1WEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHY

GUIDE

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WEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHY

GUIDEALL, THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

DMITRY FEDOTOV

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I am absolutely certain that the book you are about to read will prove a valuable discovery; it is very practical, beneficial, and inspiring. The wedding industry is constantly changing, and it is important to have a point of reference which can be regularly used to evaluate the work of other photographers. This book describes the international standards of quality in the field of modern wedding photography. In fact, it presents all necessary information in a simple, and comprehensible manner. The author explains the basics of a well-executed wedding photograph, whether you are a photographer by trade, or if you are looking for one. After reading this book, you will have all the tools necessary, and will feel encouraged to move forward with the art of wedding photography. Besides, numerous beautiful illustrations will walk you through the wonderful world of wedding imagery, as defined by the views of internationally recognized professionals. I personally enjoyed the read, and Im certain you will appreciate it as well.

Michael Greenberg

FOREWORD

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Original Edition: 2013 Dmitry FedotovEditet by Victoria Fedotova, Michael Greenberg.Graphic desing and Layout desing; Dmitry and Victoria Fedotovwww.dmitryfedotov.com

Cover Photo: Jerry GhionisTranslation: Stephen Parker and Dmitry Fedotov

ISBN 978-5-904936-02-0Dmitry FedotovWedding Photography Guide

Second edition, 2014Matt paper 150 gr/sqrm, format 170x220mm 320 pages. circulation: 5000 copiesPablisher: PQBlackwell

With the support of the project MILK&CREAM for professionalsand Hewlett-Packard Corp.

Originally in Russian.

FROM THE AUTHOR 9REVIEWS 10JUST THE BEGGINING 12ABOUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY 30JOURNALISM & DOCUMENTARY 41PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY 49UNCLE BOB vs PROFESSIONAL 52BEST FOR INSPIRATION 71ISPWP 117WPJA + AG|WPJA 127WPPI 133BOWP 137FEARLESS PHOTOGRAPHERS 141THE FIRST MEETING TACTIC 144F.A.Q. 163CONTRACT 166WHAT IS A PRICE 178PORTRAIT AND/OR JOURNALISTIC 188ENGAGEMENT 194TOP TIPS FOR GUESTS 208DESTINATION WEDDING 218BEST TIPS FOR WEDDING DAY 226TO BE QUEEN OF THE DAY 242WEDDING PRODUCTS 250CONCLUSION 262

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Any copy of this book issued by the publisher as a paperback is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding, or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including these words being imposed on a subsequent purchaser.

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The book you are holding is actually my child. I love it very much and I am sure there is no reason why you should not love it as much as I do, and understand why I wrote it. This book is the sum and substance of the last 10 years of my life: experience, emotions, and inspiration.Also, this book is a good opportunity to learn something new, not only about a professional photographer, but perhaps other things in your life. Id like to take a moment and thank those in my life who have helped me with this book. Firstly, Id like to extend my gratitude to my amazing wife Victoria, for her support through the entire process, and for her advice in regards to the book; it would not be filled with illustrations in the way it is, if it wasnt for her.Id also like to thank my daughter. Watching her learn something new every day, and the fact that she never gives up, has helped me gain strength. Finally, Id like to thank my agent, Oksana, for her support. And of course, all the world famous photographers who supported me during the creation of this book. A special thanks to Michael Greenberg for believing in me. I hope you will enjoy reading this book, and I hope there is a place here for you to find harmony and peace in your life.

Sincerely yours.

Author

P.S. All the findings and opinions in this book are subjective, and are based on my own vision of photography. Quotes from photographers, excerpts from publications, and websites of organizations, and materials from any of the other participants in the book were included solely on the basis of the quality of their work, and as the result of the similarity of our views on wedding photography.

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

Dmitry Fedotov

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Also, I want to thank especially all the photographers who supported me, and gave me such great advice, and reviews. Most importantly, thank you for giving me the best wedding pictures in the world for use in this book! And of course: ISPWP, WPJA and AG|WPJA, Best of Wedding Photographers, and FearLess Photographers for support and promotion around the world.

Yervant and Anie Zanazanian:Thanks for completing the draft of your book. Looks fantastic, Bravo!!!

Jeff Ascough:The book is very good. Well done. A lot of effort has gone into it and it really showcases how wedding photography should be done.

David Beckstead:With each amazing image in this book you go through three distinct emotions:Wonderment: in awe of the powerful compositions, poses and light. Frustrated: a feeling you are not worthy and could not possibly create such high-level art,and then finally:Confident: that if you work hard enough, you really could reach your goal, and that someone else could feel wonderment at your imagery. This is how it should be, and this is how I felt when I first moved from page to wonderful page! These photographers highlighted here are not born with this ability, they all worked so very hard to make it to this point.

Jose Luis Guardia Vazquez: I recommend this book as an essential guide for all lovers of the wedding world - both newlyweds and photographers. Here you can find some of the best photographers in the world and see in their work to find great inspiration.

Joe Buissink:This is a great book. Besides the fact that this book provides a good guide for choosing the right photographer for your wedding, it gives an understanding that shooting is not only the process of pressing the shutter button - its much more. It is a beautiful process that is only possible with the use your soul and your heart. Therefore, this book is also perfect for any photographer who is looking for inspiration. Congratulations!

REVIEWS

Yervant Zanazanian

Jeff Ascough

Cristiano Ostinelli

Jose Luis Guardia Vazquez

Joe Milton

Edoardo Agresti

Joe Milton (ISPWP founder):This book is an essential wedding photography guide for all couples who truly love wedding photography, and who care deeply about choosing the right photographer for their wedding.Dmitry covers the current state of wedding photography in the world; how to find your perfect photographer; what kinds of questions to ask; how to work with your photographer to get great pictures on your wedding day; and so much more. The book includes everything a couple needs to know about good wedding photography, but perhaps the best part is all of the inspiring images from many of the best wedding photographers in the world.

Edoardo Agresti:I do not know Dmitry personally, but from his photos I perceive a deep sensibility. His book is really great.Reading the book, Ive found it very interesting. It gives good suggestions to everyone who wants to start with wedding photography but not only that. Dmitry showcases important aspects of international photography, and opens them also to those who want to improve - with new eyes - this field of photography.

Cristiano Ostinelli:The book is beautiful. There are lots of fantastic photographs, and is very well written. I would first of all like to thank my friend and colleague Dmitry: this book is very nice, and interesting. The pictures are beautiful and I am very honored that my photos are part of this book on the best wedding photography in the world.

Emin Kuliyev:If this book wont change your style of shooting, it is at least a reflection on the multifaceted world of wedding photography that has formed in the industry in recent years. I think that the book will be useful not only photographers, but also to potential customers in the future, those thinking about finding a wedding photographer. The variety of photographic styles, such as are presented in this book, I have not seen in any other. This book is an encyclopedia of what is best in wedding photography at the moment.

David Beckstead

Emin Kuliyev

Joe Buissink

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CHAPTER 1

JUST THE BEGINNING

Cristiano Ostinelli

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CHAPTER 1JUST THE BEGGINING

The wedding cake has been eaten the evening of the reception, and the next day the dress will be hung in the closet. Only photos will help to convey the emotions of this special day of your life, even many years later...

- Joe Buissink

Lets see how the story goes with the wedding photo, out in the world. I am sure we shall discover a whole universe of wedding styles, including perspectives never before seen.

The digital revolution has run its course. Formerly, the professional photo was the territory of specialists. Afterward, however, professional grade cameras became more available, mastering software became second nature, and a wave of users longing to process images was generated. The opportunity to share pictures on social networks, and other spaces on the Internet, led to global changes in the sphere of professional photography. All this lead to a crisis of non-professionalism. It is worth mentioning that professionals of the business remained in the industry, and still do. New followers of the classical canons of professional photography joined them. At the same time, people who couldnt accept the new trends of the sphere, left it. Accordingly their significance in the art world and culture decreased. In the end, this changed the photography market and essentially created new stars. In 2008, after the shock of the economic crisis, and the increase in unemployment, many DSLR camera owners, and others, thought somehow that owning a copy of Adobe Photoshop, shooting weddings would be an excellent way to earn money. This had had the following consequences:

Marcus Bell

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CHAPTER 1

First, the wedding photography industry was at a critical overflow, and the abundance of nonprofessional photographers affected the quality of the photographs. The final products newlyweds were receiving were of rather poor quality. The result was mistrust of photography as a profession. All these negative factors altered the concept of the wedding photo. The wedding photo, as it was originally intended to be - a documentary, and the bearer of precious memories - practically ceased to exist. The various processing techniques became completely insipid; they were no longer emotional and spiritual. For most, these images brought to mind callous advertising pieces and unfortunately not of the best quality.Allow me to quote the words of photographer Eugene Bulatov:

The difference between pictures taken on amateur and professional cameras is huge. To understand this phenomenon we need to deal with terminology. So, professional camera is any camera held by a professional, while an amateur camera is any held by an amateur.

Its not a camera that creates pictures, but a person. For a photo to be taken well, this person must not only possess the necessary technical knowledge, but also must have the necessary sensibility, inner harmony, and esthetics. As a matter of fact, how well the photos turn out depends only on one factor: state of mind.

Jeff Ascough

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Back to reality! After some years, we have at last reached that wonderful point at which the wedding photography market has completed a type of purification process. There is a small group of true professionals (about 20%) who remain, and whose rates will decrease, even as the competitions rates increase. That completely confirms Paretos principle. To summarize it quickly: 20% of the effort yields 80% of the result. Applying the theory of natural selection, which speaks a great deal to this situation, the market is being transformed, and gradually will be civilized. Eventually we will find a place of harmonious teams of professionals and assistants, as it was intended to be, initially.Photography is a craft, a craft that can be learned only by hard work (and talent of course!)As a matter of fact, wedding photography is the one of the most difficult of disciplines. It is a skillful operation in circumstances of limited time, with no allowance for a second chances. The models arent professionals, and in most cases dont even know how to hold a pose. In addition, the photographer is a kind of psychologist who should stay calm throughout the entire day so that he may help to keep the emotional states of the newlyweds positive. There is only a short list of types of shots which are required for weddings nowadays: journalistic; fashion; portrait photography; details; documentary; and often, landscape shooting. Wedding photography is not done in studio conditions, but those of a particular wedding day.

CHAPTER 1

Yervant Zanazanian

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Besides that, the wedding photographer is responsible for the emotions throughout the entire course of this day, so that one day the couple can share this moment with their grandchildren, and even many years thereafter. What is happening now is that we are enjoying the consequences of the changes of the first decade of the 21st century, and you, my dear brides and grooms, are becoming more accurate in your choice of a professional worthy of capturing one of the most important days of your life. Of course, everyone wants to know the cost of hiring a professional wedding photographer. Lets look at the following example: a creative person who is a professional wedding photographer, and their expenses. The minimum equipment set for a decent photographer consists of two cameras with a full frame (Canon 5D Mark3 or 1Dx which can cost anywhere from $7,000 USD to $ 20,000 USD; four to five lenses of a professional series L, covering the necessary focal ranges, from wide angle - for shots of large groups of people in an enclosed space; to the telephoto - capable of making an average, or large, portrait from 10-20 meters away (in excess of $10,000); and computer hardware - for example Apple iMac or Mac Pro; plus the relevant software (about $ 5,000). Thats a total cost of at least $ 30,000. And in practice, you can safely increase this amount five to fifteen times, considering depending on the different additional equipment needed, such as the studio, lighting, etc

CHAPTER 1

Joe Buissink

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All this is not to mention that this person has studied, and gained experience, over a number of years. They have done a huge number of shoots, and have been able to perfect their unique, recognizable style of shooting and post-processing. Most importantly, they have constantly grown in their professional plan, on an everyday basis improving the quality of their services! The main difference between the professional artist, and everyone else, is the irresistible desire to provide clients genuine, quality results even if the photographer needs to spend more time to make it so.Shooting wedding photography is a not only the process of taking the photos, which occupies only 5-10 per cent of the total time a photographer spends on his work. Final selection of photos, and creating the wedding book and CD can also consume a lot of time. Post-processing work for one wedding can take up to 4 to 30 weeks (speaking here of good wedding photographers, whose prices begin in the $5,000 - $10,000 range). The minimum amount of time spent by a professional in creating high-quality photos is around four-to-five hours, and currently should cost around $2,000. If the photographer is also a member of international professional associations, and his photos are constantly winning awards for excellence, then his fee would start at around $4,000. Yes, this may seem expensive and many people, including photographers, will tell you its too much. However this same type of professional will definitely spoil your wedding and with pleasure - simply by deleting, or forgetting to capture, the most important moments of your wedding.

CHAPTER 1

Cristiano Ostinelli

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Lets return to arguments of logic and reason the wedding is held once, and if some important moment is skipped, or for some reason not captured, once a any time has passed, you wont be able to relive, or recreate that moment. Everything should be done right the first time, and only a true professional who works all the events of the wedding, and captures them, is capable of doing so.Now we will address the wedding day. Generally photographers make use of fashion shots, and posed portraits, such as are observed in at least 50% of all weddings around the world. As a result, the poses often look the same. Then again, the - in reality, non-photojournalistic - style of the shots, by which many try to give the look of real journalism, often doesnt actually detail what happened on the big day. The lighting of the wedding day turns into a strange mixture emotions are almost totally absent from the photos; and all those spontaneous moments are missing. (There is hardly any shots, aside from la us, running across a scenic bridge or us, embracing against a beautiful background to help you to recall specific moments from the actual wedding day). Moreover, the unprofessional photographer will occasionally draw attention away from guests, and speeches. Many consider such a posing process rather tiresome. And the most interesting point, and which has nothing in common with the real great portrait photograph, in which the frame is adjusted to the compositional details and all is considered both a precise positioning, and a body language; both the emotions, and the position of the hands, along with precision in composition. Each frame tells a clear and logical story, and is thus harmonic and fluid, without excesses, and is developped toward this end, elements accented correctly.

CHAPTER 1

Samo Rovan

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And then there are photojournalists I mean specifically wedding photojournalists, as opposed to newspaper reporters.. There is a very small group of photographers who concentrate on, and want to record the history of, one certain day. By looking at their photos you can recall all the feelings that were part of this day. How wonderful to see those moments, and sense those emotions which one second are here and gone, and will never be repeated! The main point of photojournalism is that each frame tells a story and thus arouses unmixed feelings and positive emotions. The portrait photos turn out fine, and are not artificially posed, but life-like.. Group photos remain in your album and thats fine; a very small number of pictures of your wedding will be seen as the official, historical photos of that day. The PJ photographer is more like an onlooker than an active participant in the process, and in your day. But he is allowed to create photos of those moments looking at which will warm your heart many years later.

CHAPTER 1

Daniel Aguilar

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If you want to get the most from wedding shots, its worth considering them in two parts; the PJ+D photo, and then the portrait session. Your meeting with the portrait photographer can ideally take place on any day; it doesnt have to be the wedding day. It can take place some days before the wedding, or on the day of the reception, it its a day following the wedding. Operation on this model is difficult, and it sometimes seems tiresome, but it will give you real pleasure as long as you are able to plunge into it head-on, when you arent constrained by the wedding organizers, and when it isnt necessary to keep an exact track of time. Id like you to consider something: that everything is good in its own season. If you want beautiful portrait photos in a wedding dress, then I would suggest having a photo-shoot session with a professional makeup artist and a good photographer to capture your look. It is, in fact, one of the parts of the wedding day that can be reproduced if the first take didnt turn out the way you wanted. What is most important is that you have your wedding day captured very accurately, and that you are the main person at your wedding, and not just a guest. As you know, its impossible to relive the actual wedding day. If the photographer isnt able to foresee an event coming up, is not concentrating during the entire day, or is not consistently documenting events, you will miss out. In that case, when you look back at your photos, you will hardly be able to recall the entire day of your wedding, and all the moments and emotions that made it up.

CHAPTER 1

Jose Villa

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CHAPTER 2

ABOUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

IN PERSONS

Jose Luis Guardia Vazquez