Wedding Photojournalism
By Tommy Colbert

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Without a doubt, the single most popular trend or buzz word in today’s wedding photography market is “ Photojournalism”.

By definition, photojournalism (traditionally referred to as candid photos) is the photographic documentation of an event without interfering or influencing the outcome of the photographs in any way. This of course is the complete opposite of traditional portrait wedding photography that requires the photographer to be hands-on and direct the subjects in the creation of each photograph…

Today’s top wedding photographers should be well versed in both styles and be able to assess his or her clients goals for their special day and strike a comfortable balance between the two…

They should also have the ability to shoot with multiple camera formats as well as a wide variety of film speeds and types… Color, black & white, infrared, 35mm, 2 1/4 and digital all play a crucial roll in the wedding photojournalist’s tool bag… as they must be prepared for any and all situations that arise in an instant.

Since I believe most of the people interested in this article will more than likely have some training or experience in the portrait side, I will try to address some of what I consider to be essentials for the wedding photojournalist to compete in today’s wedding photography market. It is important to remember that the techniques I discuss are derived solely from my personal experiences and not from any formal (photojournalism) training.


The most important piece of advice I can give anyone regarding this format… is to spend time on preparation… I go over all of the equipment I will be using at a particular event the night before. I make sure I have my portable changing bag with me encase a camera back jams or I have to load or unload Infrared film etc. I make sure all my power packs and things of that nature are fully charged an operational. And I cannot put enough emphasis on the importance of “BACK UP EQUIPMENT” If it can break or malfunction… you can be sure that someday when you least expect it, It will!
Know Your Subjects... Tell them that you are not their parents wedding photographer .During your initial sales presentation, talk to your clients about what your definition of “Photojournalism” is… You will more than likely be shooting somewhere between 400 – 1,000 photographs at their wedding and if you were to stop and pose them for each photo they would literally have no time at all to spend with their family and friends. Let them know that not only will you be creating some traditional posed formal photographs, but you will also be mostly capturing the day as it unfolds... But more importantly, listen to what your client says to you. You can learn a lot from someone’s expectations of you by simply talking about what they are looking for.

I tell all my clients that although they will indeed see me pointing a camera at them throughout the day, do not look at me unless I ask you to do so… Continue to interact with your attendants as if I were not there at all. Your photographs will look more natural and captured instead of posed. There will be times they want a photo snapped with special aunts uncles etc. so tell them that if that is the case to simply let you know who they are and you would be more than happy to take any and all of those shots as well.

Know Your Locations… Go the extra mile… I take a ride the week before each wedding I shoot ( and I shoot 60-70 a year) to meet with the bride and go over all possibilities for locations, lighting etc. That also gives us a chance to re-acquaint ourselves with each other. Usually, I will not have seen the bride for six months to a year and we can spend an hour or so going over all the final details of what will surly be one of, if not the most important and memorable days of her life. The response I get from them is overwhelming…
Know Your Equipment…I have at least two cameras on me at all times, in my left hand I have my Bronica etrsi or my Contax 645 loaded with Fuji NPH 400 220 film mounted on a stroboframe bracket with a Quantum strobe with both set on TTL mode. Around my neck is my bread and butter camera, my Nikon D1 equipped with the recommended speedlight (28dx) and an Omni-Bounce cap along with a Nikon 24 – 85 zoom lens. This camera and speed light capture the majority of the photojournalism shots that my brides have come to know and love.

When the bride arrives at the church, there are usually late-comers who will always try to get her attention before she gets out of the limousine. If you are ready, this can be a wonderful candid shot to capture.

When I am setting up my formal shots, the bridal party is starting to unwind and anticipate the forthcoming celebration. This is when I use my D1 to capture very candid and sometimes spectacular moments in black and white.


The groomsmen are usually horsing around and causing some sort of commotion that in turn creates photo opportunities that can only be captured if you are prepared.

Wind is also a great ally of great candid shots because it often takes the brides veil and whips it around causing quite a stir, again creating great photo opportunities. Where the traditional portrait photographer might wait for the wind to subside and try to fix the veil… I pick up my D1 and fire off a 5 – 10 frame burst that is certain to capture an interesting candid moment!




Indoor photos are a little trickier in that the lighting in most cases has to be artificial. If there is enough available light due to large windows or time of day etc., then by al means do not be afraid to drag the shutter and put some motion in your shots.



In some situations, you can drag the shutter to a 15th or a 30th of a second while still using a strobe to stop the action. As long as the ambient light where you are shooting is low enough, the subjects will be lit by the strobe while the slow shutter speed will allow just enough ambient light in to create some interesting results. You will have to experiment with your strobe settings a little here.

Do not be afraid to shoot a lot of film or use up lots of memory if you are shooting with a digital camera… The law of averages will be tipped heavily in your favor if you shoot 400- 1,000 photos per wedding to capture enough spectacular moments to more than fill a wedding album.

You do not have to abandon your current methods of shooting a traditional wedding to be successful with the photojournalism approach… Simply be a little more prepared by carrying another camera with you at all times to capture those moments that would normally escape you!

For more information or to see some more of my work, please log onto my web site at www.tommycolbert.com.


--End
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