Sooo...What makes a good Wedding Photographer Anyway?

I've been asked this by some curious friends & family that have wondered if there was a special "spidey sense" or super power that Wedding Photographers possess that others do not.

Well, honestly the answer is yes and no.

I do believe that like not everyone is cut out to be a singer, artist or Kung Fu master--same happens to apply to photography. And like the other trades, there is a lot more to it than many may think. Photography (not just Wedding Photography) requires some eclectic skills.

Lots & lots of "People Skills". Most portrait photographers would agree that the stereotype of the creepy, quiet and socially awkward photographer is not at all very realistic. Perhaps if you were an zoology photographer or landscaping, that personality would work just fine. However, if you are working with live human subjects, you will have to be comfortable interacting with people and their many quirks and traits. You can't just snap photos and give it to them and that's a wrap! It does take patience (lots of it) and warmth to draw shy people out and wrangle the wilds back in to capture those fabulous pics! For weddings & quinceaneras that's VERY important. I deal with frantic brides, rambunctious flower girls and ring bearers, hungover best men, combative in-laws, stressed bridesmaids and concerned mothers all the time and at the end of the day, even I'm amazed at how I managed to bring everyone together for the pictures I'm editing.

So yes, people skills - BIG CHECK!

Also, a good EYE. I know people overuse this term and most people don't know what it means. For me, it means a gift of seeing things differently than everyone else, YET, still having the capacity to determine the importance of certain images. This trait is essential in event photography period. Basically, using different angles, perspective and tones to put the viewers in awe, but not so contrived that the important image (i.e the kiss) is so obscure that the integrity of the image is lost. A good eye is also learning to back away from Photoshop and stop over producing images until it's raw beauty is completely ravished until its a piece of stock photography. People want feeling to their photos, so keep it in there.

Okay, good eye...or maybe two - CHECK

Knowing how to tell a story. If some of my relatives can serve as any examples, not everyone knows how to tell a story and make it interesting without turning it into the length of the Illiad. Most milestone events such as weddings, quinceaneras and anniversaries can benefit a lot from the photojournalistic style photography. Photojournalistic is just a big word for "using pictures to convey a story"- that's it. Event photography means people are doing things so it takes a great photographer to choose shots that will help tell what's going on during the day. Instead of making the bridesmaids pose, why not capture them laughing at a joke with the bride as she's getting ready. Why not capture the best man practicing his speech in front of the dog? or the mom pinning the boutinnaire on her soon to be married son? I'm not saying not to take posed photos--after all I tell my clients that the older generation prefers the more traditional posed photos--and they are a wedding staple--but just not to stay in that mindset, that's all. A healthy mixture of both should be what to shoot for :)

Tell a story - CHECK, CHECK

Most importantly --and I can't stress this enough --Wedding Photographers are just the coolest people on the planet because they LOVE WHAT THEY DO! Passion is such a rare thing these days. Photography is just like falling in love -- you have to love all of it! The long hours on the feet, the travel, the frantic brides, the skipping flower girls, the crying dad, the venues, the rained out ceremonies, the laughter, the giggles, the tears, the hugs...everything.

You have to love it, despite all its imperfections.

On that, I can totally say, "I do!"

Clarissa Fuselier is a Semi-Pro photographer based in Austin, Texas. She respects all photographers, no matter where they started from, amateur or professional as we are the Masters of Memories. When she's not running around finding engineers to bionically adhere her Nikon to her hand permanently, she's out getting hopped up on coffee and playing fetch with her dog, Cici the Wondermutt. She can be reached at fuselierphotography@gmail.com.