I hired another photographer to work with me for a beautiful wedding at Sage Chapel and the Statler Hotel on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca last weekend. At the rehearsal, he asked the question that always confounds me and (pardon the neurotic drama of the following statement) causes a great deal of introspection and soul-searching.
"So, like, what's your style?"
I've thought about this question forever, and never produced an answer I'm content with. I've tried to pin it down in an "artist's statement," a "philosophy," a catchy blurb that looks good on business cards and promotional materials ... I just never can seem to craft the words, written or spoken, that sum up my style. It's much easier for me to tell ya what I ain't.
I ain't a "fashion" photographer. I'm not "ethereal." I am not an "artist." And, despite my college degree and many years as a news photographer, I am no longer a "photojournalist." I am a wedding photographer, damn it. And that's good enough for me.
Okay, so, undeniably, the sexy pose of the bride wedged into the splitting trunk of a willow tree, her back arched and hair spilling onto the soft earth below is beautiful, but does it really tell me anything about the bride? Okay, I get it ... the table settings were really, really cool. How many black and white images of the bride's silhouetted back do we really need? And who, who I say, actually hangs these photos on their wall, anyway?
This is my bone of contention with the "artist" set and the "fashion photographers" ... Others take the shots that will impress potential clients viewing their portfolio galleries. Others wait for the opportunity to make a work of "art" for competition and accolades. No doubt about it ... some of these images have everything going for them ... mood, technique, composition, perfect lighting. Your wedding rings nestled inside the sultry folds of a calla lily looks great printed poster-size ... but you know where it looks great? In the window of the photographer's studio. Not so much over your couch. How long will you keep it there? Maybe until your first anniversary? Maybe?
Oh, I beat myself up as much as any neurotic artist. I pour over the websites and blogs of other photographers, looking for insight and inspiration. I always see images that take my breath away, really knock me out, make me shake in my boots and wonder if I chose the right profession. But a lot of times, when I attempt to recreate the images I see, I feel just plain silly. Because what I see a lot of lately is photos that just plain lack relevance.
I know several photographers who make images so ethereal and beautiful that the subject doesn't even matter ... they could be stock photos for greeting cards or boutique ads. But where's the fun? Where's the personality? They fill the viewer with the essence of wedding, but they do nothing to describe the actual man and the actual woman who were joined together on that one special day.
My ever-evolving answer to the "What is you style?" question currently is this: I photograph the pictures you want. I take the shots that you want to give to your children someday. I photograph the pictures your mother and grandmother want right now. I photograph images that bring tears to your father's eyes. I take the shots that show you how much in love you were on your wedding day. I am a wedding photographer, damn it. And I make shots for no one else but you, your family and your closest friends.
View my wedding photography, portrait photography, commercial photography and sports photography at www.strinnistudio.com
