Until recently, wedding photography was dominated by two major trends. The "fine art" style, characterized by medium format film, soft and luminous tones, and the "moody" style, which is darker and warmer. While the latter has become less common today, the timeless quality of "fine art" endures but is transforming and making way for emerging trends.
Spoiler alert: everything converges!
Depth of Field: f/5.6 is the new f/1.2
Photographing with wide apertures like f/1.8, f/1.4, or even f/1.2 to achieve maximum bokeh used to be the norm. Now, we see apertures closing down to f/5.6, f/9, or even more for greater depth of field. Ironically, as smartphones strive to better replicate background blur, photographers are starting to avoid it.
This requires some practice, as it demands more attention to the background in composition. However, knowing that sharpness improves on average by 2 stops from the lens’s maximum aperture, we gain in clarity, which is a welcome change! "f/5.6 is the new f/1.2" is a somewhat provocative title, as we still use f/1.2 for those times when we really need to "isolate" the subject. However, we are pleased that images captured at wide open apertures are no longer the only ones considered professional!
More Wide Angle
The straight perspectives of prime lenses like 50mm or 80mm are increasingly being replaced by wider angles like 35mm, 28mm, or even 24mm, often using zoom lenses (like 24-70mm).
Firstly, this aligns with the previous point on aperture, as wider angles allow less background blur. Beyond that, wide angles fit into a more "documentary" style (stemming from photojournalism and street photography with Leica-style 28mm lenses) or a "paparazzi" style, akin to "candid shots of celebrities exiting cars amidst a throng of photographers."
The perspective is less "compressed," making close-up portraits less flattering but adding more "movement" and "life," elongating legs and creating a dynamic feel.
Again, this takes some getting used to! After seeing the world through a 50mm lens for years, it was quite an adjustment. Combine this with greater depth of field, and you understand the initial doubts!
Direct Flash (at Any Time of Day)
A few years ago, while “Style Me Pretty” had just published one of our stunning weddings in the south of France, with "fine art" photos shot in "backlight" with a Contax 645, I remember being horrified seeing a photographer shoot with flash in broad daylight to "fill shadows." It signaled an old-school photographer who hadn't updated since my parents' wedding photos! But... it's now "trendy"!
Previously used in fashion shows (runway or backstage) or weddings only in the evening (bounced off the ceiling), direct flash now pops at any time of the day!
In daylight, when properly set, it allows for a less overexposed background and a well-lit subject. Gone are the harsh, unflattering shadows; the flash acts like a reflector. Indoors, during the getting ready, for example, a slightly underexposed background with a strong flash on the model or details (works great on accessories) adds "pep" to the colors.
Finally, on the dance floor, flash use has changed with the "shutter drag" technique, (It already existed, like all these trends actually! But now it's very visible!) where a strong flash freezes the subject while the shutter remains open "long" to capture movement by frantically moving the camera.
Shooting in Full Sunlight
This, too, was sacrilege not long ago. I used to pale when a client wanted their couple photos at 2pm in full sun! Yet, we regularly used full sunlight for fashion shoots without any problem! But for weddings, only the eternal sunset shone on blogs worldwide.
We are now free to shoot at any hour... thanks to the flash! Without it, the harsh sunlight’s shadows didn’t flatter our lovely couples. But a flash (or a reflector with an assistant) brings vibrant colors, strong contrast and calm bad shadows.
More Authenticity, Less Retouching
Gone are the days of heavily smoothing skin with negative clarity and cleaning up every "distracting" detail.
Ironically, at a time when AI offers increasingly sophisticated tools to erase elements, we see more "raw" photos without retouching (especially from trendy celebrities in Vogue Weddings).
Love it or not, we often find more charm in imperfect yet so much more authentic images! Is there a car in the background? The photo isn't perfectly straight? Some people are a bit underexposed? This image is all the more authentic for it! And Photo Vogue chose it for that very reason!
Tilted Photos
This might have fit in the previous point, but certainly in reaction to an overload of perfection—perfectly straight horizons and impeccable perspectives—the wedding photography world seems to have tired of straight photos!
Motion Blur
Once again, this technique has been a tool available to photographers since the invention of photography (widely used in street photography, for example). Motion blur allows capturing movement or adding a touch of poetry. However, just a few years ago, a blurry photo would have been considered a mistake in the world of wedding photography.
Nowadays, whether intentional or a "happy mistake," blurry photos are gaining traction on social media. While it sometimes goes to the extremes (as with all trends, some push the boundaries), we are thrilled that this aspect of photography is now embraced in wedding photography!
35mm Film
To wrap up, we must mention the significant shift from medium format film to digital as seen with José Villa and others. The emergence of 35mm film is noteworthy. While it existed during the heyday of medium format Contax 645, it wasn’t emphasized. Today, many photographers offer 35mm film options.
This trend resonates with the authenticity mentioned earlier.
I always thought that the "fine art" trend, with its perfectly straight horizons, soft lighting, and ultra-shallow depth of field, was a hindrance to creativity. Of course, it was possible not to follow it, but good luck getting published on a renowned blog! Today, the possibilities are broader, allowing everyone to tell a story in their own way by using all the facets that the art of photography offers.
Comentários