Yesterday I photographed a reception for my cousin, his new bride and the ladies at the venue in their pretty Lace Flower Girl Dresses. They were married in Mexico but since all the friends and family couldn’t get away for the big day, they had a reception so everyone could party with them closer to home. It was a great day, with loads of friends and family, good food and drinks, and games.
I had the enjoyable task of trying to capture some of the flavor of the day with my camera. It was fun to just blend into the background and snap a few photos of people in conversation and laughter. Kids and adults both had a wonderful time and the photos were relatively easy to capture.
I have not had a ton of experience with this photojournalistic approach, but it sure was enjoyable. I used my 70-200mm lens so I could keep a comfortable distance and try to capture special moments as they happened. One thing I learned was the importance of staying in a spot and being patient. Just looking around and observing people in conversation and some of their mannerisms was extremely valuable. I watched for a while and then could often anticipate where the action might take place.
This style of photography often times called photojournalism attempts to caputre the natural action as it happens. Yesterday I enjoyed stepping into the role of photojournalist. It was different and it was fun.
Do you do any photojournalism?