Photojournalism in Weddings
Shoo4est 01 2009
Kenneth Hiew
Revela>on Visuals
Revela>ons.my

How to take away the most from this session
• Lay the founda>ons
• Learning aEtude – don’t think you know
everything
• Take notes – write down key things
• Ask ques>ons
• Discuss and mix
• Draw own conclusions – cri>cal thought and
analysis

• Explore further, deeper on your own
• Look at other avenues, mediums
• Do it
• Repeat
• Teachers can only take you so far
• It depends on YOU
• There are no short cuts

Photojournalism
• Documentary photography
• Henri Car>er Bresson
• Robert Capa
• James Nachtway
• Steve McCurry
• Na>onal Geographic

Wedding photojournalist
• New breed
• Just a weekend warrior?
• Low status
• Straight fla$h X
• Fly by night
• Studio photographers

Key moments in history
• 1980s / 1981 WPA WPI WPPI Rangefinder
magazine
• PPA PDN
• Dennis Reggie
• Said, I will provide brides their own unique &
personal story, not a generic version of
someone else’s wedding.

Con>nued
• 35mm
• Digital
• High ISO, stabiliza>on
• f/2.8
• Portable remote flashes
• Photoshop

WPJ
• Ahained superstar status
• Featured in top magazines
• Staff
• A network of like minded colleagues
• Wider acceptance
• No loca>on too remote

WPJ
• Grown to encompass even:
• Editorial photography
• Fashion photography
• Fine art photography
• Posed portaiture

• Beckstead, Yervant, Marcus Bell, Joe Buissink,
Bambi Cantrell, Becker, Kubota, Jerry Ghionis,
Zung, Louis Pang, Edmund, Grant, James etc.

Photographic Record
• Permanent record of the most important day
of their lives
• A “shot list”

No intrusion

• Spontaneity, surprises, lifelike, real
• No direc>on
• Wait for moments

Observa>on

• Look at what happens
• Concentrate
• THINK
• THINK outside the box

An>cipa>on

• It’s not the frames per second / machine gun
shoot
• Chimping
• A refined sense of >ming, good observa>onal
skills
• Calm & quiet

A different mind set

• Not an all encompassing quest for perfec>on /
fantasy / idealiza>on
• Capture the reality of the situa>on with as lihle
interference as possible
• Flaws are ok
• This is not to say that the reality is harsh or
unappealing
• Sensi>ve portayal of the event that highlights the
EMOTION

A refined story teller

• Rhythm and flow of the narra>ve
• Moments pulled together
• Beginning, middle, end
• Drama, plot
• Protagonist
• Plot points
• Ebbs, Flows
• Symbols & metaphors
• Semio>cs & Seman>cs

• Emo>on, humor, tension, resolu>on
• Unobserved details

Posed formals

To an>cipate, prepare

• Ambient ligh>ng
• Ceiling height
• Surfaces
• Windows
• Reflec>ons
• Lights

• Band, caterer, florist, event coordinator
• Get to know the people
• Do an engagement / pre wedding

Reac>on >me
Ins>nct

Capturing emo>on

• Face
• Body language
• Hands, fingers, feet
• Immersing one self
• Being sensi>ve

Dressing for success

Uniqueness

Have fun

Composi>on & Design

• Rule of thirds
• Lines – straight, diagonal
• Direc>ons
• Space
• Crops of lines
• Curves: S, Z, C, L
• Shapes
• Focus
• Balance, tension

Finito
• kenneth@revela>ons.my