 *disclaimer - none of the people in these pictures were actually miserable. They were all very happy actually.
My face is upside down
I sometimes naturally have what’s termed as RBF (resting bitch face), yes even though I’m a man who’s actually genuinely happy my face doesn’t always know it. Apparently it's an affliction that men suffer from too.
Take a picture of me reading, listening to someone, doing normal things and chances are I’ll look disinterested, furious or bored - even though I’m not. I can’t sit around with a permanent grin on my face at all times, people would think I’m taking the piss.
Ironically I know I look happy when I’m doing something that makes me happy, obviously I would...wouldn’t I? When I’m listening, or reading or talking to people I do smile but timing is the key factor in pictures, otherwise it's "Jeeessss you're a right miserable git"
Flip that on its head and get someone telling me they are about to take a picture of me doing any of these activities and I’ll fluctuate between tight lipped grimace (trying to look happy but not insane), or full on open mouth idiot smile (like I’m waiting for someone to deposit a bowling ball down my gullet).
wtf has that got to do with wedding pictures?
Timing, that's what. Unless you're one of those ridiculously lucky people who has a cheery looking face all of the time through good genetic stuff, then generally speaking you're probably going to look bored, or miserable or disinterested in pictures - even when you're actually not.
So yeah, timing is a huge thing with wedding pictures, unless of course you get someone who tells you they're going to take your picture (a traditional wedding photographer), in which case be prepared for a sore face from trying to smile for ages, and a fair few Wallace & Grommet grins. Yep, chances are in most of your pictures there'll be no actual character there, none of your real smile that people recognise as your real happy smile - just you looking a bit 'meh' (or grinning like an insane idiot, or a tight lipped chicken)
I say this a lot - taking pictures, the technical element of being a photographer is a doddle. 'People' are the hard part, that's what really sifts the great wedding photographers from the not-so-greats. What's that song..."It 'aint what you do, its the way that you do it, that's what gets results" - never a truer word spoken. You being relaxed and camera unaware, giving someone like me the split second opportunity are key points of proper relaxed wedding photography.
The actual point?
The photographer makes all the difference, a split second separates wildly happy from thoroughly miserable in pictures.
If you don't want RBF pictures of you on your wedding day, you need me. That's my point ;)
