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Choosing
a photographer for your wedding is almost as serious a decision as
choosing the person who will appear alongside you in your wedding
album...
As
photojournalistic wedding photography becomes an increasingly popular
choice, photographer Judah S.
Harris
shares his personal approach and explains how couples can explore a
more artistic rendition of their special day
"Black
& White or color?"
That's a question I ask
couples when meeting with them to discuss my photographing their
wedding.
For some the choice is
obvious. Color, of course. That's what they're used to (after all, we
see in color). Or there's a color scheme to the gowns or even the
chupah, or the table settings, that they want to have documented in
color. Some ask, "Can we have both?" And yet some other couples, though
not the majority, are interested in only B&W.
There will be ample
color at their weddings too, but classic B&W is how they'd like to
evoke the emotions and events of their celebration, of the ceremony, of
one of the most special days in their lives. They want to remember the
drama and see it again and again in a way that only B&W allows.
This is not to say that color can't evoke the human drama. It
absolutely does. Think of National Geographic. It's all color and one
of the best surveys of the richness and diversity of our planet. But
it's precisely because we live in a world of color, every day we
experience our whole world in color, that B&W photography is able
to get us to look, pay closer attention, and show us things that color
pictures can't (at least not as easily).
In the digital age, it
might not seem to matter. One can always take out the color later on,
and turn any picture into B&W. It’s real easy. But true B&W
photography is not simply an image devoid of color. It’s a way of
seeing. If I want the viewer to see differently, I have to see
differently. If I’m shooting B&W, I’m thinking differently when my
camera is in my hand. And it might just be a film camera loaded with a
B&W film of my choice.
A rule I sometimes use
(but not always - there are a lot of other factors in deciding between
color or B&W): If I want to take pictures of something less
familiar, I choose color to make it more real, to stress or convey its
reality. But if I set out to photograph something that we're all
familiar with, or so we think, I might choose B&W. My goal is to
show the subject in a "less-realistic" way. Actually, a "less familiar"
way... to remove the trappings that people confuse with reality and to
allow the true essence to be discerned, appreciated. It could be a
place, a person, a situation, and it can be an event like a wedding.
At a wedding, it's
really not about the color of the dress, the gowns or the tie or the
tablecloth or even the flowers. They add, and they're important (don't
get married without them). It's much more about the stories, the
people, the gestures, the shapes, the setting, the light, the moods.
B&W forces us to look closer and to examine the goings-on in the
picture. It doesn't let us say, "Oh, I've seen that before." Especially
if we're used to always seeing color wedding photography, or have
attended three weddings in the last two weeks. B&W holds our
attention, and in our mind's eye, so to speak, we get to color in the
pictures. In order to do so we put ourselves into the setting, we
experience it, and if we were there at the time, relive it.
 Truth be told, photographers like
weddings. For journalistic photographers, who thrive on documenting
life and especially people, weddings are replete with all the elements
that good photography is made from. We make time between our other
assignments and projects to photograph these events, and a more
journalistic, less formal approach to wedding photography has become
quite popular. Look at the range of bridal and wedding magazines to get
a sampling of what's out there. Look at your friends' wedding albums
and compare it with what you envision for yourselves.
If I'm
busy at work photographing the wedding, do I get to experience it? Yes
and no. I miss the soup and salad, but I definitely experience the
wedding, as I do anything I photograph. Glance at any photographer's
work and you'll see what they experienced. You can't take good pictures
from the outside. You have to care and you have to understand what's
going on, or be extremely curious to find out.
At a wedding, I'm always looking, often intensely and often by moving
about, trying to put myself in a position where I can find moments and
unique perspectives, something that makes me want to click the shutter.
There's a lot of responsibility in photographing a wedding. I miss
shots, for sure, but I'm not there to only follow a checklist - "OK,
got that, let's move on..." I know what to look for and also know why
the couple invited me in the first place. They'd like me to contribute
my vision and to record their wedding in a special way. They're asking
me for my artistry. I'm asking them to be a part of their experience.
So whom does a
photographer hire to photograph his own wedding? I've given that a bit
of thought, and when the time comes, I might just invite two or three
photographers, each bringing their own distinct style to record this
special occasion (there will still be more guests than photographers at
the wedding.) Of course, by then I'll have another person to confer
with regarding choices, but I'm sure she'll appreciate, and presumably
also share, my commitment to the photographic medium. (I may even have
to explain nicely why we can't have four photographers.)
I've actually thought
that I might bring a camera to my own wedding. That's right. Why not?
It's a special moment - very special... And wouldn't I as a
photographer want a chance to document it too, to preserve memories of
my wedding as seen and experienced from my perspective, my physical and
emotional vantage point?
The idea of
photographing one’s own wedding might sound different (unusual,
perhaps), and I'm not suggesting that I'd spend extensive time taking
pictures. But for me having a camera somewhere within reach seems
rather appropriate. The logistics would have to be figured out, and it
might be picked up only eight or ten times during the afternoon or
evening. But that would be enough. With wedding pictures, it's really
not about quantity. I would be happy with a few nice ones that bear my
signature. As for B&W or color? I really haven't decided yet. Word
has it that I might be able to have both.
Judah S.
Harris is
a
photographer,
filmmaker,
speaker
and writer. He
photographs family celebrations and a wide range
of corporate, organizational and editorial projects in the US, Israel
and other countries. Judah's photography has appeared in museum
exhibits, on the Op-Ed Pages of the NY Times, on the covers of more
than 40 novels, and in advertising all over the world. His work
can be seen in
a frequent email newsletter that circulates to thousands of
readers who praise the quality of his photography and
writing. To learn more about Judah S. Harris, visit www.judahsharris.com/visit.
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