| “Fine Art Wedding Photography,” by Jose Villa & Jeff Kent. Publisher: Amphoto Books (2011).
In the interest of full disclosure, let me be clear from the outset: I have never been particularly fond of weddings. I mean, what have weddings ever done for me except result in an ex-wife, staggeringly decreased finances and hefty payments to my divorce attorney? But, my antipathy for the ceremony surrounding wedlock actually goes back much further: like many aspiring pros, when I started out as a photographer I shot a few weddings because it sounded like it would be easy money. I’m not sure in retrospect if it was dealing with the drunks and obnoxious relatives, or catering to umpteen requests for cheesy set-ups, but somehow the message came through to me loud and clear that shooting weddings would definitely not be my destiny in the photography business.
Fortunately, times and styles change, and wedding photography has gone through a radical transformation from rigid grip-and-grins and often embarrassing poses to truly creative, artistic photography that embraces everything from cutting-edge compositional and processing techniques to intriguing shooting environments as well as a fair dose of humor. Within this new age of wedding photography Jose Villa is a superstar: he’s the go-to guy for couples who want truly memorable images from their special event, as well as an in-demand teacher who shares his knowledge and techniques with aspiring shooters who pay thousands of dollars to attend his workshops in such exotic ports-of-call as Tuscany and Jalisco, Mexico.
Villa, a strong proponent of simplicity and using natural light whenever possible, has created a working style that owes as much to the traditions of both fine art and lifestyle stock photography as to the editorial look popular in 1950s and 60s fashion magazines. He strives for “realness” and although the technical information he shares in the opening sections of the book are certainly quite useful, it is getting inside the head of someone who has almost single-handedly created the “fine art approach” to wedding photography that makes this book indispensible.
In sections such as “Direction,” for example, he points out that unlike the old-school approach to weddings he doesn’t pose people “so much as directing – putting people in the right situation and then making images when it feels right. The goal is to create images in which people don’t look posed.” The 140 photos that accompany the book’s text support this thesis: Villa’s imagery consistently employs a loosey-goosey, spur-of-the-moment look, but the thought process behind it is anything but casual.
In the intriguing second chapter of the book, “The Stages of the Day,” Villa traces the entire progression with a client from beginning (engagement) to end (cocktail hour and reception), discusses his personal approach to each phase and points out how it all ties together both for successful pictures and maximum sales. In “Getting Ready,” for example, he says that “When everyone is getting ready, there is a nervous energy. I try to easy myself into the situation, capture some scene-setting images, and set a fun, collaborative tone for the rest of the day. If I do this successfully, we’ll have a great day and make wonderful photographs. If I don’t, it will be a loooooong day.” It’s fascinating to follow this process, and as you do so you come to understand that it is Villa’s unwavering empathy for his subjects that contributes greatly to his success.
Of course, Jose Villa hasn’t reached the pinnacle of wedding photography just by being a proficient, highly intuitive photographer: he’s also a whip-smart business person, employing every trick in the book (a thoroughly professional website, relationships with wedding planners and vendors, getting published in magazines, placing images in blogs) to secure his positioning at the high end of wedding shooters. His discussion of the business aspects of fine art wedding photography makes the book’s final chapter truly invaluable, especially his candid discussion of prices and how to raise them.
Look, I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get married again. But, what I do know after reading “Fine Art Wedding Photography” is that if that time ever comes, I want Jose Villa there to shoot it!
reviewed by phh
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