George Weir Photographer

Feeling What You See & Shoot

Don McCullin wrote "if you can't feel what you're looking at,then you're never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your photographs"

Yes, I've used that phrase before and I make no apologies for doing so again for I do believe that it is an absolute must for those who wish to have others feel something when they look at a photographer's work.

Of the many questions I ask myself as I shoot are a couple of mainstays that help me focus on what I'm doing are; "What am I attempting to illustrate?" and "What is the feeling, of the scene that I wish to show?"

In the following images captured at a recent wedding I wanted to convey several things: the importance of the music to the couple, the dedication and skill that the musicians all demonstrated and also the art that I witnessed there.

This first frame was captured when I found the groom working off some excited energy in the early morning.  The faith of both the bride and groom was in my mind as I framed the image to include the cross on the right side.

Watching and listening to the musicians in the wooded area where the ceremony was to be held I was struck not only by the beauty of the setting but also by the music so the challenge for me was to a). show the setting and 

b). illustrate some of the detail as well as

c). the concentration of the musicians.

The challenge again was to show some of the "art" that I witnessed:

For the above three images I wanted to show the movement of both the fingers and the strings so I kept my shutter speed low enough to allow some movement blur yet fast enough to keep overall sharpness. 1/60 sec.

In the first two of the next three images the framing excluding the face is deliberate as I wanted to draw attention to the fingers on the sax.

For this last frame I did pull back a little in order to include the face as I was drawn to his concentration. 

For these last three I used a slightly faster shutter speed, 1/80 sec, to allow for the movement of the player.

 

 

A Good Portrait

One criticism often read or heard about wedding photographers, particularly wedding photojournalists, is that many, most, or even all of them, depends upon who is spouting forth, couldn't shoot good portraits to save themselves.

Before delving into that argument, I must first say that statements like this beg the question of what actually constitiutes a good portrait.

Is it an image that captures, accurately the likeness of a subject?

One that shows the subject's character?

An image that tells us more?

 Brings us closer? or

Simply any image that the client is happy to pay for?

 We should consider that everyone reads pictures differently so answers to the above question will, of course vary and we should remember that good portraits require a degree of trust, especially on the part of the subject and that the photographer must see and shoot for his or herself.

On this topic I recently listened to an interview with Platon, the portrait photographer, who in addition to talking about the similarity of music and pictures, see my recent post on this subject, stated several interesting points one of which was his response to the question;

"What's your best portrait ever?"

His reply was the exact same that I give when people ask "What's the best wedding you've ever shot?"

"My next one."

 

 

Music & Pictures

Driving back to New Jersey after a wedding in Pennsylvania last year I had the pleasure of listening to an interview with Booker T. Jones, the grandmaster of the Hammond B-3 organ. Aside from the excerpts of music, which were absolutely wonderful indeed, the interview was more than a little interesting and I drew some comparisons with what he, Booker T, said about writing music and what I feel and see when I capture photographs, especially at weddings.

When one thinks of the name Booker T. Jones, the Hammond B-3 is probably the first thing that comes to mind, then if you're at all like me you'll think of many of the recordings he made at Stax Records with people like Otis Redding. Neil Young's name though is probably not one that you'd immediately associate with Booker T. until  he explains how he was influenced by Neil Young's big guitar sound. I think this was the point in the interview where I pulled over and sat and listened intently to the rest of the interview.

I'm glad I did for as I listened to the track called "Native New Yorker" I could feel that big sound and I laughed out loud when Liane Hansen said that one writer had described it "as grungy as the subway on a summer day", what a wonderful visual description that summed up exactly how I felt one hot, muggy Sunday last June as I rode the subway after photographing a wedding at the Terrace in the Sky in New York.

However the really interesting part of the interview was when Booker T. described how he has pictures in his mind as he writes his music.  "Yup, that's just like me!" I felt like answering back to the radio; "I have music in my head when I shoot"

Just as he sees images as he writes I let the music guide me as I attempt to capture the "feeling" or the "sense" of the sound that the performer is giving us, it's not simply enough to capture a sharp, crystal clear image if all that results are sterile images devoid of emotion, movement, drama, or to be blunt empty! The images needs something, anything to impart more about the performer or performance.

Other parallels between music and photography?

Q. "What's the new Booker T. sound we're hearing on this one?

A. It's actually the old sound with some new elements, I believe. It's the same instrument and it's the same me, but I am just motivated a little differently here.

Q. What's the new George Weir style now that you've been shooting weddings for more than ten years with digital?

A. It's the same me, I'm seeing the same, I'm shooting the same, I'm simply going a little further with the tools that I have.

Q. Is there a lesson you think you've learned in your career that would be good advice for young musicians today?

A. I would advise to do something I do, and that is to practice every chance I get. I still go back to the scales that I was playing when I was 15 and 14. That hasn't changed.

Q. Is there a lesson you'd like to share with young/new photographers today?

A. Yes, for me to be in control of the images I have to remember that E=IxT (Exposure = Intensity times Time) and that exposure begins in my head.

The album is titled "Potato Hole" and you may find the interview here

Feel the Music, See the Image

I include the above frame even though it was not shot at a wedding, for a couple of reasons; Yes, I do shoot for myself at times, and it's simply a favorite personal image.