Today’s Wedding - and How Photographers Can Survive

by Doug Gordon C.P.P,Cr.Photog, APM, AOPA, AEPA, AHPA, ALPE, FSWPP

After over 17 years and photographing nearly 3,500 weddings it really hit me – as with anything in life, change is constant. Today’s woman – today’s bride – is different. She is more affluent, more sophisticated. Today’s bride is more powerful, intelligent and, even more importantly, mature. The median age of brides over the years has risen dramatically. They are no longer twenty-somethings; it’s now hip to be married after the age of 30 or even 40. No longer do parents escort the bride to photography consultations - heck, the groom only comes in 50% of the time. The lesson to be learned from this is simple. Today’s bride is in charge and more importantly, she has a goal in mind. That goal is to be sexy. Yep, you read that right. SEXY. Brides no longer look angelic, nor do they want to. That’s why every bride you see is wearing a sleeveless, strapless, form-fitting gown, no matter her height, weight, figure or even the time of year.

The bottom line is, today’s bride knows what she wants and it’s NOT her mother’s wedding photographer! She’s more mature and more in touch with who she is as a woman. For her, it’s not about looking sweet and innocent; it’s about showing what she’s got going on! In light of this trend, it is crucial to make a reciprocal adjustment to our thinking as photographers. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Sex Sells!’? I am here to tell you that maxim holds true for wedding photos, as well. I always hear brides say, “I don’t want the cheesy poses; I want to look back at my wedding day and see passion between my husband and me. I want romance!” As she already knows, and as do we, everyday life takes over after marriage. We simply don’t get a chance to exude the same spark, same passion, same energy as we do in the early years of a relationship. In light of that reality, my goal is to document that fleeting, but cherished passion, so richly felt on her wedding day. I do not, however, approach this as you might assume. In short, I am NOT a photojournalistic photographer. I am a portrait photographer, posing my images to look natural. I have chosen this approach to ensure photos that appear, at once, heartfelt and genuine, as well as utterly candid. When you look back at your wedding 20 years later, when your body has changed and when, though still very much in love, your relationship has changed as well, what do you want to see? In revisiting that moment, people want to see their best selves. They want to remember the passion, the fun, the romance and, even more importantly in this image-conscious world, themselves at their most beautiful. In reality, of course, we know that conditions are not always ideal for pure photojournalism - times may be tight. The bride may be stressed. The weather might not co-operate. Any number of elements may converge to prevent a perfect photojournalistic shoot. Moreover, I feel it is important to show consistency and that, above all else, is why I pose things. As a natural photojournalist I couldn’t guarantee consistent images at every wedding. What do I do when the wedding isn’t exciting or romantic or the bride and groom spend most of the day greeting guests? They’ve seen the photos in my sample albums; they’ve seen the photos in their friends’ (who recommended us) albums. How do I explain it to the bride and groom when they don’t get any of the photos they expected. I can’t say, “I’m sorry. Your wedding was terrible and boring...” Of course, I would love to say that, but we all know I can’t. That’s why I pose. My bride and groom remember their wedding through my eyes, my feelings, and my emotions, as I express it through my photos. Although today’s bride is more sophisticated, she still wants a photographer she can trust and rely on. I firmly believe that, in the absence of real leadership, people will listen to whoever is talking – that is why I never shut up. I take full control of the wedding, so that I can make sure they don’t miss a single moment of it. My philosophy is simple - take a chance and always be different, but also be able to deliver on that consistently. The rewards will far outweigh the cost of time and the labour involved in affecting change. I am alwaysshooting not only to please the couples I already have, but more importantly, to attract more clients and more attention to my studio.

Our sexy, modern bride – one may not usually think about sexy and wedding in the same thought. Of course, there is always the lure of the honeymoon and the anticipation of all that awaits. But let me expand your wedding photo thoughts a bit further:

A bride should look and feel her most beautiful on her wedding day. She has waited months, even years, for this day and has prepared everything so carefully down to the last intimate detail. Finally the moment arrives. She has been lying in bed for hours, waiting for the day to begin; waiting for you to take pictures of her that she will cherish for the rest of her life. It is the beginning of an amazing and fun experience for the bride, and you, the photographer, are there to control and, in fact, create it. Sounds sexy, doesn’t it?

This story is all about sensuality – and finding the sexiness in the bride on what should be one of the best days of her life.

How do we do it? My concepts are simple and consistent. My first rule is to always have a plan and work with a system. Working within the system is time-efficient and the speed of my postproduction is increased significantly, as well. I am also commonly asked how do you get your brides to lie on the ground, show their legs? It is simple – I show them, way ahead of time. It is based on those very poses that they booked my services to begin with. By showing samples of this sexy type of photography in the studio and verbally explaining my concepts and plans, they know what to expect and won’t baulk at such suggestions at the wedding. I explain that in order to achieve these results, they must be openminded and willing to do whatever I ask. If they are fully apprised of what’s in store, they will be comfortable enough to co-operate. If you show it, they will do it. It’s that simple!

Where does sexy posing come from? As you can see from the photos in this article, first, the tone is set with the body, secondly, the facial expression, and finally, the all-important ingredient of simple, even lighting. One of the main reasons I love to pose photos, is it gives me the opportunity to make my subjects look and feel sexier than they ever have in their entire lives. In order to achieve that lofty goal, it is of utmost importance to stretch and manipulate the body, hiding from the camera what we don’t want to see and accentuating the best features. Anyone can digitally alter their subject’s bad points in postproduction, but I don’t want to spend hours in front of a computer. I’d rather get it right in camera.

An excellent means of minimising less attractive features, while accentuating better ones is placing the subject on the ground. What most photographers don’t realise is that laying the subject down, so that they are looking up, allows you so much more latitude for manipulating the subject. In other words, with the intense camera height and the subjects forced to look upward, they are naturally stretched out and, therefore, thinned out.

When the subject is standing, the same positive results can be achieved. The key to posing is simple: remember to keep the subject’s weight to the back hip, while opening up the subject’s front shoulder and leaning the subject forward at the waist. This allows the body to completely stretch and naturally thin itself out.

As you can see in these photos, once the element of posing is managed, the rest is about creating chemistry. I am as consistent in my interaction with my subject as I am in my photography. During my time with the bride and groom, I am soft-spoken and always attentive to creating a relaxed, comfortable, and fun mood. That element of personality,

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Photo Quote: When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. - Ansel Adams