I'm just going to tell you that if your curiosity is piqued, if you feel a certain urge in your stomach, if you think there's a remote possibility that you want to be a wedding photographer, this book is going to throw you headlong. So be careful, if you get hold of it and read it from cover to cover (as you should), you run a very serious risk of abandoning everything to dedicate yourself body and soul to wedding photography (in the link the most complete mega guide that you will find on the net to start as a professional ? ).
And this is from someone who personally and until recently was not particularly attracted to this type of photography for various reasons, but mainly because I found it extremely complicated, stressful, not very grateful and not very stimulating.
How wrong I was. I couldn't be more. I don't think I had found the right place or the right photographers. For some time now, I have discovered that wedding photography is not only extremely interesting and important, but of a quality that exceeded the limits of my imagination.
Not all wedding photographers are good, as everywhere there are that are and there are that are not. Now, when you come across a good one, images capable of taking your breath away add to the symbolic force of this celebration. All seasoned with the difficulty involved in a wedding, where everything happens quickly, you are not always listened to, you cannot control the light or the people...
Until you come across someone who not only has the capacity for work, self-improvement and artistic quality, but is also capable of transmitting their strength, inspiration, knowledge and experience to you as if it were a blood transfusion.
This is Roberto Valenzuela, capable of making someone who was not interested in wedding photography feel like jumping into the pool.
IDEAL FOR…
Anyone who wants to dedicate themselves to wedding photography , to know everything, all the tricks, the mistakes, the experience, the light, the compositions, who wants to learn to see situations... Everything. But also for anyone who is already dedicated to it and who wants to improve or deepen this path by the hand of one of the best wedding photographers in the world.
COMPOSITION AND DESIGN
This is the first publication of 3 volumes that will cover the entire creative, technical, marketing, etc. process. Everything that is directly or indirectly related, any aspect related to wedding photography. This first volume focuses on the stories told through the camera . In recent days, he has just announced the launch of the second volume on his Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsvxVXrlwE2/
But let us return to the first volume, which is the one that concerns us. It is divided into 6 parts with a total of 18 chapters and a conclusion. It is highly recommended that you read it all and not consult it as a manual or dictionary, because it is designed to address everything as a whole (it's very entertaining, don't worry).
PART I
CHAPTER 1: A VERY DIFFICULT AND RISKY DECISION.
There is a lot of sincerity and personal experience in this book, which I really love. Seeing that not everything is built in a day, seeing the many mistakes that are made along the way, the risks and the difficult decisions that we sometimes have to make on our photographic journey is most inspiring.
CHAPTER 2: OVERVIEW OF THE TECHNICAL COMPONENTS OF THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
What are the basic, technical, professional components you will need as a wedding photographer?
In this chapter you will see what the main components are and where to find them throughout the book.
PART II
CHAPTER 3: CIRCUMSTANTIAL LIGHT
What are the keys to finding the best circumstantial light, both indoors and outdoors, what we should look for, what to do and what not to do. With examples, failed images and images with good results so you can see the difference between one decision and another.
CHAPTER 4: SHOW OR REMOVE CONTEXT AND CLUTTER
How to overcome the challenge of turning the messy rooms where the bride and groom dress into elegant and memorable images is a very important job. Locate the best place to photograph the couple in terms of light, move furniture if necessary, personal belongings, etc. As well as knowing how, when and how much context to show in each scene.
CHAPTER 5: DEPTH AND WALLS
How to balance depth to capture stories and compositions with walls and other architectural elements are essential for good wedding photography not only for composition, but also to improve the quality of light that we use.
CHAPTER 6: COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS
How to guide the viewer's gaze through the composition by the narration of an image. From framing with objects, framing with structures such as windows, mirrors or doors, using reflections, the repetition of shapes or lights and shadows. You will find everything in this chapter, with a multitude of images to exemplify each of the sections.
CHAPTER 7: BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST LEVELS
The combination of the available elements with the photographer's own experience is what leads to a successful end to any wedding session. Know the light levels and take advantage of them whether these are high contrast scenes or scenes with the same light levels.
PART III. BASIC COMPONENTS: TECHNIQUES WITH PEOPLE
CHAPTER 8: BREAKING DOWN DEFENSIVE BARRIERS
Take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself to meet the guests and the couple and break down the barriers that they may have at the start, connect, empathize, respect, joke in the right measure to alleviate tension and manage cultural and generational barriers.
CHAPTER 9: CONFIDENTIALITY AND TRUST
The importance of psychology in wedding photography is immense, emanating tranquility and respect will make people commit and get involved, collaborating with you as much as possible. This is absolutely essential to achieve a successful session.
CHAPTER 10: BE FLEXIBLE, NICE, AND PROFESSIONAL
How to deal with different situations that can be thrown at us as wedding photographers, such as location disputes, people telling you how to do your job, advice on privacy, or dealing with difficult or uncooperative people.
CHAPTER 11: AN APPROACH TO POSING
The importance of location and posing flowing in a natural, credible and truthful way. From the lighting, the location and the context, the environment and the details, or the expression, and the posing itself, with numerous failed examples with their explanations and of course examples of photographs where the objective of the shot has been achieved for a long time.
CHAPTER 12: THE MECHANICS OF GROUP POSING
How to deal with groups at the celebration, how to achieve balanced and soulful images. How to position the heads, the orientation of the clavicles, the inclination towards the camera, or the weight of the body are small guides to make your group portrait a success.
PART IV: AN APPROACH TO THE COMPONENTS OF THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
CHAPTER 13: THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER'S POINT OF VIEW
What is the approach you want to use at each stage of the wedding: photojournalism , interactive photojournalism, conscious posing, unconscious posing, and story development. Each of them is perfectly explained accompanied by numerous example images.
PART V: PROFESSIONAL COMPONENTS
CHAPTER 14: ADVANCED WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TECHNIQUES: EMOTIONALLY VALUABLE PEOPLE (EVP)
The people and the links they have with the couple are very important aspects in wedding photography. Being aware of them and creatively incorporating them into your narratives, just like learning to play with the generations, will create images that the family will appreciate.
CHAPTER 15: TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMPONENTS: CHOICE OF LENS AND AUXILIARY LIGHT
This chapter talks about the more technical professional components such as the optics to use for each occasion with detailed explanations in each of the scenarios and each of the optics. All necessary lighting techniques are also covered.
CHAPTER 16: PROFESSIONAL POSING AND EXPRESSION TECHNIQUES
How to capture natural , warm and apparently spontaneous poses where people look natural and good and not strict and unnatural poses.
CHAPTER 17: PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITION TECHNIQUES
Techniques such as creative cropping, framing stories through significant objects, or explaining several stories in the same photograph.
PART VI. EXECUTION OF THE TECHNICAL COMPONENTS OF THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
CHAPTER 18: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER MAKES YOU A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
In this last chapter, everything explained so far is addressed through multiple images of weddings made by the author, with all kinds of errors and explanations and their successes and possible corrections. Undoubtedly an inspiring and hopeful ending for anyone who dreams of dedicating himself (or already dedicates himself) to wedding photography.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roberto Valenzuelais a photographer based in Beverly Hills, California. He has been chosen by Canon USA as one of the few professionals in the prestigious Canon Explorers of Light program.
He has traveled the world encouraging photographers to practice and analyze the various elements of photography in order to master them through goal setting, self- learning , and constant dedication.
Here you can see a brief presentation of the author (in English):
DETAILS
- Title: The wedding photographer. Stories told through the camera. (Original: Wedding Storyteller. Elevating the Approach to Photographing Wedding Stories)
- Soft cover
- Pages: 368
- Publisher: Anaya Multimedia Editions
- Collection: Photo Club
- Price: N/A
- Language: Spanish. Original language: English
- Dimensions: 18 x 24cm (approx)
THE BEST
This book is a gem for anyone who feels a certain interest (or is already a professional on the subject). It is very well explained, the personal experiences are very enriching and adequate, they are not random battles, but you can extract a lot of information from them. The honesty of the explanations and the desire to reach the reader are breathed and it is full of visual examples with very detailed and practical explanations on what to do and what not to do. The vocation and gift as a teacher that Roberto Valenzuela has is noticeable. Undoubtedly an unforgettable work.
WORST
The translation sometimes squeaks a bit. If you are fluent in English, you may enjoy it more in its original version.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
You can also find these other publications by Valenzuela:
CONCLUSIONS
I don't think anyone even slightly interested in wedding photography can feel disappointed with this work. I already commented at the beginning that I did not consider myself a great fan of this type of photography, but after reading it, the honesty with which it is written, its numerous examples, not only of what is beautiful or correct, but, and above all, of what can be improved, I assure you that I have changed my mind.
Roberto Valenzuela is capable of transmitting in a fascinating way all the knowledge he has accumulated after his years of photographic career, but his years as a teacher are also very noticeable and, above all, his passion for what he does. Doesn't it happen to you that people who know how to transmit that passion and insufflate it directly into your vein catch you? I do, and I love it when that happens ? That said, a pleasure to read.
I hope this new literary recommendation has been useful to you. If so, and you want someone else to enjoy it, please share it to reach as many people as possible. Thank you and see you next time :-).
