Many brides, and sometimes grooms, dread their wedding day simply because of photographers that control the wedding day with tons of posed pictures. One particular niche of wedding photography is called wedding photojournalism. This means that the photographer takes more of a “fly on the wall” approach, and documents the day as it unfolds naturally.
The true definition of photojournalism describes it as the art or practice of communicating news through photographs. These journalists were expected to convey the news through their photos, without disturbing the scene. In the late twentieth century, a unique new style of photography emerged, called wedding photojournalism. A photographer by the name of Dennis Reggie, who attended Tulane University, worked for the yearbook and local newspapers. He took his photography approach to the wedding scene and the New York Times declared him, “the hottest photographer of the moment.”
Before wedding photojournalism emerged, wedding photography was just what I referenced above, the thing that made the bride and groom dread their wedding day. The photographer ran down the standard list of shots that were taken at each wedding. The looking out the window shot, the perfectly poised family picture on the staircase, and the button your cuffs classic.
Then, bam! Here comes wedding photojournalism. This type of photography did a cartwheel over standard wedding photography and is now in high demand. Brides and grooms who employ photographers who utilize photojournalism receive customized pictures that have captured the truth, realism, and raw emotion of each moment during their big day.
So, how does wedding photojournalism work? Will the stress the bride is experiencing when she discovers the cake has not been delivered be captured? Will Uncle Bob chewing his appetizer with his mouth wide open show up on the candids? No. A wedding photojournalists knows to look for the right moments that will make for fabulous pictures that tell the story of a couple’s big day. Taking a different focus for each scene is how it’s done.
During the actual wedding ceremony, our main focus is on the bride and groom saying their vows, but we are also keeping a watchful eye out for tears from the bridesmaids, or the parents of the groom smiling at each other. There’s nothing better than catching the grandma of the bride wiping a tear from the corner of her eye while she looks at her granddaughter with nothing but pride.
The Marcus Anthony Approach
The first thing I like to do is find out a little about the bride and groom. I love to work with couples who know how to have fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. I believe that having a connection with your wedding photographer is extremely critical to get photos that you will love and will tell the true story of your wedding day.
After I get to know you and your fiancé, the rest is up to me! I take a documentary-style approach on the day of your wedding, letting the events naturally unfold. As mentioned above, I make sure that I’m in the right place at the right time in order to capture genuine moments between you, your fiancé, and your guests.
I think that a quote from one of my previous clients, a bride named Mary-Kate Keegan sums up my professional style in a nutshell when she said, “If you want absolutely amazing and stunning photos of your wedding day, Marcus Anthony is the photographer to go with! He did an incredible job for our wedding. We have literally hundreds of gorgeous photos to choose from. It is actually going to be a challenge to narrow down ones to frame. He got amazing formal photos, but also brilliant candid photos of all our guests, and me and my husband. He really captured the night and helped us to preserve the wonderful memories from our day. He was extremely professional, you never felt like he was in the way, but he still managed to get great photos. He also had really good ideas for photos which came out great. I honestly can not recommend him enough.”
If you are interested in your wedding day being captured through photojournalism, you’ve come to the right place. Take a look through my portfolio to get a more clear idea of how I make a wedding come to life through pictures.