EVENT ELEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY MADE FOR A MAGAZINE Having your picture taken takes on a whole new meaning as traditional ‘sit and smile’ pictures fade in popularity and the ‘styled’ photography session trend emerges.
One of the main reasons we all find magazines so captivating and hold on to them long after their current issue has expired is undoubtedly the exquisite photo shoots. Whether rustic or exotic travel, birthday parties or dinner parties, bridal bliss or baby kisses, evening outings or lazy barefoot afternoons, these glossy photos seem to have channeled the ability to make any moment memorable. We all find ourselves pondering, “Why doesn’t my dinner party go that well?” and “Why don’t my children frolic so joyfully?” and “I’m sorry, but I have never looked that good gardening in the backyard,” to a frustrated “What’s wrong with my camera that it won’t take such fabulous photos?” And yet the reality is that these people are as ordinary as the rest of us, but these photographers have an uncanny ability to catch these rare moments of exceptional beauty and joy that leave the rest of us in awe. Not only do they know how to snap that perfect photo, use the right angle and lens, and find perfect lighting, what gives their photographs such power is their ability to create scenes and styles that evoke the mood and emotion they want protected from time. To put it simply this is more than a story about photographs, it’s a story about artists who love life and love. Too many standard photographers are satisfied catching the right light, forcing your child into an uncomfortable and unnatural smile while waving a neurotic bunny at them, or having you stand statuesque amidst a garden in bloom. But artists, they want more; they want to know and capture your true heart and your true life. For decades we have all had to settle on looking at the magazines and knowing it would never be us, until now. Recently, some unconventional photographers have begun offering these styled photo sessions to the rest of us, and the photographs are funny, breathtaking, precious, and well, wonderful. I don’t know how they do it, but they manage to make us prettier, funnier, and more real than any magazine. They don’t mind if your children pout or pull their sister’s hair; those can be some of the best photos. They don’t mind if your hair gets in your face or you can’t
22 | THE MAGAZINE FOR CELEBRATING IN STYLE