This is my dream wedding set up.  Two cameras and a handful of TriX rolls.

the things we learn so subtle when we are children,

expectations and aspirations and the materials of our dreams

player

shot an engagement session Saturday.  when it comes to my commercial work i constantly struggle with a dichotomy.  shoot for myself vs. shoot what is marketable. when it comes to lifestyle and wedding photography the market almost unanimously endorses homogeneity.  the wedding blogs and magazines are where clients go to dream about their own wedding day and therefore it is from those wedding blogs that they derive their concepts of what makes for good photography.  because of this photographers are forced to shoot particular images in a particular style to attract potential clients.  the result is a ubiquity of mostly bland and almost always unoriginal imagery.  nothing risky, nothing really interesting. lots of images of the cake toppers.

this image is a great image, in my opinion.  it is great because i pulled off some difficult lighting.  it is a good image because of the perspective i chose.  it’s also a great image because it is real and honest.  the couple is in love and passionately so.  they aren’t hired models (like some are prone to use) otherwise her hair wouldn’t be mussed among other things.  this is a real moment.  it occurred in an instant, i happened to be ready for it and then it disappeared and to recreate might have made it look better but i don’t know that it would feel better.

i’m not entirely certain this image will wind up in my portfolio.  i’m certain it won’t ever make it on a wedding blog.  which is sad really.  had i hired a shoot designer and make up artist and faked this shot (and made it more PG than PG13) it would get all manner of play.