Inspiration Before You Shoot a Wedding
I believe there is a common misconception that you must look for wedding photography inspiration from other wedding photography.
Inspiration can come from anything.
One field being street photography. (Especially if you specialize in candid or documentary wedding photography.)
There is nothing wrong with looking to other wedding photography for inspiration, but it prove to be limiting. It can lead to discouragement, nervousness, and a pressure to sacrifice your own personal style for what you mostly see in the wedding photography industry.
For example, “Oh, I need to edit a certain way” or “There’s lots of *this* pose in other photographs, I need to make sure I get that when I shoot my next wedding!” or “Do I need to adjust my editing style?”
If you have ever felt that way, you are not alone. I use to feel that way and I’ve heard these thoughts from many other wedding photographers.
Subtleties in life are amazing.
Truly amazing and beautiful.
The point is to observe and react to it.
So with that in mind, it opens up the door for where you looking to for inspiration.
Within the context of this article, if you are looking for inspiration for shooting a wedding, all you need to find is something that…
Includes people, human interactions, small details and quickly moving scenes.
Similar to a wedding day.
It doesn’t just have to be other wedding photography.
Personally, I look to street photographers.
Something I appreciate in all street photographers is the framing, the expressions of the people, the moving scenes, the composition of multiple people in one frame. (SO much of that in a wedding day!) It all flows so well.
Your eye goes from one end of the frame to the other. There is a whole story, a whole world in one photograph.
And what I love the most, all street photographs age so well. Over time, their value increases.
Their poses are real, their expressions are real, their movement, joy, sadness, focus, is all real.
Nothing ages better than real.
And how much more important that is for wedding photographs.
This is why I love the candid wedding photography approach so much!
Dzesika
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