subject: Wedding Photography Past And Present [print this page] In its very broadest sense wedding photography is just any form of photography which relates in any way at all to weddings. As such it might include any photos taken of a couple, either together or indeed separately, prior to the event for the purpose of such things as invitations, or photos taken at the reception following the marriage ceremony.
We are however inclined to think mostly in terms of those still group shots which record the actual wedding, taken at the venue at which the marriage vows were made. The place where rows of people in smart suits and finest dresses pose grinning for the camera and metaphorically, maybe even literally, saying cheese.
Like every art form photography has evolved down through the years. An early wedding photograph of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is believed to have been taken in 1854, in other words some fourteen years after the marriage itself took place. If this is true, it will have been a re-creation made specifically for the camera due to the fact that there hadnt been a photographer present at the actual event. The photographic medium had, after all, been invented only recently in 1826. In fact such a practice was rather common, and it wasnt until considerably later in the 1860s that wedding photographs generally came to be taken at the weddings themselves.
Because of the burdensome logistics involved with early wedding photography it tended at the beginning to be limited only to a single photograph of the happy couple. Only later did it become standard practice to include group shots of all the family and friends.
In spite of the fact that colour photography came into use in the early twentieth century, its prohibitive cost meant that for several decades black and white remained the norm. At the same time improved technology and more portable equipment, together with lower costs, inspired the practice of photographers turning up to weddings uninvited and taking their own pictures which they would then try to sell on to the participants. It was this aggressive competition which finally persuaded the experts within the industry to leave their studios behind and to offer on-site services themselves.
In todays modern digital age photography is much more accessible and affordable than in the past, but with the wedding still being such a special and unique event in any persons life it remains usual to hire a professional specifically for the purpose. With location being such a significant factor some local knowledge is considered to be an asset, and so for instance someone requiring wedding photography in Devon is likely to specifically request a Devon wedding photographer to undertake the job.
