George Weir Photography

One of my small pleasures in life is my, all too often brief, perusal of the New York Times with my morning coffee. Despite the daily gloom and doom, there are usually some outstanding examples of great photography from all over the world to be found within its pages. I especially enjoy many of the images from the Lens series. Lens is a photography series focusing on New York City.

This morning I took the time to view a short show After Dark, Finding Light http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/12/02/nyregion/03lens-agins/index.html by Michelle V. Agins who describes some of the challenges of finding images after dark. It’s an interesting story and like all presentations it does leave one “asking for more”.

She shot without adding any artificial light and was encouraged to “find the light” even if it meant going “inch by inch around the subject”.

As a wedding photographer, I am also often “finding light after dark”  usually in churches and reception venues where there is little light to be found. The easy way may be to use flash and I do sometimes. However, I do enjoy and thrive upon the challenge of capturing images in tough situations; it makes me think more about what I’m shooting and how I’m working as well as permitting me to shoot without having subjects be too aware of me. 

This first sequence is a few frames I shot recently at Capitale in New York. I used no additional lighting. I had just moved away from the dance floor and spotted these small candles which I found interesting.

Then, just as the NY Times photographer described I moved inch by inch around the subject, actually what I did in this instance was adjust my framing and focal point over several frames.

In addition to close-up shots of people, which I love shooting, (here’s a father listening to one of the speeches at his daughter’s wedding)

I am also a great advocate of stepping back. One of my most frequent observations when I’m asked to review another photographer’s wedding work is that there isn’t a sense of place. To me this is a very important aspect of documentary wedding photography. Actually that’s crucial for any type of documentary photography, not just weddings.

There’s also the question of respect, whether it be respect for the rules of a church, a speech or a prayer I don’t wish to be a distraction or detract from these moments in any way.

So having said my piece for today I’ll leave you with a few more images captured at various weddings in New York, Philadelphia and a couple of other places.

Where does one’s photographic style come from?

 Good question and truth to tell not one I have spent much time worrying about in the past believing that one either has or has not the ability to see images.  Everything else then falls in place. Somewhat simplistic I know but there you have it :)  There’s a little more on this subject here.

August Sander , Don McCullin, David Bailey, Terence Donovan, & Eve Arnold, to name a few, have all influenced me in one way or another, some in my earlier years and some like Norman Parkinson, much later. My fairly reasonable collection of books  includes titles by most of these photographers.

“The Photo Essay” (ISBN# 0 500 54026 8 ) in spite the dog-eared, tattered and pencil-marked pages has, without question, been my most treasured of them all… until last week when I became the very proud owner of a copy of RFK signed by the photographer Paul Fusco whom I had the absolute pleasure of meeting. Our conversation was brief however I came away as impressed by the man  himself as much as I have been by his work over the years. Journalism departments in many universities regard Mr. Fusco’s photo essay “George’s Branch - Kentucky” as a modern classic.

I’m sometimes asked what I was thinking about when I shot a particular image. Oftentimes the answer is something like “Good grief, I’m thinking of oh so many things that I can barely begin to list them all- light, emotion, motion, feeling or a sense of the place, what I’m seeing and want to show as a final image, to say nothing of the technical aspects. I do know however that when I shot this image

I was thinking in particular of one shot of Mr. Fusco’s, a miner coming home with a lunch bucket under his arm and an incredible expression, determination?, on his face. That is one of the rare occasions when I can recall thinking of another image as I shot.

As for style here’s a few more favorites of mine, some older, some weddings and some personal projects.

This one,  shot in Edinburgh, has long been a favorite of mine, it hangs in my gallery. I believe that it’s important to respect one’s subjects and this shot reminds me of the implied consent that many people give when noticing that a camera is pointed at them.

When asked to critique the work of others one of the most common things I notice is that I’m often seeking more information about where, i.e.  I want to see more about the space, or what’s going on around the main event.

Step back a little-tell me more about what’s going on.

Removing oneself both mentally and physically is another little piece of photo advice I offer.

Henri Cartier-Bresson said “The image is good or not from the moment it was created”, that’s constantly in my mind as I edit images, the image is simply good or not, no two ways about it. I won’t hang on to an image thinking I can save it in the post-production. That being said I’m also a big believer in emotion beating sharpness, or technical perfection every, well almost, every, time.

Nope, it’s not terribly sharp and neither is the one below, however I think the motion & the emotion work in both cases.

 An article describing the “Beautification Engine” in the New York Times last week has had me thinking more than a little.The “Beautification Engine”, uses a mathematical formula to alter one’s original form to arrive at a, theoretically, more attractive version…

“the goal was to tackle the challenge of altering a face according to agreed-upon standards of attractiveness”

A few thoughts for Tommer Leyvand, one of the developers of the software and any others who share the need to issue universal standards of beauty;

Who issued this challenge? Moreover, what if I like my face just the way it is?

In my mind I have images of focus groups sitting comfortably around large screens, sipping fancy coffee concoctions determining what’s wrong with my face, or worse my daughter’s face, all of course sponsored by the behemoth Microsoft, good lord I can’t stand their dictionary so why on earth would I accept their definition of beauty?

So is it Microsoft’s or a bunch of 25-40 year old Israelis’ and Germans’ definition of beauty I am skeptical of?

I cannot really decide, both send shudders down my back never mind the very small sampling, 92 females and 33 males - all white!

Seriously, I’ve photographed many brides & grooms, not to mention the attendants and of course the parents, over the last 11 years. Spending more than a few minutes with each as I observe, find and capture their beauty as I photograph them.

Perhaps it’s not always beauty as defined by Madison Ave or Conde Nast or even Lord forbid, Microsoft however I believe, as do many wedding photographers, that “all brides look beautiful on their wedding day”.

Maybe it’s the excitement, maybe it’s joy or happiness, perhaps even a sense of peace. Whatever it is I see it, beauty, every weekend as I photograph bride after bride, irrespective of her age, size or other physical attributes.

Good news: The creators, of the beautification engine, report that they have not yet created a program with a “beauty estimator” for non-white & racial ethnic groups”!

Hey folks go take a wee read here before you get started on those estimators.

The Dove “Real Truth About Beauty” study is based on interviews with considerably more respondents that the one used to fuel the beautification engine 3,200 versus 125, and a much more valid age group 18-64 versus 25-40 and from ten countries as opposed to two.

There is hope: 89% of respondents strongly agree “A woman can be beautiful at any age” and 85% agree, again strongly “every woman has something about her that is beautiful”

As for myself, well there’s a reason that my logo and tagline state, “Capturing Art in Life” here are a few random examples.

Well today I’m feeling just a wee bit chuffed!

Why? Well along with nine other photographers, see list and links below, I have a few images and an interview in a new book just published, “Professional Wedding Photography: Techniques & Images from Master Photographers” by Lou Jacobs, Jr. (Amherst Media).

The Amazon editorial review is below:

Containing interviews with the top 10 wedding studio owners in the country, this indispensable reference offers a variety of opinions on everything from art and business philosophies to scheduling, handling retainers, writing contracts, and executing effective marketing plans. More than 15 images from each pro demonstrate classic and cutting-edge techniques — as well as each photographer’s signature wedding portrait style — and are accompanied by details on recreating the scene. Additional tips on inspiring expressions and moods, modulating lighting, and adjusting composition while keeping clients relaxed during this emotionally-charged event are also included.”

These are some of the, pretty dashed good, photographers I know who are featured in the book;

Andrena, who absolutely floored my sons when she said “Oh yes I shot their album covers!” as they discussed their favorite punk bands.

Jen and Stephen Bebb who to my everlasting regret I didn’t press into service when they came across me shooting a wedding at the Boathouse in Central Park last year.

Jennifer Dery a gracious lady, and a pretty awesome photographer too.

Stacey Kane who helps me represent the East Coast in this book!

John & Dalissa Cooper who are simply not afraid to go out on a limb, any limb will do!

Chenin & Doug Boutwell  One word “Rad”.

Sometimes a bride and groom will bring their own dog to their wedding and have him or her act as their ring-bearer as was the case with Sarah and Adam when they celebrated their wedding at Cairnwood Mansion just outside Philadelphia.

We, my wife & I, have two Labs, Angus and Ivan, both from the same litter and yet as different as chalk and cheese. Angus, pictured below, stays by my side all day long while Ivan prefers to settle into whatever part of the office he is most comfortable in at any given time of the day. I’m sure Angus would come with me to every wedding if given half the chance!

Well I’m sure you don’t need anymore words on the subject of 9/11 from me. So without further ado I’m simply posting a few images for reflection.

All were shot in from the memorial in Bayonne, NJ. As best I can tell the sculpture, was given as a gift from the Russian people to …well turns out nobody wanted it, except the people of Bayonne!

Manhattan Skyline from Bayonne Memorial Park.

These next few were shot last night.

Recently my friend Sheila sent me a message after reading some of my posts. In her message she wrote

“I think the thing that makes photographs so poignant, (and something you capture so well, of course), is that it makes us take the time to really look at something, to look into it further than we ever really give any glimpse of any thing.
Life is fast and photography slows it down enough, so we can catch what we miss, giving us the chance to be touched more deeply by the moment that would and does pass us by. Thanks for slowing the world down enough for me to see it better.
Take care. Sheila”
Well I’ve been thinking a lot about those words, especially yesterday as I left the local library.

I’ve noticed the plaque outside the library here in Bayonne many times. I’ve even read the first two lines on it a few times however I’d never actually slowed down enough to read it!

This gave me cause to look up and take notice of the arch above me.

Thank you Sheila for reminding me to slow down and look.

So who is Uncle Bob and why is he cursed?

For the uninitiated “Uncle Bob” is the name given by wedding photographers to any wedding guest, male or female, who appears at a wedding with either with a bigger, fancier or even Lord forbid, a newer camera than the actual hired photographer or someone who appears to take as many photographs as the aforementioned photographer. Generally speaking though we don’t often see classics like this at weddings. This is a 8X10 field camera and it belongs to Mike, the groom. He’s just come home from honeymoon in Canada and can’t wait to process those negs. I can’t wait to see them myself and despite not having shot any large format film for many years I must confess to just experiencing just a twinge of “lens envy”.

Some photographers may be not always be happy when they see “Uncle Bob’s” big fancy, read expensive, new equipment, can you say “lens envy”?

So what’s wrong with that and why is he cursed?

Absolutely nothing at all and “Uncle Bob” is not cursed despite those few photographers who may say inwardly or outwardly

1. He’s in my way, he’s in everybody’s’ way and he’s distracting.

2. His behavior is disrespectful and people will think he’s with me

3. He’s stealing my shots, i.e. profits

Here’s a quickie multiple choice question for you all;

When confronted by wedding guests with cameras do you

a). Throw a hissy fit demanding that he put down the camera or else you’ll go home declaring all contracts null and void?

b). Wear a sandwich board that states “he’s NOT with ME”?

c). None of the above?

d). All of the above?

From high school days you’ll know that the correct answer is of course c).

Or you can simply consider any or all of the following;

Make them part of the shot.

Wait for them to move, even in rare cases asking them to move.

Move yourself and re-frame the shot from a different position.

Talk to him, obtain his cooperation for those times when he might actually be a distraction.

Most photographers who have been around the block have learned how to deal with the phenomenon of “Uncle Bob” recognizing opportunity when we see guests with cameras and just get on with doing the job we were hired to do, namely finding images. Have fun!

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Jacqueline & Mark’s wedding last month.

This couple as well as their families and friends were an absolute hoot to work with all day long.

We started at “On the Avenue” then went on to “Terrace in the Sky” where the ceremony and reception took place.

As a photographer I simply could not have asked for more, great locations, wonderful people, and super light to work with all day long.

Jacqueline & Mark just couldn’t stop smiling all day long.

Jacqueline’s class were also in attendance.

Told you, they just couldn’t stop smiling!

This young fellow was having a hoot shooting also. Competition? Well it keeps me on my toes.

As did this active young bunch.

“Chapter Two?”

It was a pleasure. Want to do it again?

Beach weddings are challenging and despite the heat, the bright sun & lack of shade they are also a lot fun to shoot. Diana & Svetlan were married on the beach by the Lighthouse in Cape May, NJ last Saturday.

The wedding was small in terms of the number of guests however neither emotion nor great images were in short supply.
A short slideshow of images can be viewed here. http://georgeweirphotography.com/shows/Diana_Svetlan/