Style Without Substance

I spend a lot of time looking at other photographers work, and I am inspired by many of them; there are so many great wedding photographers working today. I also see a lot of work that I feel is style without substance. By that I mean images with style and beauty but that do not serve to tell the story. As an artist I want to capture beautiful and unique images, but as a wedding photographer I must never forget that my number one job is to document your wedding. I think many great photographers forget this from time to time. I see some great unique photos on websites that look stunning but do not really capture the moment. Sometimes I will look through slide shows and see lots of stunning images that do not really capture the story of the couple and the day. I wonder how many great moments went undocumented while the photographer looked for unique angles or eclectic compositions. I never take more than a few seconds to take an image when a story is unfolding. I am always watching for moments that are a part of the story. Capturing those moments as beautifully and diversely as I can is my philosophy on wedding photography. I am a documentarian first and foremost and any art that I create is in service of the storytelling.

So I encourage you, look at a series of images from a wedding; do you see the story unfold? Do the images take you to a time and place and capture the moments and emotions that happened on that date and place? Are the images personal and custom to that family? Are they diverse and broad capturing a range of emotions and expressions? Do you see unique people and get a feel for who they are? When you look at a photographers' work ask yourself these questions and you will get a good idea of how your story will be told.

Josh
Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458