What Wedding Photography Is To Me by Katrin Küllenberg
Written by: Katrin Küllenberg
When we are talking about documentary family photography there are not a lot of photographers who would also consider weddings to be part of this genre.
Weddings are often so meticulously planned ahead by the couple that the idea of spontaneity and real life seems far off. But then again, consider how many things can turn out differently on that day: the little flower girls won't act like sweet angles but would rather pull each others hair, the usually composed father of the bride suddenly gets all emotional and the groom's trousers get ripped by accident (and, yes, that has all happened to me!).
So there are a lot of unexpected stories hidden in what is supposed to be the perfect day.
To me shooting a wedding day is the beginning of a family legacy. It will be wonderful to watch those photos a couple of years later with the kids and show them how it all started. I always have that in mind and for that reason do not concentrate solely on the bride and groom. Yes, it is great to have some images where they look sensational ("Mommy, you looked like a princess", I hear the still unborn kids say), but to me it is far more important to transport as much information as possible. An image of Aunt Rosie's outrageous hairdo, the couple's living room with the bride getting ready, their friends going crazy on the dance floor - those are the things their future kids will be curious about and make for lots of laughs and conversations.
The wedding is a witness of its time and place. This is also the reason why I work with a pretty closed aperture to get as many layers of information as possible. It is not just important to see that the groom kisses the bride after the ceremony but also how happy everyone else seems to be with them.
There will always be wedding photographers who will create a fairy tale story of that day for their couples but me, I am attracting clients who love the real and fun stuff. Often they do have big families, maybe even already children of their own and so the whole thing just feels like an extraordinary DITL session for me...!
Be sure to check out Katrin Küllenberg’s self-paced workshop, here!