The out-of-town photographer

Last month I worked with a photographer who was from out of town and wanted to take pictures of the bride and groom after the ceremony, since they were not going to see each other before the big walk down the aisle. This sounds pretty traditional, but this particular photographer wanted over an hour for pictures of just the bride and groom (not including bridal party or families). I had to explain to this professional that the reception was only three hours long so we could not possibly dedicate an entire hour to a portrait session of the bride and groom.
This is just one example of the issues that I’ve found with the sudden outbreak of New Orleans brides bringing in photographers from other parts of the country. For the most part, I find that the brides are picking these out-of-town photographers in order to gain the fresh eye that he/she brings to the table. Often times, I hear brides say that they want something different from the photos on the websites of some New Orleans photographers, being that they can appear cookie-cutter or “insert bride here,” as I like to say. By bringing in a person who does not shoot in the church or reception venue with the same city background every weekend, you get to see a new perspective in turn making your pictures seem fresh, new or different.
While the fresh eye is a perk, some may rather the carbon copy of the wedding prior to theirs if it means they don’t have to spend 5 hours taking pictures before the reception or wake up at 7am in order to be ready 5 hours prior to their ceremony.
Some people may not get this, but New Orleans has its own way of doing everything, especially weddings. We are not representative of a traditional “Southern” wedding and we know we do not have any similarities to the way it’s done up North. We do it the way we do it here in New Orleans; plain and simple.
There’s a definite protocol or formula to a New Orleans wedding, and having a local means having someone who understands the sensitive time restraints that we are working with. The locals also understand the geographic time in which to travel and how to get from Uptown to Downtown in only 3 minutes when it takes the bridal party (with police escorts) 10 minutes.
We do not often have an hour of cocktails, a two hour seated dinner and then a 3 hour reception which would allow a photographer plenty of time to play with poses and creative range. In New Orleans we have three to four hour receptions, most of time. So the photographer has a certain amount of time prior to the ceremony to take the bride’s pictures with her bridesmaids and family members, the groom’s pictures with his groomsmen and family members and then after the ceremony there’s a 30 minute window to take the bride and groom with the entire bridal party and family members. In some cases, when taking pictures in the church, the photographers are only granted 15 minutes for said pictures before the “church lady” rushes us out.
In the Big Easy, part of the nature of the beast is being able to get the job done in a timely manner without rushing the bride and groom all the while still being creative and getting the perfect shot. Although some of the out-of-town talent that I’ve seen did the research and learned how to adjust to the New Orleans way, my suggestion for the girls out there who want something “different” is to dive into the local pool and meet with your photographer. Talk to him or her about what is visually important to you. There are cons to some of the photographers who do weddings here every weekend, but most of the time their attitudes and inabilities to be flexible are where they fall short, but being creative and capturing what you want in the creative way that you want it is something that can be fixed with a simple conversation.
Before you rush out to pay double the price for a photographer that may make you miss half of your special day, dig deeper into the locals who are just as great as the “fresh eye” you think you’ll be bringing in. Sometimes they just need a push to realize how far they can stretch their imaginations. And for the local shutterbugs who aren’t willing to get more creative and less rigid, you can find another photographer just around the corner who has the experience to know that this industry is ever changing, the courage to take risks when it comes to his or her creativity and the flexibility to roll with the punches.