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What is Photographic Observation? Let’s put it in basketball terms. Most wedding photographers are head coaches who call timeouts, orchestrate plays, and give the players near-constant instruction. Photographic Observers are sideline reporters who quietly and attentively record the game.


Photographic Observers watch silently. Other wedding photographers command and direct.


Photographic Observation is what the originators of the phrase “wedding photojournalism” intended when the term was coined in the 1980s. The phrase has been so widely and loosely used, muddied, and misused (even by photographers claiming to be photojournalists) since that time that it has ceased to carry significant meaning.


Photographic Observation is the new term I’m using to describe a genre of artistic event coverage in which the photographer plays a reserved and unassuming role in the events of the day. It is not a new approach. It is simply the rephrasing of a description that has been too often misused.


The vast majority of wedding photographers today wear an “observer hat” for part of the day, but put on a “coach hat” or “fashion photographer hat” for a significant amount of time. This is a blended style. Photographic Observers, on the other hand, take charge of the participants and command their attention for a very small portion of the day - often only 15-20 minutes. This is a formal portrait session of a limited number of people—the wedding party and immediate families of the bride and groom.


Why is Photographic Observation better than other approaches? It has to do with the genuineness of not only the actions and reactions of the participants involved as the day transpires, but the authenticity of the photographic result.


The more the photographer speaks, directs, and meddles the more the participants are aware of the camera’s presence. Every step, smile, and emotion becomes checked by that consciousness. The result is not only distracted participants, but a less genuine end-product (the finished album).


Why is Photographic Observation difficult? Photographic Observation is a demanding expertise because the photographer is not in control of the proceedings. He must instantly recognize the qualities of ever-changing lighting and inter-personal scenarios and know how to manipulate the controls at his disposal (his position and camera) and not the events themselves to render stunning imagery. She must anticipate things that might happen, yet be ever-ready to capture the unplanned.


Photographic Observation means the photographer packs light (in terms of the amount of equipment) and moves quickly. The Photographic Observer must be ubiquitous yet invisible; everywhere and nowhere.


Why rename an existing genre? There comes a point when it becomes easier to define a brand new term than to attempt to redefine one that is often misunderstood.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 8:04 am and is filed under Photographic Observer Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.