Wedding Photography | Photojournalism | Posing and Natural Light

The title of this blog post is meant to be ridiculous. I would NEVER say that. I think that photographers that say such things are photographers that only know how to shoot natural light. They don’t know how to pose a couple or a bride and groom. If they don’t know how to shoot flash – well – it’s easier to say, “I’m a natural light photographer,” than it is to learn flash-photography. Similarly, if a photographer says they never pose a couple, they just shoot the day as it unfolds – again, it probably just means they don’t know how to pose a couple and it’s easier to just say they never do it. This is what separates a professional from an amateur. There are some words I think great photographers never use!

Never and Always are not great ways to describe your photography.

Photojournalism Wedding Photography – Posing

I hear photographers claim to be photojournalists all the time. Then I look at their portfolio and nine times out of ten, it leaves something to be desired. The really good wedding photographers claiming to be photojournalists have tons of posed pictures of the bride and groom – so what’s going on? If you pose a bride and groom does that mean you are not really a photojournalist? No, at least not in my opinion. Good photographers know when to simply capture a scene and when to offer their expertise to make a scene even better. It really is that simple.

Photojournalism Wedding Photography – Natural Light

The other thing I hear photojournalist wedding photographers saying all the time is that they NEVER use a flash (speedlite). Again, nine times out of ten, when I look at their portfolio there is something missing; all their images are dark and grainy. Dark and grainy can look awesome, and I like the look. SOMETIMES.  Many brides like the look of the grainy black and white images – but I don’t think that ALL the images should look that way. Twenty years after their wedding they might actually want some pictures that are sharp! Gasp!

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