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When Marin Ping, a visual artist in Chelsea, was planning her City Hall wedding this past spring, she had the feeling that New York City photographer Millie Elangbam would be the right person to visually document this milestone.
“We loved her street style, the way she had an eye for portraying human moments and describing the people more than the event,” said Ping. “And, because our family is spread out wide and far, we wanted these photos to communicate how important the day was and provide context of where we live and what our life is like.”
Elangbam spent the day shooting photos from the time Ping and her now-husband Shaun Arora arrived at City Hall in the morning until early afternoon when the three descended the steps to the subway. Ping and Arora’s favorites: snapshots taken at their beloved neighborhood park, their favorite pizza shop and one taken while they sat on their stoop with their neighbors.
A photographer who could capture sentimental moments in a newsier style aligned with what Arora was looking for, too.
“I’m very camera shy and I get awkward when someone takes my picture,” Arora said. “This was an entirely different experience because I didn’t have to sit for photos that felt posed or staged.”
Turns out, more and more couples are skipping traditional posed photo sessions and opting, instead, for lifted-from-a-magazine shoots, documentary-esque images, paparazzi-style red carpet moments and photos that depict the ‘realness’ of the moment.
Authenticity has become a major priority for today’s brides and grooms, says Charmi Pena, a photographer based in Princeton, NJ, who regularly shoots weddings in New York City.
“Couples are looking for photos that will reflect how they felt in the moment on that day,” Pena said. “They want to be able to look at their photos later and feel like they feel real.”
Telling a couple’s story has always been a priority for Kari Bjorn, a West Hartford, Conn., photographer, who says he’s hired for at least 40 weddings a year in the New York City metro area thanks to his focus on what he calls “sincere storytelling.”
“In this one day, you take thousands of photos, so I make it a goal to do an authentic and truthful documentation of the day,” he said. “This means I prioritize the important moments over the stiffness of a formal photo shoot.”
In fact, it’s capturing the ‘in-between moments’ between family and friends that couples end up getting the most excited about, Pena said.
This happens often when Pena shoots traditional Indian weddings. “The big moment happens at the end when the couple says goodbye to their families,” she said. “The music and emotions and traditional history is right there and, while the couple is feeling the feels of ‘my life is different now,’ I’m behind the camera doing my best to not join them in the crying!”
“The images your photographer shoots are going to be the thing that preserves the emotion and authenticity of the day.”
NYC photographer Jennifer Weisbord
It’s those times when a couple is immersed in the moment that a skilled documentary-style photographer will seize upon.
“I look for those times when the couple is feeling the weight of the day,” Pena said. “These are the images couples end up loving the most.”
If you’re interested in hiring a wedding photographer who can produce this kind of documentary-style shoot, be sure to ask for a full day of images, beyond that person’s Instagram feed, which only represents their ‘best of the best’ shots.
“Ask to see the whole wedding and not just the highlights,” Pena said, adding that she typically sends clients five examples of these when they reach out to book an initial consultation since this demonstrates her technical and lighting skills, too. “You don’t want to just see the highlights—you want to see what they can do, solidly, to carry your emotions through for an entire day.”
Also, meet with your photographer in person and assess the photographer’s vibe by spending a little time with them.
“You want your wedding photographer to be able to create a relaxed environment for you both,” said Jennifer Weisbord, a New York City photographer who began her career at The Post, working there for a decade, honing her documentary style. “After all, the images your photographer shoots are going to be the thing that preserves the emotion and authenticity of the day — so make sure they can make that happen for you and help you stay calm in the process.”
