Wedding Photography Today—

Photographing for Generations to Come

By Jeff White

When Michele Celentano first trained to be a wedding photographer eight years ago, she apprenticed herself with a few masters of the traditional wedding approach: family portraits, long shots of the bride and groom, the kiss on a lush green lawn, the cutting of the wedding cake. She always thought something was missing.

Indeed, wedding photography today has moved away from traditional coverage and toward a more photojournalistic approach. The most important aspect of wedding photography today is the telling of the complete story, from those nervous moments as the bride dresses to the joyous romping of the reception.

 “I would say that stiff formals have gone by the wayside,” says Ms Celentano. “Brides want to see more of the emotion of the day.”

“We’re telling more of the wedding story, because there really is a story line there,” explains Charles Maring, an award-winning Wallingford wedding photographer who runs Maring Photography with his wife. “We’re doing overall views of the ceremony, we’re capturing hands with rings, [the] parents’ reactions as tears fall from their eyes.”

Many professional photographers note that both brides and grooms request that the photographers get close, and thus the candid images that are now filling the wedding albums of many newlyweds include scenes between mothers and brides, intimate shots from inside limousines, and off-guard moments around reception hall tables.

Mario Peters, who manages the photo studio at Image Loft, a New Jersey photo agency that covers weddings throughout the tri-state area, has a specific approach to getting candid shots: he hides one of his photographers in the crowd. While one photographer is busy making images of wedding parties, family members and the event’s important aspects, another photographer is posing as a family member, “a favorite uncle,” has Mr Peters describes, and is constantly snapping pictures of those family moments that escape the general attention of the surrounding people.

Brides and grooms “want the photographer to capture the reaction of the room during a toast, not just the groom,” says Mr Peters, contrasting a traditional shot to what is desired today.

With the demand for a more intimate, romantic feel in a wedding picture, couples today are asking their photographers to have a wide variety of film and equipment to help tell their story. Michele Celentano has noticed a trend toward black and white photography to help capture the classic view of a wedding ceremony. “I think [for couples] black and white photos don’t have any color to distract from the emotion of the image; it makes things more classic.”

“Black and white [photos] are going to show the emotions of the day, capture relationships and capture the expressions of the day,” explains Charles Maring. “Color is good because you’re going to capture florals, how blue the skies are, the color scheme for the bridesmaids’ dresses.”

Newtown resident Carol Miklus, who has been a professional photographer for 25 years and specializing in weddings for six years, says that people are looking for a photographer to make their wedding pictures heirlooms, and black and white photos help give a slightly artistic flare. Mrs Miklus likes to use both black and white and infrared film, and often hand colors both for a soft, romantic feel.

That wedding photography is looking more like photojournalism explains why photographers today more often than not stay away from bursting strobes and flashes to lend artificial light to the setting. Improvements in film and lens speeds are allowing photographers to use 35-mm cameras and ambient light to make their images.

“I believe in working with the light that is available,” says Mr Maring. The increased capability for photographers to shoot in low light situations is allowing for a greater range of pictures taken inside churches, which often do not permit flash photography.

“Ambient light is key to telling the story,” explains Mario Peters. “When you introduce flash, things look fake, not natural.”

Digital imagery and cameras are working their way into more and more photographers’ arsenals. Tammy Bungard of Bungard Photography in Enfield likes to use digital cameras to provide an instant printout of the images she is making, so that the bride and groom can have a “sneak peak” at the types of photos they will be getting. Other photographers, like Mr Maring, often will put color slides onto the computer and manipulate the images tone and contrast.

And if the ways in which photographers cover the people of a wedding is changing, so are the ways that photographers are focusing in on the details of the ceremony. “I think the trend even in portraits are moving to the fashion side,” says Michele Celentano. “They’re a little more racy, edgy. They want to see details.”

Those details might involve the photograph of the bride’s train, a bouquet of flowers held in the delicate hands of a flower girl, an up-close shot of the groom sliding the wedding band onto his wife’s finger.

Couples can look to pay higher prices for today’s wedding photographers, a reality that mirrors the more in-depth coverage they are getting. Although some wedding photographers start for as little as $800, the average price for a professional photographer and his or her assistants generally falls between $5,000 and $15,000. Some photographers offer a set price for a photo package, while others charge a flat coverage rate, with the pictures costing additional money on an ala carte basis, offering couples more freedom in selecting the type of prints they want, and how they prefer them presented.

Yet most photographers agree that one of the most important things for couples searching for wedding coverage to keep in mind is the importance of developing a relationship with their photographer before the wedding day. Shop around, look over portfolios, talk to friends who have recently married, get referrals and recommendations, and let the prospective photographer know what type of coverage you want: traditional, black and white, strictly candid, a little bit of everything. But most importantly, develop a relationship of trust and understanding with the photographer before he or she sets out to cover your event.

“You need to be comfortable with that person,” says Carol Miklus. “If you’re not, you won’t get the photos you want.”

“Bride and grooms need to look for photographic excellence,” advises Charles Miring. “They need to find someone who is consistent at making great images from beginning to end.”

That the photographer is there from beginning to end is indicative of the well-rounded, extensive coverage of today’s wedding photography. “I do everything, from the time that the bride is getting ready to the limo to the reception,” says Tammy Bungard. “Everybody loves to create a storybook on their wedding day. When you are the bride and groom, you don’t get to see all the little details that someone on the outside can catch.”

For Michele Celentano, the wedding photographer is the most important accessory to a wedding, because he or she is capturing the beginning of a new history, a new life. They are photographing for the generations to come. “I mean, you probably have one photograph from your grandparents’ wedding. Wouldn’t it have amazing to see the entire story?”