The Best of Wedding Photojournalism: Techniques and Images from the Pros

This trade seems to be flooded with newcomers, and there's a number of authors that are taking advantage of them with publications of all kinds that are high on promise, yet weak on content. This book is NOT one of them. Profiling the techniques and personal philosophies of the trade's top photographers, it offers the Zen of great wedding photography. Inspiring, educating and one of the best stimulators to the creative mind available on the subject today. This is a top notch book with much to offer, even to the experienced professional. A refreshing change, and truly a high-dividend investment to any wedding photographer, regardless of experience level.

This is my first book on wedding photography, and I'm about a third of the way finished with reading it straight through, but like all photo books I can't resist the urge to randomly flip through from time to time. Don't expect to pick this up and learn the basics of photography! The section on equipment is minimal and only relates to the specific needs of wedding photography, and you won't find anything about apertures, shutters, lenses, etc. except where it plays a critical role in the creative direction of the photo. And it's here that the book shines, as Mr. Hurter is generous in his explanations of what makes every photo successful and describes from a high level the creative decisions each photographer made; technical knowledge on the part of the reader is assumed (for reference, I consider myself an "intermediate" and I have no problems following along). The subject stays true to its title, focusing on the creative, objective side of photojournalistic storytelling but being sensitive to the fact that the photographer must often interject himself into the events, either to carefully arrange a "spontaneous" moment as well as the unavoidable formal portaits that are expected from every wedding photographer. The book addresses both film and digital and handles both equally well, that is to say, it doesn't address either much at all. Again, Hunter has appropriately left a lot of the technical details to other introductory books and focuses on what's specific to wedding photography. He (thankfully) shows no bias in his choice of film vs. digital, merely recounting the opinions of others and explaining the benefits of both. I found a surprising number of examples in the book that were taken digitally. The book has a 2004 publish date, which means it still has relevance, as the generation of digital cameras discussed was the one that really came "of age" (and still often in use today) and today's present crop of cameras are really just a further refinement. The photographs are fantastic, and unlike some books which highlight only the author's own portfolio, come from a wide number of different photographers. I could almost say that the several-page section of one-paragraph biographies of the photographers is worth at least half the price of the book alone, as my next project on finishing the book will be to find each photographer's portfolio online to further study their work. This is a great book for intermediate photographers looking to expand their creativity with a more "modern" look to wedding photography (and really, any event photography, for that matter.) 5/5

There's no substitute for experience, but this might be the next best thing. By making a study of the photos and text, you'll know where to start on successful contemporary wedding photography. The book reveals the broad, amorphous and sometimes contradictory concepts that are lumped together as "wedding photojournalism", with some shots made without the subjects' awareness, others carefully posed, and most landing somewhere between these two extremes. Knowing how much of each to use when is the trick, and you'll get some good ideas from a variety of leading shooters.

I found this an easy read, and very helpful. What I liked about the book it was not just by one photographer, but many. Each one brought to the book their point of view about wedding Photojournalism, and how they do it. I'm starting to do weddings in this style, so it was nice to hear how the real pros shoot them.

I waited months for the release of this book, and it was worth it. One of the best modern photography books available. Informative, inspirational a pleasure to read. Recommended for photographers, pros and beginners. If you are looking to spice up your wedding photography this is the book for you. You will learn cutting edge techniques and tips to capture magazine quality photographs. This is not a 'traditional' photography book. Lots of pictures inside.