‘True’ Reportage Wedding Photographer

‘Genuine’ Reportage Wedding Photography is by definition a ‘hands off’ approach, which often gives people the impression that it’s quite an easy style to perfect. However, much of the so called ‘Reportage’ or ‘Documentary’ Wedding Photography on so many websites is not reportage at all, but ‘staged’ snapshots made to look reportage and predominantly consisting of individual head-shots of faces generally missing the story – and rarely in context. This type of photography is almost always shot using a long telephoto lens from 50+ metres away totally detached from the moment due the the distance from the ‘action’ and consequently producing images with no emotion or feeling of the day.

The 2 images below tell you a story, true emotional moments captured: who, what, where & of course why…

‘Jack of all trades, master of none’

The wedding (photography) industry has changed massively over the last 10-15 years, with the introduction of increasingly affordable digital cameras, allowing everyone to be a photographer. I own a car and can drive it fast, but that doesn’t make me the new Lewis Hamilton!!! Technique, experience, natural ability are also needed – just like shooting a wedding. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great wedding photographers out there, unfortunately the opposite is also true, be careful of the weekend warrior starting a business and ‘having a go’ with their new digital camera and not doing a very good job at best, or completely ruining the day at worst.

The term ‘reportage’ has been high-jacked by these wedding photographers hoping to fill gaps in their diaries by using this sexy, popular phrase. Many of these opportunists are the industry’s crap wedding photographers looking to make a few extra quid at the weekend to supplement their ‘real’ job. – The term ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ springs to mind.

Traditional
Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticizing the more traditional styles of wedding photography, not at all. I know many incredibly talented & highly respected traditional photographers and their work is truly stunning, but as Austin Powers would say – ‘it’s not my bag baby’!!! 

Weekend Warriors
However, it’s the weekend warriors just ‘having a go’ – they are the ones I am talking about. Many are just not skilled photographers in any style, they are not good ‘traditional’ photographers and they certainly aren’t good ‘reportage’ photographers. The result? You get the worst of both worlds.

Reportage Weddings
I am, and always have been a true Reportage Wedding Photographer; documentary and photojournalistic in style. Preferring to capture what ACTUALLY happens on a wedding day, after all, who really wants an album full of boring cheesy poses that tells you absolutely nothing about the day at all???

Ok rant over, but please be careful. I really believe a lot a couples are being ‘conned’ into booking photographers who say ‘reportage’ this & ‘documentary’ that, and then being given a bunch of ‘snaps’ and being told ‘that’s reportage’. Whoever you choose, decide what you actually want, do your research and be confident you are booking a true ‘reportage’ photographer.