Wedding Photography Now!: A Fresh Approach to Shooting Modern Nuptials (Lark Photography Book) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I don't like the book's name as it's not descriptive. It is accurate as the book is (c) 2008 and I'm writing this in 2008. But so much is changing in wedding photography, in 2 years the "NOW!" will be out of date.

This book is admittedly pretty thin and generic (and maybe deserves only 3-4 stars because of it), and is geared to those with at least some photographic expertise starting out in digital wedding photography (I don't recall film being mentioned). This book's main focus is to give an advanced amateur photographer new to weddings a high level walk-through of the shooting and production side of the wedding photography business, so be advised I rated it a 5 based on it's reaching that goal. I appreciate the author's viewpoint that just because the photojounalistic style is currently all in vogue with photographers (and certainly used by the author), it is not the end-all-be-all for your customers (read that bride+mom) who want it all - traditional as well as tasteful "modern" approaches in their wedding shots. The author does a decent job of showing that blending.

I would summarize it as a wedding week "overview workflow" on what kind of shots to get, how to get them, and how to deal with the individuals you're photographing. Search Amazon on "photography workflow" and 99% of what you'll get is Lightroom/Photoshop workflow books. This one is a "shots workflow", but it's NOT a bullet list of what photos to take - it's more of an idea book to spark your imagination a little (and has given me a few new ideas I'll probably be unconsciously using as I shoot weddings). Like the title says - "A Fresh Approach" to help knock the dust off...

If that's what you're looking for, then this is a good book and worth the price. It is not intended to be very deep - and please understand it is not deep. As a photographer who used to shoot weddings, got out of the business, and 2 decades later is getting back in to it, these kind of books serve to update my vision from the purely traditional approach I come from. Also works as a coffee-table book - that's not a dig - the author has some interesting shots.

Did I learn anything new? Not really. But it was a quick fun read which was worth the price of admission. I would rate it as being on par with Step-by-Step Wedding Photography: Techniques for Professional Photographers by Damon Tucci. A better book on the subject (or at least one which is a little more in depth) is Digital Wedding Photography: Capturing Beautiful Memories by Glen Johnson.

I like them all as I am seeking multiple modern viewpoints that go into more depth than 50,000 foot overview books which feature 10 or more sample photographers. I just wish I could find a wedding photography book that was actually geared to the advanced professional level.

See my other reviews for similar (subject-related) books.

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I've read many books that are supposed to serve as an introduction to wedding photography for serious amateurs or budding professionals. This is the best book that I have found.

1. This book is comparatively slim at 128 pages. Most of the other wedding photography books weigh in at over 200 pages; however, most other wedding photography books are also completely overloaded with filler material that is common knowledge to anyone but an absolute photography beginner (and absolute beginners shouldn't be in a position to photograph a wedding to start with). This book for example, spends only 18 pages talking about all of the equipment you'll need and gives only the details you have to know to make an informed decision about cameras, lenses, maintainence, flashes, computers, software, etc. This leaves more time for learning about how to take the pictures and isn't filled with useless paragraphs explaining how "cases and bags help protect camera equipment" like many other wedding photography books.

2. The first sign of an amateur when asking about how to recreate a photograph they see is "What shutter speed/aperture/ISO did you use?", as if by dialing in certain combinations of these parameters, a beautiful picture will suddenly emerge. Most authors will prominently label every picture in the book with their camera settings without offering any other insight into how they composed the shot. This information is useless to anyone who has more than the most basic understanding of camera function and already knows how to properly exposure a photograph. What I want to know is how the composition is formed, and this book delivers.

3. This book offers lots of tips on how to interact with people at the wedding, which is probably more important of a skill than anything having to do with your camera. Included are tips in getting the bride and groom to "loosen up" so that portraits look more natural. And by tips, I mean the author gives step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow.

This book is the best wedding photography introduction I've seen and is recommended to anyone who already understands the effect of aperture on the depth of focus, for example, and wants tips they can actually use to apply their photography skills to wedding photography.

This little book was a fun, informative read. It's definitely for beginners, and gave a lot of basic tips on wedding photography and highlights on specific post processing techniques. It includes a nice amount of information for a meager investment. While my photography experience is above the level of this book, I think this book would be a nice addition to a beginner's library.