Traditional vs Photojournalism

Our photography styles: Photojournalism vs Traditional shooting styles

I'm old and wise enough to see the need for both, especially when it comes to weddings. Photojournalism is all the rage right now and once I'm in that 'paparazzi mode', I hate to slip back out of it, but I do so for a few reasons:

1) It's a cheat sheet of V.I.P.s. After scheduling a wedding shoot or family reunion shoot, I get a list of important people from my clients, but it's nigh impossible to remember that many names and faces. When I'm posing people, it's a quick way for me to acquire and memorize names and descriptions and be more independent during a shoot.
2) You will always have shots with everyone in them.
3) Traditional shots will never go out of style
3) Your mother will thank you :)

That being said, we'll photograph almost anything you want, but the bulk of the work we enjoy doing is photojournalism. There are so many beautifully mundane moments that we take for granted that usually end up being our favorite shots. A split second of expression or emotion becomes an award winning image - and that's one of the major advantages of a professional photojournalist - We don't make you put on a fake smile and say 'cheese'. In fact, most of the shots we take are done so quickly and quietly that you won't know we're even there until you review your images and they capture the real anticipation, the joy, the sadness and the laughter of an event - from every angle.

Photojournalism is telling a story with pictures and the best analogy I can come up with is the "nuff said" Marvel Comics issues from a few years back in which an entire comic book was created without a single word bubble. The character expressions and sceneries told the story so well that they weren't missed and they ended up as the most heartfelt and memorable issues I've ever read. You knew what was happening and more importantly, why it was happening.

Q: We want pictures of both the bride and groom getting ready. How is this possible?
A: Larger wedding packages include either a photography assistant or second shooter. We highly recommend selecting a second shooter package to capture images from an alternate angle, to focus on events occurring off-camera and to photograph both the bride and groom preparations at the same time. It's worth it for the preparations alone, as these become some of the most emotional moments throughout the entire shoot. The advice given from father to son, the tears of the mother, the frenzy to get ready in time - Don't discount these types of shots, they're truly incredible.

Q: But....I'll be in my undergarments! I'm too shy for that!
A: your wedding is your special day. If having a photographer present while you prepare will create discomfort, then by all means, kick us out :) On the bright side, if gender is the issue, my second shooter is always a female, my partner Sarah. But if you think you can deal with having a photographer present, then by all means do so - preparation shots are just amazingly emotional moments that we'd hate to skip.

Q: Should we do the traditional bridal and bride/groom shots the day of the wedding?
A: You'd be surprised, with all of the last minute preparations, the ceremony, the dinner and dozens of other events how quickly time will fly. Pictures of the bridal couple should be a romantic and touching moment, free of tension and stress. Accomplishing that on the actual wedding day is rough.

What we recommend is a 2 hour portrait session in the days prior to, or following a wedding ceremony. We offer a nice 'trash the dress' session for the more adventurous among us as well, or we can do any number of on location shoots. Las Vegas and surrounding areas is a magical place with an endless amount of sights to see. Some neat ideas would be Hoover Dam, the Las Vegas sign, the strip, Fremont Street, Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Lake Mead, your home, or even one of the old west 'ghost towns' that dot southern Nevada and make for a memorable shoot.

While we offer an optional lighted studio shoot, it's my personal belief that photography is an art and good photography should always have a purpose and tell a story. On location shoots have this dynamic feel to them where anything can and does happen. What story does a boring muslin backdrop tell?

An example of the random occurrences of location shooting is a session we did up in the Rocky Mountains on a February night. A wild red fox came out of nowhere and joined us for some photography. This is such a rare event, as wild animals are usually terrified of humans, but here was this little guy coming within three feet of us without attacking or running away. He became our living prop for a bit and then began to slink off. I had wanted some more shots of him, so I called him back - and he came back and stayed for a few more minutes until we left!

So do yourself a huge favor and pump those creative juices when picking out a spot for your shoot. The more crazy the idea, the more we're going to love it. But no sky diving shots unless you're willing to pay obscene amounts of money - I'm not scared of great heights and I'm not scared of falling, but I'm scared of falling from great heights ;)

- Deacon Out