Hello everyone, dear friends! Here we are again, which means it’s time for a new article. It's hot summer now, it will fly by quickly, and it's time for autumn. This is the favorite time of year for couples who line up in front of the registry office to legalize their relationship.
Question to ask: who is the most important person at the wedding? Of course, a wedding photographer. It will capture the best moments for the newlyweds and help preserve the cherished memory of the main celebration of their lives for a long time. Our today's heroes are the best wedding photographers in the world according to various competitions and projects.
It is worth noting that our photo industry is also actively developing. Russian photographers have recently been winning honorary awards. It seems that we are about to catch up with our foreign colleagues. But for now this is far from reality. There are very few Russian craftsmen on the world market. So it’s too early to talk about international recognition.
I want to make a reservation, today I will talk about our contemporaries. We will not consider classics of the genre. I bring to your attention the TOP 10 real wizards in their field.
Yervant
In 2003, a BBC documentary about the masters of wedding photography was released. According to his version, a photographer from Australia named Yervant entered the top five.
The Australian gained his popularity in the genre of wedding photography. Wedding photography for him is an opportunity to creatively show the event. Take an unconventional approach to the most important celebration in every person’s life and fill it with magic.
Yervant is not a conservative by nature; he loves to experiment, find new techniques and tricks in his work and, in his own personal manner, show the wonders of photography to viewers. Looking at his work, you feel a sense of lightness and flight. He is, as it were, above all the vanity of life and calls us to this.
The master does not focus his attention purely on the wedding surroundings; he introduces elements of the natural beauty of nature or, for example, reportage into the photographs. You look at his footage and involuntarily catch yourself thinking: “How did he do it?” It simply pushes the boundaries of reality and allows you to look at the world more broadly.
I’ll quickly tell you one incident that emphasizes that Yervant is a charismatic and charming person. Once, his visit to Moscow was organized so that he could give a master class.
But the photographer arrived a day early to do some shooting outside of his event. The guys who were having their wedding were found. The organizers arrived with Yervant, half an hour late.
The newlyweds were very angry. Yervant talked with them for only 5 minutes, and smiles were already shining on their faces. This is such a person... How many of these have you met in your life?
In general, Yervant has been in our country 5-6 times. And, I must say, he attracts a lot of people to his lessons. Each of them wants to touch the skill of this artist.
What is wedding photography? A professional's view
Good afternoon dear friends! My name is Artyom Kondratenkov, and today we will talk about wedding photography.
NIKON D4 / 50.0 mm f/1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/1250 s, 50.0 mm equiv.
To start talking about wedding photography, I propose to take a short excursion into history and find out where it all began.
In the 1940s, when photography became a fine art, English photographer Roger Fanton took the first wedding photograph in history. And since at that time not everyone could have such a luxury as photography, naturally, its first owners were representatives of royal blood - Princess Victoria and Prince Albert. The princess appeared in front of the camera in a luxurious white dress, and from that moment it became an integral attribute of the wedding day.
The photographer's equipment was so bulky and heavy that the first stage of development of wedding photography was limited to ceremonial portraits within the walls of the studio. It was only after World War II that wedding photographers began to take pictures at the event itself, since flashes were already portable, cameras were portable, and glass plates were replaced by film.
The next stage in the development of wedding photography occurred in the 80s of the last century. And a report appeared in our parents’ wedding albums! From this moment on, it was possible to watch the chronicle of the entire wedding day. I believe this was a watershed moment in the history of wedding photography. Photography has become very accessible to society and, as a result, very popular!
The number of wedding photographers began to grow every day, because to do this simple job, it was enough to have a camera, basic understanding of exposure and a bathroom full of chemicals. Often at that time there was no talk of any creative realization, it was just a craft: work that brought in good money by Soviet standards. The photographs were protocol photographs reflecting reality, diluted with the same ceremonial portraits. At that time, of course, there were brilliant “reporters”, but the viewer was not yet tempted by good wedding photography, and there were very few means of popularizing it.
Gradually, for one reason or another, authors from other directions and genres began to come to wedding photography and, as a result, brought what they are really good at! Landscape painters began to include small figures of newlyweds in their incredible landscapes, still life photographers began to do so using wedding paraphernalia, and thanks to portraitists, wedding photography acquired deep and interesting portraits. And even fashion left an indelible mark on wedding photography.
Thus, modern wedding photography has become the quintessence of all photographic styles and trends. And to be a really good wedding photographer these days, you must be a generalist and be able to work in each of these areas. And here there is already a place for creativity, and wedding photography smoothly transforms into the category of art.
NIKON D600 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 400, F3.5, 1/1250 s, 14.0 mm equiv.
If we analyze the state of the wedding photography market over the past few years, we will immediately see an exponential increase in the number of wedding photographers. The crisis hit small businesses and large enterprises hard, and people began to pay attention to alternative ways of making money. And of course, many people’s eyes fall on wedding photography, because to start photographing weddings, you need to take out the DSLR with a kit lens given for your birthday from the closet, insert a larger flash drive, check whether the built-in flash opens, and ask your friends to come to the wedding. This is how the lower segment of wedding photography with enormous competition is formed. Many people remain at this stage because they do not have the opportunity or desire to develop further. They easily earn their $100 per shoot, thereby having some additional income.
Working in this segment, most people do not enjoy it, since working with a less solvent public has its own specifics. Not counting newcomers, in this segment there are mainly so-called “bombers” - people who have put the filming process on stream: it is not so important for them who and how to film, their goal is as many cherished pieces of paper as possible. There are patterns in the work of these people that they have been working on for years, and there is no creative growth or self-realization at all.
Enthusiastic newcomers try to leave the lower segment as quickly as possible and start photographing more expensive and beautiful weddings, when organizing which the newlyweds pay great attention to the dress code, floristry, decor and venue of the event.
NIKON D600 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 160, F3.2, 1/320 s, 19.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D810 / 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 640, F2.8, 1/500 s, 98.0 mm equiv.
But at these weddings, the requirements for the photographer are completely different, and in order to meet them, you need to work a lot on your education in the field of photography and change the amateur DSLR given for your birthday to a more serious camera! If in the very beginning (non-professional) segment you can get by with a Nikon D5500 or Nikon D7200 camera and a universal zoom, then the lowest level will go through the first full-frame camera Nikon D610, and ideally, of course, you should have a Nikon D750 or Nikon D810 with a set of zooms “ gold series" or high-aperture primes. But I will talk more about the technique of a wedding photographer in the next article.
NIKON D810 / 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 160, F2.8, 1/640 s, 190.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D810 / 50.0 mm f/1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 200, F1.8, 1/500 s, 50.0 mm equiv.
So, what should a successful professional wedding photographer know and be able to do? First, let's figure out what the word “professional” means. I have determined for myself that a photographer becomes a professional not when photography becomes his profession (as many believe), but when the photographer begins to bear responsibility for what he does.
NIKON D700 / 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/1250 s, 112.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D810 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/320 s, 15.0 mm equiv.
After all, photographing a wedding is an extremely responsible job, especially when the newlyweds spent a lot of time, paid a lot of money and put their souls into organizing one of the best days of their lives. As soon as you can promise your clients that you will photograph their event exactly as presented in your portfolio, in any conditions (and there can be so many unforeseen situations: from bad weather and light conditions to emotional breakdowns of the newlyweds), only then you can call yourself a pro! Not only must you be able to shoot in any weather and light conditions, you must be sure that your equipment will not let you down! And here professional cameras come to the rescue, which will allow you to shoot in low light, which will not get wet in the rain, whose autofocus will not miss a single important moment, and there will always be a backup on an additional flash drive in case the main one is damaged.
NIKON D4 / 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 80, F4, 1/1250 s, 24.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D4 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/8000 s, 14.0 mm equiv.
It is not enough to have professional equipment, you need to be able to use it! Before going to a wedding, you should learn how to change your camera settings “blindly” depending on the scene: shooting a portrait of the bride at the gathering with a ray of light on her face - manual and point focusing, shooting an active reportage - aperture priority and automatic focusing, first dance young - manual and tracking autofocus. It's like learning to drive a car with a manual transmission: first you look at it and think about what gear to engage, and then you do everything automatically. Until you bring the process of setting up the camera to automaticity, you will not be able to pay due attention to working with the couple: your head will be occupied only with selecting settings, and at this time the emotions of the couple will fade and come to naught.
NIKON D600 / 50.0 mm f/1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 50, F5.6, 1/640 s, 50.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D600 / 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/320 s, 48.0 mm equiv.
Before you start shooting weddings, you'll need to take some training! Learn to work in manual mode and try to shoot portraits in difficult lighting conditions: a portrait with a point light source (sunlight), a portrait in backlight (the sun is behind the model), a portrait with direct sunlight (analysis of the cut-off pattern on the face). Learn how to shoot a reportage with changing lighting conditions (shooting outdoors and moving indoors). Learn to capture details by assembling them into compositions. Learn to use flash in dimly lit rooms. Learn to work with models and master staged photography skills. And of course, do not forget about maintaining planning in the shooting (general, medium, close-up) and composition in the frames.
NIKON D4 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 800, F2.8, 1/1600 s, 14.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D700 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 800, F6.3, 1/800 s, 15.0 mm equiv.
As you can see, you need to do a tremendous amount of work and master all the major genres of photography before taking on the responsibility of professionally photographing a wedding. And it is precisely this complexity that makes this genre of shooting so expensive and incredibly interesting!
NIKON D810 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/640 s, 14.0 mm equiv.
NIKON D4 / 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 SETTINGS: ISO 400, F4.5, 1/320 s, 15.0 mm equiv.
If you feel the strength to go all the way and develop in this direction, then an exciting journey into the world of photography awaits you, but if your goal is to earn money without much effort in the lower segment, then wedding photography will quickly become a routine for you.
With this I want to finish the first article, which opens a whole series of materials dedicated to wedding photography. By studying them, you can not only improve your photography, but also organize your own successful photography business. Therefore, our articles will be useful not only for beginners, but also for people already working in this industry.
Camille and Chadwick Bensler
Camilla and Chadwick are another recognized masters in the art of wedding photography. These Canadians are distinguished by their unoriginal approach to business and do not think in stereotypes. And their works help to rethink a lot in the photography genre.
They are able to reveal the full potential of their models and show only their best sides. They painstakingly delve into the client’s wishes and then professionally bring them to life.
You can’t talk about these two separately; they always make history together. They started working in 2000 and have been delighting us with their enchanting magic for 20 years now.
Jerry Ghionis
This is another real wizard from Australia. A man with an iron character, who at one time collected a decent number of prizes and awards.
The influence of Jerry's style is seen in many photographers around the world. In addition to his main work, he also conducts group classes and introduces beginners and experienced photographers to this art, discovering a lot of new and unknown things for them.
Not long ago, he toured the United States with his master classes, covering about two dozen cities. And everywhere there were packed halls.
In his work, Jerry uses a lot of innovative material; he does not adhere to outdated methods. He even develops something new himself. For example, he invented a “light saber” that must be used in low light.
The Australian had a hand in the fact that wedding photography in Australia has been elevated to a cult; without it it is impossible to imagine a wedding celebration. This is something we really lack in our country.
Grisha Galantny
Grisha Galantny is called one of the most charming photographers in Moscow. And it’s true - the photographer is adored by everyone who has ever met him. The young man shoots for the best Russian magazines, travels a lot and is inspired by the people around him.
Photographs weddings all over the world.
Marcus Bell
This guru of his craft has long earned authority among fans of wedding photography. I personally learned about it in 2021 and my only regret is that not earlier.
He became the founder of expanding the boundaries of consciousness. He was the first to include landscape elements in the frame, in addition to the wedding itself. That is why his photographs are light and airy. In addition, he professionally knows how to capture the moment and convey it to the viewer.
Marcus, using the art of photography, can bring not only a smile, but also tears. He believes that wedding shots should be catchy, resonate in the soul of the person looking at them, should strike like lightning, evoke emotions... Having become acquainted with his work, I realized what an unconventional person he is. I hope I was able to convey to you the magic of his nature.
Angelica Glass
Let's dilute our men's list a little with a female photographer. She is a resident of the USA. At one time she received a legal education. While still a student, she compiled wedding albums in an American photo studio.
One day, a customer approached the studio with a request to photograph the celebration. The studio owner handed the film to the girl and sent her to the event. It was there that she was able to show her creative potential. She had to improvise along the way, but everything turned out great. A few years later she founded her own business.
Such an enterprising and creative girl. What do you think should come first for a photographer: making money or creativity? Share your opinion in the comments.
Joe Buissink
Joe became famous back in the 90s in America and earned the respect of his colleagues. Now it's 2021 and we're still talking about it. He did not adhere to standard thinking when taking wedding photos and knew how to find something new. His shots are a whole story, they need to be viewed comprehensively, they evoke admiration.
Joe is also known for being a photographer at Aguilera’s first wedding, and also photographed Jennifer Lopez’s celebration.
He is not fussy, but very fast. He is not visible on the site. When a master works, he is invisible, like a ninja. He instantly and silently captures the moment, without catching people's eyes.
There is a good story about him. One day Joe was photographing a wedding of some newlyweds and one boy was capricious, not wanting to wear the suit prepared for him. The bride, getting nervous, said: “Let him wear whatever he wants.”
The boy, wanting to thank her, picked flowers from the flowerbed and gave them to her. Joe managed to capture this moment, which later became a classic wedding photo. So much for the ability to create a story. And we move on to the next master.
I present to your attention an article about the coolest outstanding wedding photographers in the world. They photograph weddings of kings, princes, tycoons, the cost of their wedding photography is at the level of the total budget of an average Russian wedding. Let’s not try to invite them to be wedding photographers; I suggest that all wedding photographers simply get acquainted with their work and use it for their own creative development.
Yervant Zanazanian
Irvant is one of the top five coolest wedding photographers in the world. He keeps pace with progress, so he is not shy about using computer technology at the stages of photo processing. And he does the right thing! Irvant invented and created the Page Gallery technology - a plugin and set of templates for Adobe Photoshop that makes it easier to create a wedding photo book.
Yervant Zanazanian was born in Ethiopia. His parents are of Armenian origin. Irvant's father was the official photographer of the royal family, so Irvant was introduced to the secrets of photographic skill from childhood. He often helped his father in the darkroom and, of course, took photographs himself. At the age of 11, his first professional success came to him - he received a prestigious award at an adult photo competition. Irvant spent the next four years in Venice, studying photography there. Then their family moved to Australia, to Melbourne, where Irvant continued his studies at a photography college.
Irvant has his own photography studio in Melbourne, his main focus is wedding and portrait photography.
Photographer's website: https://www.yervant.com
Jerry Ghionis
Jerry Gionis was born in 1974 in Australia. At the age of 15, when he received his first camera, he became obsessed with photography. After graduating from High School in 1990, he took a 4-year course in photography, but even after less than a year, he grew tired of his teachers trying to teach him how to “capture the world.” ) in one frame.
In 1994, at the age of 20, Jerry married 18-year-old Dahlia. After working in several retail photography stores, Jerry went to a well-known photography studio in Melbourne, where he was offered to work for free on weekends. He did this for a year. Jerry quickly mastered the role of studio manager and chief photographer. With a passion to “spread his own wings,” he opened his own business in 1997, and since then his studio has been one of the largest and most respected in Australia.
Jerry Gionis is one of the world's leading wedding photographers. His name is synonymous with wedding photography in Australia. Since 2004, he has taken first place in the WPPI international competition almost every year.
Jerry founded his own community in which he shares useful information with people who join it. It's called the ICE Society (which stands for Inspiration Challenge Education). Each month, members of the community get the opportunity to see several lessons from Jerry, including critiques of portfolios, wedding books, and videos from photography shoots, both wedding and non-wedding. Many people don’t know why a photographer needs video light. So, Jerry actively uses it, in these videos you will learn how to use it correctly and what effects you can get.
He realized that it is impossible to capture the world in one photograph, but it is possible to change the world with one photograph of a given moment.
Photographer's website: https://www.jerryghionis.com Photographer's blog: https://www.jerryghionisblog.com
David Oliver
David Oliver, a three-time winner of the prestigious John Whitfield King Award, has distinguished himself with his stunning style of reportage photography. Whatever genre David turns to - wedding, portrait, landscape photography - he always strives to capture fleeting, unique moments that are of great importance for future generations.
David Oliver is a recipient of prestigious Australian wedding photography awards: Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year and three-time New South Wales Wedding Photographer of the Year.
Over the course of his career, David has had the privilege of photographing the weddings of many happy couples. His wedding photography style is candid and unobtrusive: it is unbiased and captures the exact personality of each person at the wedding, leaving each photograph a source of fond memories for a long time to come.
In addition to David Oliver's awards in the field of wedding photography, it is worth noting that he has also achieved a high level in portrait photography.
He has been a three-time recipient of the prestigious King John Whitfield Award for excellence in portrait photography. Over the course of a year, David photographed the life moments of more than 300 families, most often shooting in an open air or in a family setting.
David's passion for photography is the reason that his reports are in great demand at various foreign photo conventions and photo forums. But even when he lectures, his camera is nearby. These trips around the world gave him the opportunity to photograph many wonderful landscapes. These beautiful works of art hang in his gallery in Pennant Hills
Photographer's website: https://www.davidoliver.com.au
David Beckstead
David is truly a mountain man at heart! He has traveled to over 60 countries and almost every state in the US. He has hiked thousands of miles of backcountry, including above the base camp of Mt. Everest. He was one of the first registered trackers for Arizona Search and Rescue, worked for the US Forest Service for 12 summers as a Hotshot fire-fighter fighting fires around the US and Canada, all the while carrying a Nikon SLR with a 50 mm 1.8 lens . He is a fine art watercolor painter and lover of all things artistic.
David Beckstead lives out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, NE Washington. He mixes his passion for art and travel to run a destination wedding photography business. He attributes his success to the Internet, pro forums, digital cameras, seminars, WPPI, SWPP and Gary Fong. Kassandra, his wife (of 15 fabulous years!) and business partner, shares his passions. Together they have successfully mixed their lifestyle with their business.
David has a reputation for being honest and helpful and taking on life with passion and a smile! Beckstead was named “The Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World” by American Photo magazine - March 2007 issue.
Photographer's websites: https://www.davidbeckstead.com https://www.shootwithbeckstead.com
Rob Heyman
Rob came from a commercial art field and it has been this background that forged his abilities with light and composition. A long time fan of Rembrandt's style of lighting, Rob uses this knowledge to great effect in his day to day portraiture. This has evolved into a style of candid portraiture that encompasses all types of lighting for many and varied subjects.
Rob's portraiture relies on the use of natural subtractive lighting – finding situations in which the natural, occurring light resembles the lighting contrasts and qualities of light we manufacture in the studio.
Children and family portraits play a most important part in his wedding/portrait business and it is this that has attracted the most interest in the photographic community. Rob's seminars and workshops often include a live portrait session that shows his method of evaluating light and his rapport with his subjects. As important as lighting is, it is this rapport that results in his memorable portraits. Rob's family portrait has been described as highly emotive, sometimes too emotive. Rob's reply …families and children are an emotional subject, especially to their loved ones.
Rob Heyman is a triple master photographer with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, awarded nationally and internationally for his unique and original portraiture and wedding photography. He has been keynote speaker in every state of Australia and New Zealand for AIPP, APPA, WIPM, NZIPP, Fuji, Kodak, Leica society and many laboratory sponsored educational sessions.
Rob's speaking style is variously described as: fast-moving, noisy, animated, entertaining and most importantly, informative and educational. Rob has the ability to break down a potentially heavy portrait lighting education session into very absorbing, memorable, bite sized pieces that stick. Rob has been called upon to judge portraiture and wedding images in every level of photographic competition at state and national level.
Photographer's website: https://www.heymanphoto.com/ws/
Marcus Bell
Marcus Bell, owner of Studio Impressions has revolutionized the genre of wedding photography with a style that is steeped in raw emotion and supported by classical technique. His style of photography allows us to hand to him the privilege of telling our stories to future generations. The Australian based photographer is unashamedly a pushover for romance, weddings and all they entail. He drowns in the emotion of every wedding he shoots and is inexplicably drawn to the little moments that make that day special. He combines an innate ability to capture the intangible – a look, a touch, a moment shared – with years of experience and technical expertise to produce some of the most defining images of his genre.
Watching Marcus shoot, his passion for his craft, his respect for his subject, and his technical expertise are evident. He is lightening quick, purposeful and completely absorbed by his work. Genuine and courteous to everyone present, Marcus manages to keep himself focused with a remarkable ability to disappear into the background. Rarely orchestrating shots he relies instead on years of careful preparation and zealous observation, to guide him through the important moments, allowing the natural emotions and interactions between the couple and their families to occur. Having mastered his understanding of light, composition, and the boundaries and abilities of his equipment, he can deal with the technical aspects of his work in seconds and simply concentrate on “seeing the decisive moment”.
Marcus has gone on to be one of the most consistently awarded photographers in Australia and America, recently adding the coveted titles of AIPP Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year, Queensland Photographer of the Year and WPPI International Portrait Photographer of the Year. Marcus also holds a double Masters of Photography in Australia, USA and his fellowship of photography in the UK.
Over the course of his career, Marcus has collected numerous international photographic awards including International Wedding Photojournalism Print of the Year and Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year multiple times. His images have been heralded a 'new approach to wedding photography' in the USA where he has quickly become a sought-after speaker on the international convention circuit. He has also produced two books of his images with a 'how to' book just released “A Masters Guide to Wedding Photography”.
For Marcus Bell the studio experience, techniques and technology that goes into producing one of his images are only a small part of what makes Studio Impressions unique. At the end of the day for Marcus it comes down to the couple – it begins and ends with their story, their lives, their memories. He remains, simply a romantic dreamer at heart.
Photographer's website: https://www.studioimpressions.com.au
Jeff Ascough
For me personally, Jeff is a real mystery that takes time to unravel. In the meantime, you can just enjoy his work, looking at the magical shots.
The photographer is a master of working with natural light. He hardly needs artificial light, he copes with what he has. He knows how to capture the moment and is recognized as a master of black and white photography.
He is very freedom-loving and willful. That is why he stopped participating in various competitions, believing that the photographer’s individuality was lost in them. When working for a competition, the photographer is limited to a specific topic, and the work must be a flight of thought.
Once he sent a wedding photograph with a landscape to a competition. But the photo was removed from participation. After all, there was no bride and groom on it! And Joe believes that the author has the right to decide how to create a story.
Max Wanger
Another master of all time, in my opinion, is Max. His career began completely by accident. He was young at that time and had not yet tried himself as a wedding photographer, but was only planning. Naturally, he had no orders yet.
It was decided to stage the wedding. That is, to prepare an artificial celebration. The roles were quickly assigned. Vanger's sister was supposed to play the bride, and his best friend - the groom. No sooner said than done…
A vintage clothing store bought a bridal outfit and a ring for $5,000. Max, remembering, says how beautiful the fake newlyweds looked with each other...
Photos were taken. The photographer’s girlfriend posted photographs on several wedding-themed resources. Unexpectedly, after a couple of weeks he was very busy with work.
This case speaks of the entrepreneurial spirit of the master. As we see, after supply, demand appeared, and not vice versa. Now we have the happiness of enjoying wonderful photographs of the classic.
How to become one of the world's top wedding photographers in 5 years: the story of Igor Shevchenko
His portfolio is decorated with shots from weddings on the Cote d'Azur, Paris, Florence and Rome. The works of Kyiv wedding photographer Igor Shevchenko stand out among thousands of photographs of his colleagues: these are completely cinematic shots and artistic compositions, but at the same time – live, genuine emotions.
It’s hard to believe, but he started photographing weddings only 5 years ago: before that, Igor worked in a completely different field. How to go from a beginner to a sought-after world-class photographer, what makes photography similar to cinema and how much you can earn shooting weddings in Europe - in our new interview.
There are many wedding photographers, and many of them take very good photos. But most of them have all the photographs as carbon copies: the same compositions and subjects. Or even without them. How do you manage to stand out from the rest?
For me, the work of a wedding photographer is such a lifestyle. I love weddings because of the emotions it brings and how great you can spend your day there from start to finish. This is a crazy atmosphere: everything is real, sincere. You enjoy every moment, every phase of movement, the energy between the people you photograph. Most of all, I love to remember weddings that had just such an atmosphere.
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I usually ask him one on one the question of whether the groom will take the bride in his arms, so that he still has a choice in this matter!? M - Male solidarity?? #coming fuckingphotographermoscow #weddingphotographerkiev #weddingphotographer #weddingphotographercomo #weddingphotographerparis #funphotographer #funnyphotographerlviv #funphotographerchernivtsi #funphotographer #funphotographer #weddingphotographercomo
A post shared by Wedding photographer Kyiv (@wedlifer) on Feb 1, 2019 at 10:37am PST
Last year in August I had a wedding near Nice. There was a huge and very beautiful estate there. A long alley of 300-400 meters went down from the house, and it was all in flowers, and it led to the coast - there was an arch for ceremonies. It was an incredibly cool party there. However, there was almost no portrait photography there. We managed to catch the groom for literally 2-3 minutes to take his portraits. I usually try to do close-ups, medium shots, full-length shots, some straight and honest portraits.
A male portrait, I believe, should be honest, and a female portrait should be complimentary.
Here I also tried to take at least a few live portraits. But I wasn’t able to take many shots with either the bride or groom: they didn’t want to spend a lot of time taking photos. Everyone just wanted to live this day and get high. On such shoots, all that remains is to merge with this energy flow and capture the moments. And I think this is one of my best shoots in the context of weddings.
In the context of portrait photography - where there is more directing - a couple and I usually select good light, beautiful places, and plan the shooting. It's more like a movie now. This does not create any additional burden on the couple, no one needs to pretend to be anything - everything is in a live format. I tell them some scenarios and stories, we try to live them out in a fun way. And I try to find this phase of movement so that the frame turns out cinematic - that is, alive and aesthetic.
You also teach wedding photography, right?
Yes, my colleague and partner Vladimir Ivash and I created a school. Vladimir has been number 1 in Ukraine among wedding photographers for many years, and has now entered the American market. We can say that meeting him was a turning point in my career as a wedding photographer. Three years ago, we photographed a wedding together in Montenegro: I was still a very raw specialist at that time, and after this acquaintance I began to learn a lot from him. Now he and I are number 1 and number 2 wedding photographers in Ukraine according to the MyWed website.
We are trying to develop the professional community in Ukraine: we create conferences, invite top specialists from Russia and America, we try to create a culture of the wedding photography market. Together we conduct a three-month winter school every year. We collect applications, select children based on questionnaires and form a group that we train during these three months. Every week we have different speakers, and most of them are not wedding photographers. These are top street photographers, specialists in female portraits, studio portraits, and so on. All this is necessary for the photographer to be as versatile as possible and be able to do absolutely everything. And depending on the task, he easily switched to one type of shooting or another. In a couple of weeks we are just planning to start recruiting for this winter.
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A little nostalgia.. ⠀ Back from @eugene_vaganov from practice @wedlifer ⠀ A slightly cloudy day and the view of the city from @intercontinentalkyiv was hidden behind a veil of fog, but that didn’t stop us from having 100%% fun ⠀ Thank you guys for these three months!! Do we miss you?
A post shared by WEDDSCHOOL BY IVASH&SHEVCHENKO (@weddschool) on Feb 8, 2021 at 5:26am PST
Your students probably often ask you the question: how to achieve all this? How to become an international photographer?
I am a marketer by education, and from marketing experience I can tell you: the first mistake in marketing is to analyze everything on your own. But I will tell my story. I had ten years of experience in office work behind me - and quite successful: I came as a consultant to a warehouse, and after 5-6 years I was on the board of directors of a large company. He was involved in the development of projects related to music and cinema. At the same time, he owned a share in audio publishing and was involved in the promotion of various musical artists in Ukraine.
All this helped me analyze the photography market from the point of view of an economist, set myself the right goals and objectives, and develop myself in the right directions.
Five years ago I took a master class in wedding photography and decided that this is what I wanted to do. I analyzed possible promotion resources and started by creating a VKontakte group. I promoted it to the first place in searching for wedding photographers in Ukraine, and this gave me good traffic of cheap requests. I collected 68 weddings for the year - despite the fact that it was already approximately the middle of the season. In order not to get bogged down in processing, I formed a certain proposal: low price, decent quality and only 100 processed photos. The rest of the sources were given with minimal color correction. Clients could additionally order processing of the remaining photographs - my check could double.
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A post shared by Wedding photographer Kyiv (@wedlifer) on Oct 10, 2016 at 2:32am PDT
So I put together a decent portfolio for myself in one season. Of course, I worked a lot - it required serious mental and physical preparation. I prepared as for a sports competition: I monitored my diet and sleep, and prepared before each shoot.
I looked at the references, assessed what I could do with what I had: how could I shoot at a level higher than the wedding itself? What can I do for this super beautiful couple that will allow me to then reach the next level?
From the very beginning, I set myself a goal for rapid growth: to increase prices at least once a year by 50%. If everything went well, then twice. After 68 weddings, I collected a portfolio of my best shots - I didn’t have full-fledged powerful series at that time. I made a new website, designed a good showcase for myself and raised the price by half. After a season - the same amount. But I already needed another promotion channel, and I again began to analyze the market.
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My respect, friends! In the frame there is a famous movement made in Chernivtsi at the wedding of Oleg and Ira (the new series is already on MyWed) Filmed together with the handsome guy @andrey_bondarec from the handsome guy's studio @ivash_photography ??? Wedding days are full of emotions, and no matter the lyrical or reckless drive, you become part of them, let them pass through you and leave them for many generations in the form of photo cards for many years to come. I think this is a very fucking important thing and I give it my all. And over the next week and a half I will have three completely different weddings, and then a workshop/master class in Montenegro, where the day before I will work at one of our filming locations, in the most luxurious hotel on the coast? And I am going to do all my work exceptionally well, not for the sake of further goals, although that too, but primarily because of the unrealistic thrill when you do something cool, feel all the details and “catch the wave”! And already at the end of September-beginning of October I will be in Portugal, where I really dreamed of going this year, but that’s another story and more on that a little later
