John. In all sincerity, make an app with your "10 poses". just having it available as an app to have on hand at all times would be a no brainer purchase.
I agree with you. These photos are forever. Them moment how they got there will be forgotten. But at the end of the day these photos make you money for your business. I think documenting the day is for someone's cousin with a camera.
He John, great tips. Soon i have a wedding to shoot, gone use your awesome tips. I let you known....thanks again., love your work. Happy to work someday together...
Preach it! Let’s be real, SO MANY “photojournalistic” togs simply do not know the basics of light. They won’t shut off the overheads and those mixed temps are a nightmare to edit. Clients have no idea where to turn for best light, etc. A pro wedding tog needs to be a planner, a psychiatrist and more to be successful. So glad to hear you teaching the way things really are.
The trick is to pose the people at the wedding without showing that it is a posed photo, let me explain: for example the photos that John used of the groom in the window, those photos John placed the groom in the window and gave him instructions of how to pose, the photo gives the impression that the cufflinks are being buttoned, but it was posed and thus throughout the wedding moments are being assembled
@@jbivphotography Thanks for your like! I like your content! Besides, you are the culprit that I sold all my Nikon equipment and bought a Fuji XT3 haha
I'm just starting out in photography and I asked a friend if she would let me take some pics of her brothers wedding as practice. They already hired a professional photographer. My natural instinct was to be the 'fly on the wall' and not get in the way of the actual photographer or be too present in the wedding. For some reason I was afraid I would be a nuisance haha. But guests were pulling me from all directions to take their picture and didn't know what to do with themselves until I gave them some direction. I got some wonderful candid shots of the wedding which my friends and her family absolutely loved. Next time I will most definitely be more confident and assertive to get the shot I want .
I love your philosophy and work, John. But I don't think you're right about this. In my opinion, the best moments are nothing to do with the photographer. A wedding is not a photoshoot - it's a celebration of two peoples love. I'm not a “fly on the way”; I'm an extrovert that talks to everyone. Guests sometimes ask if I go way back with the couple because we're that comfortable around each other. I can pose people, but I believe every direction you give on the day is taking away your clients autonomy. Some people want that, and others don't. Your style in these example photos isn't candid, and that's fine. But your way isn't better than being completely hands-off; it's just different.
I agree 100%. I’m a big fan of John’s work and left Canon for Fuji because of his great work, however this video did not sit well with me in that you can tell a true authentic image vs a staged candid moment. I do cookie cutter images myself because the clients expect to see them e.g cuff link shots but those aren’t true moments. In the end he gets the win because he has clients that are interested in his product.
It depends. You make it seem like he ruined the day. At the end of the day. It's about the bride and groom and trust me.. those photos are better to have them not to have. This is a question for brides. Ask them if they would rather have a chaotic sparkler run or something nice. If you don't deliver what they expect.. get ready for the let down
@@codymckinney4934 this is a blast from the past. Yeah, Cody. I totally agree that John in no way ruined his couples day. Just that, in my humble opinion, the most amazing moments do “just happen”. I’m a lot more hands off than John, but I have no issue posing a couple. It’s just a different way of working. I love Johns work, he’s mega talented and seems to be a genuinely kind and personable guy. Apologies if it seemed like I was shiting on his work.
Haven’t even watched yet but this weekend will be my second Friday Saturday wedding weekend with all my Sony gear! Two XT4’s are about to lay the smack down lol so many people asking if I’m shooting film now 🤣 Now to watch the video!
Your tips are really amazing, can you give me a diploma? I feel like I just graduated in a wedding photography college after watching all of your videos!
Question, They say 70-100mm is the most flattering to the human face. When is it appropriate to use a wide lens like in your photos and when to use a longer lens during weddings?
I’ve never really concerned myself with picking “the most flattering” focal length but more so how the photo ends up feeling. Because of this I generally use focal lengths based on what’s most functional and also what I want for the look of my photo. So basically you can use whatever focal length you would like to whenever. Obviously there are times like during the ceremony where you’re probably going to shoot longer more often and then in tighter rooms you’ll shoot more wide.
I got a lot from this, great approach. Thanks also for the pointer to Unscripted - finally a useful app for posing pointers with prompts - some are a bit much for us brits but I can just change the words I use 😁. Make the cool stuff happen 👍 Great video.
You tell couples and wedding parties that you "mainly like to shoot candid" ... but then you DON'T do that. Amazing moments definitely do happen, but you come with the mindset that they don't. Let's be honest: while this video has useful tips, they are not tips "for getting great candid moments". I think the concept of staged candids or moments is deceptive. You're trying to use the language of photojournalism/reportage, without actually doing that type of work. Call it what it is: a posed picture, a set-up picture, or a portrait, ... not a moment, not a candid. Your philosophy is valid and practical, and it delivers consistent results. Many (perhaps most) clients will appreciate it! However, it's wrong to tell other photographers that they "have to do this" and that it's their "job". You're essentially saying that your style is the one true & correct style -- the one that other photographers must follow or fail at their "job". Also, by directing so much, telling the couple what they "should do", even directing the guests, you're changing the couple's wedding day experience, tilting it toward a photo shoot styled by you. Some couples will prefer that, but some won't. You can advocate for your style while recognizing that some photographers are genuinely good at real candids (not set-up fake "candids") and that some couples prefer a less directed approach. Sometimes capturing the less-than-perfect happenings or the messy room is a more authentic approach - better reportage and more faithful to the memory of the day. I'm not saying that fly-on-the-wall-completely hands-off is the one correct way. Just saying there's more than one correct way to do this.
While a lot you say here is very valid however, it doesn’t have the full context of how I actually shoot during the day. Generally when I talk about staging photos or moments it’s only in a small portion of the day. I don’t do this throughout the whole day “guiding” their experience. Also, from when I started photography I was struggling to keep up with wedding days and they always felt SUPER stressful and I see a lot of newer photographers feeling like this as well. So it’s less of you “HAVE to do my style” and more so you have to be confident enough to speak up to tell someone to move out of the way so it’s a good photo. You have to be on top of communication to let your couple know to tell their bridal party to keep the getting ready area clean so that the photos look nice. You can’t let the day take control of your photography and approach which usually leads to being in a position where a client isn’t happen and you’re trying to explain to them “well it’s not my fault because X”. But thank you for your feedback and information here. I’ve just in my 7 years have found that taking a 100% fly on the wall approach usually gets photographers burned in the end because clients don’t really understand, they just want the good photos. And if we don’t come with the good photos they’ll blame us no matter if something actually caused us not to get it. It’s OUR jobs to make sure we’re getting the best of the day not blaming the circumstances on outside factors.
It's hard because no one knows the name of the Fujifilm ambassador program so it sounds like I don't shoot Fujifilm anymore. But really is a Fujifilm X-Photographer.
@@jbivphotography Servers gonna serve. Monday morning when everybody logs into work is a troublesome time. If possible it's always convenient to start a private/unlisted upload while you sleep and have a fully ready video by morning. Not super important for these smaller videos but anyone doing 30+ min 4k videos knows the struggle and that's the strat. But then you rob the boiz of the 360p claim... There's always a trade off lol