Whether you label your self as a Documentary Wedding Photographer, Reportage Wedding Photographer or a Wedding Photojournalist – to me it makes very little difference, and to the general public and potential Bride & Groom looking for a photographer probably even less.
Yes, there are clients that know their documentary from their contemporary, some just ‘get it’ and others just don’t. We want our work to be valued, respected and cherished no matter what category label it is given.
To my contemporaries and all the purists out there, my apologies for upsetting you but this is the way I feel. The words and descriptions are important, don’t get me wrong; they do identify some of the real professionals standing true to the role of telling stories full of truth and integrity. But unfortunately the terminology has been over used and subsequently water down in its potency. With so many photographers describing their own style as such just because they have some black & white images on display is it really any wonder?
The key phrases of Documentary, reportage and photo-journalism have been abused and worked to death by so many people hoping to cash in on easy search engine hits and having been enslaved to the system of throwing bucket loads of content to feed the insatiable beast known as Google.
As a professional photographer of nearly 20 years now, and having worked for the UK’s leading editorial titles for most of that, delivering images with a flowing narrative is something that is second nature to me. The glory days of the quality broadsheet newspapers – I remember very well.
My college days were the times when I used to rush to buy a copy of The Independent, just to marvel at the quality and beauty within its pages. This title led the way in placing a heavy emphasis on picture power and picture usage, a perspective that has now been lost and replaced with a present day policy of “how much will it cost us?” and “can we get it for free on Flickr or Facebook?”
As the very market that inspired generations of documentary photographers has declined, it left behind it many talented and gifted photographers without an infrastructure within which to support them. I believe this is one of the reasons why I now see many former colleagues working within the wedding industry and offering their great skills to wedding couples who really want and appreciate beautiful, natural documentary wedding photography.
This genre and style was once only represented and available for appreciation within the elite news and documentary media. The imagery was taken by world-renowned photographers leading a jet set life moving from one time zone to another in the pursuit of delivering true stories.
This style and documentary influence is now entering a new era. The stories of the biggest day in a couples life is now being documented by craftsmen holding true to the old values of observing without undue influence, providing accurate, emotive imagery that captures the soul.
Long may the new era continue, the evolution and popularization of documentary wedding photography is wonderful to be a part of. Young couples that appreciate this genre can now have the greatest day of their lives captured in powerful photography by true professionals that share a passion for documentary photography.
Its true, the average person has no idea about this kind of thing and the difference it makes to their shots (in it does) classic marketing woud say that the person who first educates the public about the difference will hold a big advantage here, lets see how long it takes befgore people claim to be an expert in all areas and allow the client to chose (at which point they will want a combo of all of them)!
Possibly both. Possibly neither.
I don’t think it has anything to do with ability, I have seen extremely capable photographers label themselves as documentary when they are probably mostly traditional with a bit of reportage mixed in. To me reportage is not the same as documentary. I see reportage as relaxed, candid photography capturing the wedding in an informal way. To me wedding photojournalism and documentary is something different. It gets under the skin of the wedding, showing the workings of the day, behind the scenes, the good, the bad, every detail of a wedding day. It’s a mindset as much as a photography style. Others may disagree but that is always how I saw it when I started as a documentary wedding photographer.
Very well said Linus.
As a documentary wedding photographer myself it saddens me somewhat when so many photographers label themselves ‘documentary’ when clearly they are not. In my opinion, it takes a certain approach to be true documentary. However, the clients who can spot the difference are the ones I would like to work for so I try not to worry about it too much. Hopefully the hype will die down, they’ll be a new set of buzz words, and those photographers will move on leaving the true documentary/reportage/photojournalistic wedding photographers to continue doing what they do best.
Interesting view Steven – is it really hype or is it sheer desparation that other less gifted photographers just grab & use blanket terms to frantically lure uneducated (in terms of true photographic practice) clients ?