From the Spring 2004 - Better Homes and Gardens simply creative WEDDINGS magazine

Photography by MINDY MYERS PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN [WPJA member - Iowa]

Written by MICHAEL ADAMS

Capture the truer moments of your special day with a photojournalism approach - a photography style as rewarding as it is timeless.

seeing your day in a new way

Casual angles, natural light, and an unobtrusive photographer combine to reveal the romance and intimacy of your day.

Of all the photographs taken at your wedding, this is your most treasured: You and our groom are in the vestibule immediately after your ceremony, and as the late afternoon sun softly filters through the front doors of the church, you hold each other tightly. The image conveys the profound emotion of the moment and your love for one another in a way that a formal portrait at the front of the church could never do.
This was your preference. You wanted no posed shots, no formal portraits, just images of intimate moments and interaction between family and friends. Your choice has a name. It's called wedding photojournalism - and for the prospective bride and groom in this digital age, it is fast becoming the photography style of choice.
When it comes time to make the decision about whether to take the traditional or photojournalistic approach, politics frequently have guided the process. His family. Your family. The pastor. The wedding party. All posed. All hanging around waiting for their turn under the lights. Two to three hours prior to the ceremony are spent in an attempt to capture images that have little intimacy. It's as if their only power is in the obligation couples feel to stage them in the first place.

Rather than taking traditional group shots, the [wedding] photojournalist is liberated from choreographing elaborate set pieces and remains mobile and unencumbered, shooting with available light, often with black-and-white film or digital, essentially free to capture candid moments and all their truth. This willingness to set aside group shots and formal portraits has its rewards - the true story of the day and all its exhilaration, comedy, tenderness, trappings, and romance.
Mindy Myers, whose images of Chicago couple Jennifer Pineda Carizey and Rene Pineda Carizey grace these pages, prefers the photojournalistic approach for weddings, often shooting in black and white, which she calls "timeless and flattering." "Color can almost be an added distraction," she says. "It also tends to be a little more dated."

Myers believes wedding photojournalism will only grow in popularity. "It has a lot to do with what people see as hip," she says.
Many of today's wedding photojournalists have found inspiration in world-renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's body of work and its power of the found moment. Cartier-Bresson called it "the decisive moment," that instant when the shutter is clicked and the "poetry" of a moment yields itself to film.
Myers' style was exactly what the Pineda Carizeys wanted. "My husband is very into photography," Jennifer says. "most of the art in our home is black-and-white photos, so we knew when we found Mindy's Web site that it was the approach we wanted.
"Basically, a lot of aspects of our wedding weren't traditional. This approach spoke more to our interest in being less formal. During the day, we just pretended she wasn't there, and we didn't notice her. The photos ended up being really natural."
If you want to take the photojournalistic approach to your wedding photos, ask possible photographers if they are comfortable with the style. Some wedding photographers are traditionalists themselves, only comfortable lugging their medium-format cameras to the ceremony, setting up elaborate lighting, and shooting posed groups, the first dance, cake cutting, etc. A discussion of photojournalism and a look at his or her portfolio should offer some quick answers.
Jennifer and Rene suggest showing your prospective photographer some samples of wedding photojournalism that you like, so he o she can see what you have in mind. Be prepared for a different approach with wedding photojournalism style. Photojournalists usually don't pose their subjects.
To find a wedding photojournalist in your area, check the Wedding Photojournalist Association Web site (www.wpja.org). You'll find a list of photographers who advocate the style.
The cost to use a wedding photojournalist is similar to a traditional wedding photographer and depends on the photographer and the market. But the results are vastly different - fresh, spontaneous, more intimate, less obtrusive, unique to your day, and, ultimately, rewarding.