I am mostly, when it comes to photography, more interested in capturing the moment and reality of the situation and letting it stand on its own. My daily work at the newspaper we can't alter images to make them anything other than what we saw and captured. But in my studio work sometimes, especially after I've been at a computer for too long(like today--yes it is Sunday--the day of rest) the life of a painter begins to creep into my mind and I start using all these little tools within photoshop to add layers and layers and create an image. This picture from Tina and Jason's ceremony was a candid documentary image that showed a little of the setting and a few guests. I was happy with it for what it is, a document of the ceremony, one of many I made from several different angles. I decided to finish it off using the lighting affects filter in photoshop to sort of burn the edges and create a centralized light. I do this once in awhile with portraits that need a little pop of lighting change. One of the filters right above this one is the lens flare and I just decided to see what it would do. One seemed to give it a neat affect but totally made the balance of the picture funny and all of the attention was drawn to the affect. Adding multiple it gave an atmosphere to the image but I think the focus still goes to the action in the center, the bride and groom in the act of getting married. At least I hope so. I saved all variations anyway! SayerMotter photographic illustration by Richard Sayer.
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I'm not sure if anyone has ever accused me of being on top of current trends. I think I tend to live a few steps behind everyone else. Most of my favorite photographers are from a time long gone--though I do have some people who make work everyday now that amaze me. The current fascination with making new things look old(at least I still think its current) has interested me somewhat. I tend to like most of my own photographs black and white and or aged sepia and convert most of my images in the newspaper to black and white for my blog and most of my client work I try to convert and give a warm tone to the images. I simply think they read better in monochrome most of the time. So the camera apps that are out there that make pictures look retro can be great fun, and they become quick little records of a moment that are all finished and ready for posting. Fun. Not real, but fun. There is much discussion about the ethics of image making using these apps and I understand both sides of the argument and am trying to figure it out myself. The aesthetics of the presented image has always been questioned when the emphasis on 'finishing' the image seemed a laborsome act to burn and dodge in order to 'bring out' the subject matter or direct your eye to the subject, and yet thats what we all learned to do in darkroom 101. So now technology is 'faking' this by making the pictures look like we finished them in the darkroom. Then it lets us put 20 years of being posted on the refrigerator and yellowed or faded on top of it. So its important to consider that these images are not reality based and at least understand that the process may have overtaken the content in your enjoyment of the image. Important to know....but they are still fun to make! Photograph by Richard Sayer
Another aside picture from the wedding that probably won't make it into any album was this of a friend having a smoke in between things happening inside. I love these doors at the Riverside and have made a few pictures through them over the years. I like to observe people who don't know I'm there....I know it sounds creepy, but photographers get it, at least true photographers get it. Observing and documenting life as if we weren't there provides the truest portrait of mankind that we can. Now this was just a person at a wedding having a smoke, but to me its someone taking a moment to be with their own thoughts about their own life and that is a beautiful thing to document. SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer
I got there way too early. What was cool about it though is I got to hang around and bs with everyone beforehand. At one point I was out side the Riverside Inn with Jason and noticed the little statue in the garden from behind and it looked a little....well it looked like the scultor wasn't really paying attention to what it looked like and we had a laugh. Later on when were do some formal post wedding shots in that garden I joked around about it and told them I so had to put the sculpture in the photo. So here is my garden with sculpture photo which actually turned out pretty well, but I'm pretty sure it will make Jason laugh. SayerMotter photograph by Richard Sayer
I don't know why, but this shot always works! Jason, the groom(second from left) made it even more special by giving just that little extra attitude. The little people way in the background might have to be cloned out of the final, but they are at least guests at the Tina and Jason wedding. We'll see. SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer
Sometimes it is forgotten, but the wedding day, though it is 91 % about the bride and 8% about the groom, there is at least 1% about the moms. The moms see their hard work and love come to a pinnacle of success on this day. I remember taking the picture of the moms standing side by side with the bride and groom in the middle thinking this picture shows they were there, but not the emotion of what they went through to get to this point. I always want some sort of 'moment' and in group photos that moment is hard to find. I started with a joke asking them to push their child away as if to say--ok you can have him or her...but that didn't seem to cut it--although they were fun to do and everyone laughed. It was the kiss on the cheek picture that seemed to sum it up. These are sort of controlled serendipity moments--I send out an idea and see how they do it and click my shutter. SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer.
I wish I could remember what caused this laughter, my guess is Tina and Jason will remember. I remember being nervous that it was a little dark inside there and I was remember things I did wrong at my niece's wedding a few weeks earlier(I wasn't the official photographer at my niece's wedding so it was a good way to work out some bugs!) So I wasn't paying close attention on what was said, but rather on photography things and looking for expressions. I did like that I captured the laugh though and expect it will be important in their memories for years to come. Its why I don't drop my camera much during anything I photograph--you just never know when those storytellers will present themselves! SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer.
I loved the music that Tina and Jason had. Two violins. I also loved the light and position of the one player who also had a great face and beard. I have no idea if this is a picture for their wedding album, probably not--or maybe a small picture to remind them of the music 20 years from now, but it was such a nice little composition with nice light I really wanted to make this picture. My hope is just seeing a picture like this in the context of the story of their wedding day, they will be able to hear the violins playing again as they relive thier memories. SayerMotter Photogrph by Richard Sayer.
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