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| Story ID: | 2135 |
| Written by: | Carol J Garriott (bio, link, contact, other stories) |
| Organization: | home/retired |
| Story type: | Musings, Essays and Such |
| Location: | Austin Texas USA |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Person: | Photographers |
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I’ve been told I notice the oddest things. Well, I guess that’s not too bad--at least I’m not creating the odd things. At this stage of my life, more or less in retirement, I can say: There’s a lot of odd in the world. Take wedding announcements in the paper for instance. I suppose being an inveterate photographer accounts for my interest in photographs in general. I’ve even been the official wedding photographer for friends on occasion, and believe me, it’s one of the toughest assignments one can take on. Among the challenges: Children are dashing hither and yon and one is hard put not to have a blurred flower girl image smack in the middle of the bride and groom cutting the cake. Then there is the immediacy of the reception events--it sort of takes away from the spontaneous joy of the occasion to have to retake a shot gone bad. It’s always fun to look for creative shots of the bride preparing for the ceremony. A favorite of mine is to get the bride reflected in a mirror. One time I took an extra photo with myself, the photographer, in the mirror as well. Another beautiful wedding took place in the Rose Garden in Austin, Texas. Spectacular spots for photos were everywhere: a little stream tumbled down the hillside, with rustic bridges and walkways winding about. I was so focused, so to speak, on the drop-dead gorgeous bride, that several shots of the happy couple had the groom partially obscured by foliage. One particularly scenic shot by a pool nearly omitted him altogether. Thank goodness I prevailed, and got other, very nice, shots of the two. Pre-digital days made for hazards, as you would not be sure of what you captured until everything was developed. Now, those photos accompanying wedding announcements: take a look next Sunday and see what you think. I understand the desire to have the bride’s left hand, with her exquisite new rings, displayed prominently. But surely a professional photographer could coach the arrangement of such in a natural way? Sometimes it almost appears as if the bride is in the process of making an obscene gesture or that her arm is in the late stages of irreversible carpal tunnel. Aiming for variety and uniqueness of pose, I suppose, accounts for at least one photo each week depicting the bride lying down. Here she is, hair done fancy, tiara and veil in place, attired in bead-encrusted gown, and she’s on her back, propped on her elbows, with head and neck jutting upwards in a most unappealing way. Or she’s lying sideways on left elbow, allowing hand with those rings, to clutch her chin, angles all wrong and dress and body at odds with each other. One has to wonder: What were they thinking?! I must confess that my favorites are those that picture the bride AND groom. I’ve always wondered about the predominance of bride only. It is, after all, a duet. Ah well, so it goes. The important things are that the bride is pretty, the dress beautiful, the groom is proud, and nobody falls face down in the punch. |
