit your style, and they understand you (i.e. they know you're a joker, a traditional person, a laugh in every photo person...) it should be fine.
If you're able to, maybe you could book a mini session or engagement photo session with the photographer you think is the one you want and see how that session goes to get a better feel?
I also hate them and the all the bridesmaids holding up the groom/groomsmen holding up the bride. I am not a fan of photographers that just do the same shots at every wedding and don't respond to the couple.
Photos of the bridesmaids swooning over the groom really bother me. And, cheesy photoshop effects, like the whole picture is black and white, except the bouquet, etc. Not a fan. To ,me, processing should be classic. A photo shouldn't need gimmicks to stand on it's own as a pice of art.
My family's been taking "jumping shots" for like five years. Silly photographers are way behind the times. :P
What I don't like are the "getting ready" shots. I've seen so many hanging dress photos that I could keep my family warm for an entire winter if I printed them out to burn. Ugh.
To answer your question, I am not offended when brides tell me no jumping shots. I usually only do jumping shots when the couple specifically asks for them anyway. However, I am all for different fun/funky bridal party shots. It's just boring when everyone just stands in a line.
The best way for you to let your photog know what you want it to tell them and then make a shot list. Thats what I did. I made a list of my "must have" photos and the I also included my "absolutely not" photos. For instance, I asked for minimal formal posed pictures, lots of detail shots and I wanted the shoe/sock/stocking pictures (because I am/was mildly obsessed with my shoes lol.)
Just tell them. Im sure theyd be willing to include/exclude specific things that you want/dont want.
A good photographer will listen to you. Sit down and have a good meeting so he/she gets to know you. The better your photographer knows you, the better they will shoot to your liking.
Be like every otherbride in this world and make a list of shots you want that you think are fun and fresh and cool.
Just like the brides who got the jumping shots did and asked for that shot.(because they thought it was fun and fresh and oh so cool)
@Baileyh: I didn't necessarily ask for the jump shots, but I thought it was a good way to kind of loosen up. The pictures of us cracking up AFTER the jump shots were totally worth it.
@sapphiresun Oh i got the jumping shot as well. Its actually one of my faves, everyone just looks like they are having so much fun. It looks best in the video as well!
My comment was a little sarcastic bc it kind of sucks when someone writes a post not about how they want to get a photographer who doesnt just do candid shots but cuts into how some peoples choice in wedding pics is enough to make them PUKE...
@Baileyh: I checked out your pictures/video... I was just concurring with you, not calling you out :)
I'm over the jumps, I do like the hanging dress- might be over it by my day though... What I am really loving though is the all guest photo. It kind of reminds me of an awkward work or year book photo- but I love the idea of having everyone in one pic! Who knows what I will do when it actually happens though. My photog is on board with all of my nutty ideas though :)
A photographer should listen to you if you tell them you don't want a certain shot or you are uncomfortable with a certain shot.
They might question you, if say, you said "I don't want a picture of my first kiss" because they dont' want you to have any regrets, but if you make your wishes clear, I think they should honor them.
Technical know-how and friendly advice are fine, but nothing irks me more than vendors who think that their taste is more relevant than my own.
I just wanted to comment about the hanging dress as well. I don't think that trend has stayed around so long because it's a cheezy fad or anything like that. I actually think its because there are only so many ways to photograph a dress! I do non-hanging shots wherever I can, but sometimes a window or a door is the best you've got to work with! I'm not so desperate to be different that I'm going to give a bride an ugly photo of her dress.
@Baileyh:I am sorry if you took it personally...it was not about YOUR taste, rather than a current trend in photography! if you like your jumping shots...great...you probably won't like my shots and that is fine. I am not all for everyone standing in a line, but I want my photos to represent us...and we are not jumpers.
I too am over the color splash photo, but lots of people like it...another trend and It is varies from region to region. I love the dress photo, but that is me! Thanks for the advice...I will keep looking for the right one!
I didnt do a jumping shot and I regret it! We also did the groomsmen holding me and also another one where theyre holding DH. We did not plan on having that photo but in the moment my husband jumped in their arms and then they wanted to pick me up too! It was a lot of fun while we did it even though the picture is cheesy!! Also, I wish we had done some more creative bridal party shots because all we have are all of us standing in a line in one place and then all of us standing in a line on a dock with my venue in the background (which I really like) but still - not much variety. Oh well, nothing I can do now!! Also, I forgot to get a shot of our rings together - didnt matter if they were on or off my hand - but now Im realizing I can always take a beautiful shot of our rings together at any time. Also, my husband had a cheap ring on the day of our wedding and got a nice white gold one later so I'm almost glad we accidentally skipped this shot!
ugh if there was ever a need for a like button, now would be the time. I specifically told my photog. ABSOLUTELY NO jumping bridal party, no black and white with the color pics (unless done in a specific way and only to be directed by me) and no bridal party pointing their flowers at the camera. blah!! sorry vent! haha anyways youre right! "LIKE"
I am so with you. One of the reasons why I like my photographer so much is that there is not ONE single jumping picture!
When did this fad start anyway! It needs to be exterminated!
Would any bride be offended if i tell her right from the start that i Do not do:
1. jumping shots
2. Rings inside a bouquet
3. hands on a bouquet
4. groom's backs inline, like their are "peeing"
5. BMs looking at bride's ring and WOWing over it.
6. my biggest NO is selective coloring (spot coloring) of any photos. I R E F U S E to do them. Pay my a bundle, then i will.
there are more, but i spare you the pain.....
Sometimes brides look at me like I am a nutcase because i don't do those, but then again, it is what client wants. Right? The problem is, brides these days have no idea what exactly they want, they search online for photos to see what they like. They see "cheese" and they want it!
@ITCPhoto:i am the same way, I am doing a wedding this June and they are relaxed, traditional, loving couple. they are having a modest wedding and just want the moments captured...I LOVE THEM! He actually asked if I could shoot a roll of B&W film because they love the look of them. The digital age has brought us full circle again and people are wanting natural photos! It is funy to see all this play out! BTW I decided to stick with my friend who owns a photography business, I was just too underwhelmed with my choices! i know his work and he has done photo shoots with my family for 6 years now! he may not have a 5,000 camera, but I know he is awesome, and I like him!
I like spot coloring-I think I'm the only person who likes it. That said, there is not one photo like that in my 1200 wedding photos I recieved from my photographer, nor did I ask for it. But I still think it looks pretty.
My dress was so plain that the hanging dress photo (imo) looks lame. But suprisingly everyone who looked at my pics loved it. I put it in my album with my "accessories" page and it looks nice I guess, but people really gush over a hanging dress.
My favorite pic from my wedding is me sitting in between these two random mailman. Everyone who sees it is like WTF does that have to do with your wedding? lol.
haha i love this thread! i HATE spot-coloring and processing that makes photos look blurry!
I don't get the jumping thing, and I don't get the photos where the top half (or the bottom half) is blurred out. Not sure that they make me angry, more of a "Shrug. Whatever. Not my thing." response.
Seriously though, can someone explain to me the "blur out half the photo" logic?
@ITCPhoto: I would be offended... infact it would make me NOT hire you. Whether I wanted those shots or not is irrelivent. It just makes me realize that it isn't my wants and needs that are important to you. It is your likes and dislikes. If I pay you to be my photographer and I WANT a jumping shot... sorry. I better get it or you better hand me back my money because you aren't doing what I payed you for and that is to take the picture I like and want on MY wedding day...
ITCPhotography, I would LOVE if you told me that up front--I happen to HATE all those shots, but it's more that I would appreciate knowing what your aesthetic is and if it matches mine.
I'm of the opinion that photographers are artists too and they do their best work when they have a degree of creative control and work within their comfort level. If their creative point of view doesn't match yours, then look elsewhere. But there's no point in being offended.
@caelanarcher:It comes from using a diffuser on the lens(which is less blurry). I guess my response would be, that what is in the foreground is more important and the blurry provides a nice backdrop. With so many options in digital editing new things are tried all the time. FYI all the weddings(which is not many) I have shot(and I am not a pro) have wanted the color splash and I have done it and it is not my favorite, but potential clients see these pics and I let them know...THIS IS WHAT THEY WANTED!
@Mrs. AF: I totally understand the depth-of-field blurring, where they bring the foreground into focus and blur out everything else. What I'm talking about (and of course I can't find any examples right now) is when they have a photo (like of all the bridesmaids), taken from the feet up, and the photographer blurs literally the top half of the photo so that everything from the waist up is out of focus.
@caelanarcher:I can honestly say i have never seen a photo like that! I dislike the ones with the couple blurry and the bouquet in focus...but that is just my opinion!
Fair enough!
That's why i don't work with every couple who wants to hire me. I believe that honesty is the best policy. I believe that letting my potential client know what to expect right upfront is essential.
You have hundreds of photographer to choose from. While i don't have that privilege, i am still selective with whom i want to work with, i want my couples to be on the same level as I am. I don't mind doing jumping shots, that's just something i don't find fresh and exciting. If couple is open minded about possibilities besides the "cheese", they would be my ideal clients. You absolutely must click with your chosen photographer and it goes both ways. At the end, it makes both parties happy.
Evey photographer should have their ideal clients, if they don't and they take on anyone and everyone who comes alone, there is something to be said about them.
No offense to any photographer here.
This is called Tilt shift, when it's done with the right lens and not in photoshop it makes a great image. This lens is pretty expensive, so a lot of photographers opt-out to do it in post processin via Photoshop. I've done those, but i'm over it now.
@caelanarcher: That is supposed to look like a "tilt-shift" type of film camera/lens. It's a really specific type of camera. Or I guess, I assume that is what you are referring to, unless you are referring to a shallow depth of field, in which that's just a really basic and awesome part of photography. The lenses that have the ability to have really shallow depths of field are $$$$.
Hey Mrs. AF,
I couldnt help to chuckle when I read your post. Im a photographer and cant tell you how easy it is to sometimes get caught into a trend because brides demand it on their big day. But a funny story, I had one bride specifically tell me to NOT take any jumping or candid pics whatsoever at her wedding. The couple was very serious and wanted exactly what you said, natural and clean images from their big day. You know what though, their wedding is by far the best and favorite I have ever captured. It really forces you to focus on the couple and emotions between them when you CANT do something loose and fun.
I dont so much mind doing things like that though since it does get the wedding party in a fun and energetic mood that can then be focused into a completely different pose with high energy in their faces. Sometimes getting a bridal party to do something is just another way of photographer to get you to do what we really want and capture those genuine emotions, lol sneaky huh ;)
What I dont like as for trends are things dealing with post production, posing doesnt really bother me since it is all copied by something another photographer has done.
For your sake though I hope you dont see another jump shot!
@ITCPhoto: I would absolutely not hire you if you told me you would not take the shots I wanted (except the peeing one - gross). I hire a photographer to take the shots I want, not the ones they want (except graphic shots - ie, pretending to do oral, just wrong). If a photographer actually told me they would not take a photo of our hands over my bouquet I would walk out of the appointment. My mother is a photographer and occasionally does weddings (art is her real field) and she doesn't care for certain shots but she does them as they are the brides vision for her day. For my wedding, I gave her samples of what I wanted and she gave suggestions to make them more us, but she never said no. She also made a ton of suggestions on what to add, some I liked and some I nixed.
@IVKWed:Too funny...I am an encore bride and 35 so I think my expectations are much different than younger brides. I love the fun, free side that one can capture at a wedding and kudos to all the photogs who do what they do to make their brides happy, but I am just more about the love and raw emotion of the day...oh and I LOVE DRAMATIC, INTENSE posed photos!
Hell, I'll let him take all the pics he wants. I'll just use the ones i actualy DO like. And if he says something I don't like such as "hold his chin up and look into his eyes", I'll just say "Id rather not, next idea please!".
I don't think any photographer would be offended, but if he didn't agree with you, then I would hope he'd say he wasn't the photographer for you.
I also don't see why a bride would get offended if a photographer gave a list of photos he won't shoot, like a previous poster did. If the bride didn't agree, then she knows she found a photographer that isn't for her and move onto another one. There may be some bride that would be thinking 'finally, a photographer who thinks like I do' and hire him on the spot.
Photographers are artists, and they need to be able to express their artistic vision. That's why it is so important to talk to the photographers and see their work, then decide if they are the photographer for you. But all of your wants and don't wants should be discussed before you contract the photographer, because it isn't right to hire an artist and then tell him how to paint.
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