Another wedding photo is possible

Shun cliché; never force the pose; look for a natural, spontaneous, unrepeatable image. Change is afoot in wedding photography. A new generation of photographers is offering a fresh kind of image, where the important thing is to immortalize emotion, avoiding the usual kiss on the lawn, the toast, the mechanical portrayal of bride's hairdo, bride's flowers and bride's little niece.

The third International Wedding Photographers Congress met until last Thursday in Madrid, bringing together more than 200 professionals from several countries. The aim was to achieve an image that is relaxed yet artistic: a trend that is already established in the US, and beginning to catch on in Spain.

The new cliché-free style is like a Dogma movement for nuptial photography

Fran Russo has only been a professional for four years, but has already made a name for himself in "nuptial photo-journalism."

"I have become the photographer I didn't have at my own wedding," he admits, though he defends freedom of choice and the value of all differing styles of work, because each kind has its fans. "There are customers who want a photo on the bridge, and this is perfectly respectable." Russo explains that he meets the couple first, to get to know them: "I earn their confidence; they often tell me things such as how they met."

Andrés Parro is another pioneer of this style. He prefers natural light, and rejects retouching, artifice, and rigid poses. It's a sort of Dogma movement for wedding photography, making allowance for differences, of course. Two years ago Parro created UnionWep, a directory of 60 photographers who offer a style that is creative "and even a touch freaky."

The register also seeks to "dignify the role of the wedding photographer, who is often thought of as playing in the minor leagues," unlike fashion, sports or photo-journalism.

Javier Martín is from Zaragoza, and has been doing wedding photography for 18 years. He attended workshops to update his style and "offer something different from everyone else." According to Parro "there is no crisis" for those wedding photographers who are able to get away from the stiff image in sepia, and give the customer a novel product that is ever more in demand and costly. A set of natural nuptial snaps sets a couple back by 2,000 euros on average, some 500 euros more than the traditional variety, though it can cost as much as 4,000 euros. Parro justifies the price: "After the wedding, the shoes go into a box, the dress into a closet, the banquet leftovers into the dog's dish. It's the photos that last."