Mike Spinak
pro member
As I mentioned in another thread, I photographed a wedding for one of my two closest friends, last week.
When she originally asked me to photograph her wedding, I told her that I thought she should get a second photographer, also. And so, there were two of us, working complimentarily to each other.
The other photographer's emphasis was the formal, posed, group portraits. I also shot some of these in conjunction with him, behind and to the side, covering in case he made errors or missed critical spontaneous moments between poses. There was a complex dynamic going on, which I'll explain in detail and discuss in another thread. Anyway, as a result of this shooting situation, the other photographer and I later had a discussion about where people look in pictures.
The other photographer was of the opinion that everybody in these posed, group portraits should be looking straight into the camera. It had never occurred to me to have any preference for the group subjects of my wedding photos to be facing into the camera. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to capture people looking good, and looking happy, and revealing some of themselves, and being coherent with the picture... with little concern where they may be gazing.
I am aware that there is a very popular convention that people in posed, group portraits should be looking into the camera, but I don't understand why. So... Why? If, as a photographer or viewer of posed group portraits at weddings, you prefer for subjects to look straight into the camera, could you please explain your reasoning?
Thanks.
Mike
www.mikespinak.com
When she originally asked me to photograph her wedding, I told her that I thought she should get a second photographer, also. And so, there were two of us, working complimentarily to each other.
The other photographer's emphasis was the formal, posed, group portraits. I also shot some of these in conjunction with him, behind and to the side, covering in case he made errors or missed critical spontaneous moments between poses. There was a complex dynamic going on, which I'll explain in detail and discuss in another thread. Anyway, as a result of this shooting situation, the other photographer and I later had a discussion about where people look in pictures.
The other photographer was of the opinion that everybody in these posed, group portraits should be looking straight into the camera. It had never occurred to me to have any preference for the group subjects of my wedding photos to be facing into the camera. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to capture people looking good, and looking happy, and revealing some of themselves, and being coherent with the picture... with little concern where they may be gazing.
I am aware that there is a very popular convention that people in posed, group portraits should be looking into the camera, but I don't understand why. So... Why? If, as a photographer or viewer of posed group portraits at weddings, you prefer for subjects to look straight into the camera, could you please explain your reasoning?
Thanks.
Mike
www.mikespinak.com