[NOT MINE] Is this what passes for "wedding photography"?

[GeekAndProud]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.934341313256885.1073741853.194787207212303&type=3

These pictures were from a wedding I went to. I was not the photographer, just a guest.

I really expected better from the people that were hired but some of these photos seem really bad, blown highlights, blurry subjects. Surely I can’t be the only one who shares this opinion?

[EyeDocPhotog]

from the wedding photos I’ve seen recently, yes. Not from everyone of course but an awful lot of them. It seems the brides like the blown-out look I guess. With some photogs even here in NYC charging $500 for a complete wedding, I guess the desire to save money is greater than the perceived value of quality photos.

And, sadly, the 20 and 30 somethings generations see little value in many other services – except if it’s something that has the look-at-me factor, then the sky’s the limit. At least here in NY.

[cameraclicker]

Professional means “paid” not “good”.  In the photography industry, sometimes it means “good at marketing”.

Those are not great photos, but they are not terrible either.  I think it would be difficult to justify putting them on the front page here.  And, the other albums on the FB page look quite similar, so if the bride & groom did due diligence they knew exactly what they would receive.

Weddings are big parties wrapped around a few minutes of legal proceedings.  The rings last longest, followed by the photos, then the couple themselves.  Other than the friendships, everything else stops with the party at night’s end.   No one cares about the photos while the music is playing, they are too busy dancing and eating.  The value of the photos doesn’t really become apparent until 20 or 30 years later when the couple’s children start to take an interest, and the value increases much later when the photos are shown to the grandchildren, or when one of the elders dies.

Tombstone sales people must have a similar experience:  “You want how much money for a piece of rock?!?!”

[bananaslugs]

I agree. The pictures are mediocre by professional standards but definitely not bad enough to be on the front page here. There’s a fine line between photography that’s merely mediocre and outright FAUXtography in my opinion. I don’t think these pictures cross the line into fauxtography. I actually liked some of the photographer’s ideas although they were poorly executed.

[Bill]

CC – well put.

If you don’t mind, I would like to use your analogy to better explain to some of my borderline reluctant newlyweds-to-be. I don’t do many weddings, but I get several requests for them and I think I scare the couples when I start on my soapbox and try to explain the value of photographs over other aspects of the wedding.

[cameraclicker]

Thanks, Bill.  I don’t mind.  You are welcome to use it.

[Author]

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