Images: elisarinaldiphoto and leahmariephotography_
Hey it’s LENSEL. Your weekly inside word in the wedding photography world.
How to get your shots when the bride says ‘no posing allowed’
Vendor meal scams
The Ferros teach an Art Direction workshop
+ the best inspo from this week in weddings
Let’s dive in ⬇️
NEWS
Happening this Week
Selling hot. Map Cameras (a wildly large camera retailer in Japan) releases monthly stats on which cameras are selling hot right now. Back at the top of the list is the Sony A7v, dethroning the Fuji X100iv. What’s interesting to see is the small compact cameras from Canon always in the mix - everyone still loves the G7x! Report here.
Are vendor meals that couples pay for totally a scam? This video seems to think so.
Tethering Updates. Capture One announced an update to enable wireless tethering for Canon cameras.
Do photographers hate the trends? This discussion dives into the ‘one trend you want to disappear’ and you’d be surprised at the nuance people approach this with - impressed!
No brainer workshops. Coming up in Lensel Pro we have incredible workshops from Erich Mcvey and The Ferros. It’s the membership full of value that actually helps wedding photographers keep improving. Find out more here.
A new ‘half frame’ film camera from Lomography was released this week. With a similar concept the the Pentax 17 that allows you to get 72 shots from a 36 frame 35mm film roll. See details and images here.
New Protection. Small Rig’s new camera backpack has a new and unique take on protecting your gear, with it’s ‘Anti-drop’ system.
Cinematic?! Is ‘cinematic’ the new buzzword buzzing right now? This reddit discussion thinks so. More on this below…
THE BIG IDEA
🙏🏼 What to do when your influencer bride says ‘no posing’
Featured Wedding captured in Mykonos by Lensel PRO members: samandlarissa_
When a bride makes it clear she wants ZERO posed photos, how do you still get the portraits you need? Especially when that bride is an influencer and she obvs WANTS the amazing photos…
That was the brief at this Mykonos wedding. No poses. No direction. No moodboards or reference ideas. And… shoot it all on film please.
Most photographers might slightly freak out after hearing that. How will I deliver the kind of photos I normally do when I can’t direct and pose you?
Well, at this wedding Sam & Larissa decided to get smarter rather than ‘go full documentary’. To make a plan rather than go passive. And to give everything to get the images anyway.
(This wedding and the BTS is featured in full here on the Lensel Website)
‘Behind the Portrait’ (from the web feature)
The bride had been clear from the start that she wanted no posed photos. I respected that, but I also knew I needed at least one timeless portrait of her. I chose the biggest, lowest chair I could find to give the shot an editorial feel. Knowing I'd have maybe 30 seconds with her, I practiced the shot with her hair stylist beforehand… he was amazing, and we tried different poses, arm up, arm low, so once she sat down, I knew exactly what to do.
The influencer wedding paradox
There’s an interesting pattern we are seeing when it comes to influencer brides or content creator brides. They don’t want to feel like they are working on their wedding day. They don’t want it to be about the photos. They don’t want to pose and move just for the camera. In many ways, WE RESPECT THAT. Love it.
But they still bring an army of content creators, there’s maybe also a friend who takes photos who wants to get in on the action. BUT still, no posing please…
You can't direct like a portrait photographer, because she banned it.
AND you can't hang back like a documentary photographer, because you'll lose every moment to the ten person content team with their sea of iPhones.
That’s the paradox of a wedding like this.
ok, that’s a lot of iPhones. by samandlarissa_
DON'T BE PASSIVE
Your instinct at a wedding like this might be to back off. You are not in charge. There’s a million other people who want the brides attention and you aren’t meant to pose her anyway. The temptation is to go into full documentary mode, blend into the background and be invisible.
That instinct will lose you ALL the amazing photos you want.
In Sam & Larissa's own words:
"The biggest learning from this wedding was that sometimes it's important to be assertive rather than too polite. Usually, I read the room, try not to force decisions, and speak calmly. I never want the couple to feel like they're performing or under pressure. But this wedding was a whirlwind: photo, video, and content combined into a team of 10 people, and on top of that, friends and guests were shooting on digital cameras and iPhones constantly. I realized at the welcome event that if I wanted to get the couple in front of my camera, I needed to be more direct. So I matched Noy's energy and pace.. calling out clear, commanding directions to cut through the noise of the day. Once I adapted, I got the shots I needed."
Read that again.
The couple that banned posing needed MORE direction from their photographer. Not less. A bride like this doesn’t need more "stand here, chin down." They need more of YOU claiming the moment before someone with an iPhone does.
So as wedding situations like this become more and more common, wedding photographers might need to learn to get more ASSERTIVE to go and get the shots they need on the day, against their instincts.
Images: samandlarissa_
So when a ‘no posing brief’ lands on you next time?
Here’s the advice..
The plan and pose get’s built on your time not the couples. On a wedding like this you might just get a few moments with the couple, so you have to make it count. It’s about planning and exact shot you want, the movement you want, before it happens. You won’t get the chance to work on it while you have the couples attention. You need to know exactly the shot you want.
Own the in-betweens. Brides like this know they're being photographed, so they don't mind you close in the in-between moments. Be in the right place at the right time and you'll find your 'portraits' there.
Get more assertive. Quiet and polite can get drowned out by content teams. We photographers can complain about content creators all we want but at the end of the day, it’s the couples day. There will be times we need to adapt and become more assertive. Clear, confident direction can cut through.
Fight for your five minutes. The sunset portraits on this wedding happened because they pointed at the sun, yelled through the party, and got the couple for two minutes. Then shot everything quickly quickly.
Yes, a brief like this can be scary. But that's all it is.
A brief. Not a ban.
And that’s the beauty and challenge of our jobs as wedding photographers. Finding a way no matter what to capture the images we need to.
For more insight, the full feature from Sam & Larissa is live on the Lensel website ⬇️
WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Ferros - “Art Direction at Weddings” - September in Lensel PRO.
Want to learn how to bring art direction concepts from editorial shoots into a real wedding day??
The Ferros (like WHAT?!), The Ferros are coming to teach a workshop about doing exactly this!!
And we could not be more excited.
The magic of The Ferros is that they are not just making their incredible images happen on editorial shoots.They are doing it on real wedding days. And in this workshop they will break down:
finding editorial opportunities inside a real wedding day timeline
creating images with a stronger concept behind them
turning a simple wedding scene into something more cinematic
using posing, styling and framing to build a clearer visual idea
making real couples feel elevated without making the photo feel stiff
This a rare and unique event and you need to be there! Like not often The Ferros are out here teaching a workshop…
Join Lensel PRO to join LIVE September 9th - 5:30PM CET / 11:30AM ET / 8:30AM PT
+ access the full archive of incredible past workshops
INSPO TO KEEP YOU FRESH
⬇️ Some different posing ideas and moods in this couple session - oh and how about those film tones 🔥
⬇️ Sometimes you nail ‘the frame’ that shows the couple in the location perfectly. BUT this set does it over and over. Clean clean colours too. Very nice.
⬇️ How good is this first image. The lines, the pose, the moment. Dive into to see the brilliance of the rest.
⬇️ When the black and white REALLY works in that contrasty sun light. IT WORKS.
Until next week,
