Wedding Photography

gellie3t

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I am going to be going to school to study photography. My major is going to be portraiture and wedding photography. I have the opportunity to minor in another field which will compliment and enhance my area of specialization. My choices are:
advertising and commercial photo.
editorial and corporate photo.
photo journalism
digital arts
fine art photo.-black and white
fine art photo.-color
documentary photo.
architectural photo.
fashion photo.

Which area of study would give me a deeper yet unique understanding of my major area of concentration?
 
I personally think you need it ALL. But if you have to decide, I think choosing classes that take photos that have no "faces" (i.e. architecture and landscape and the like) would be a good to rule out. I might would drop the fine arts things too because I'm just guessing that you'll do very few "fine art weddings". Probably the best class (IMO) would be the photo journalism class. This will teach you how to capture the story behind the event. I am just speaking out of personal experience (and I do not shoot many weddings - I am more of a corporate photographer), of my wedding shots, 20% are posed, 10% are ceremony, 10% are "fillers" (my term for the cake, rings, table settings and other general "people-less" photos) and the 60% are PJ. Capturing people interact with each other.

"Real" wedding pro's will probably have their own views on this, and rightfully so. I'd listen to them.
 
I'd go for the business end of things. You can be a great photographer, but if your business and salesmanship skills are lacking, so will your business. ;) Consider the rest of that to be independent study.
 
I'd go for the business end of things. You can be a great photographer, but if your business and salesmanship skills are lacking, so will your business.

Second that! (I didn't even consider that... business should BE the major!)
 
As I have mentioned on MANY threads, you must have business management to compete in the marketplace and survive. A average shooter can make a good living with management and marketing skills. An exceptionally talented photographer will struggle without said skills.
 
I agree.

To be a successful wedding and/or portrait photographer, you will need just as many or more business skills as photographic skills.
 
Well since businees was not one of the choices you presented (although I do agree that having a good business sense would be a big help in any wedding business) I think photojournalism or fine-art phoography would help if your interests anly lie in being a better weding photographer. On that note are they giving you any business intruction in your weding photography teaching I would imagine that might be a part of any curriculum depending on the schol you go to. By the way what school are you going to that offers programs like those???.
 
I am applying to the New England School of Photography. Business courses are intertwined into the curriculum for both the first and second years.
Thank you for your feedback.
 
I'm not contain how photojournalism and documentary photography would differ, but in today's market, either would absolutely compliment wedding photography. In all three areas, one would have to quickly sum up a situation, make fast decisions, and then get the image while it's available... sometimes within seconds.

Let us know what you decide. Good luck!

-Pete
 

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