Britian’s Jeff Ascough is perhaps my favorite contemporary wedding photographer, because he does such a wonderful job of bringing the aesthetic and tradition of classic photojournalism to the wedding event without compromising either. His response in praise of a recent British TV program featuring the work and words of Helmut Newton strikes a chord:

“(T)he photographer who tries to direct the photograph is often producing something that isn’t ‘true’.”

I am most often moved by images that say more about the subject and the moment than they do about the photographer and his or her technique. Don’t get me wrong, technique needs to be a given (even in this day of auto-everything cameras), but after employing all the cool ways to make creative images at wedding, it would be a shame if you learned more about photography (and Photoshop!) by looking through a wedding album than you did about the bride and groom and their wedding.  A photographer is a messenger, but it is the message that is important. Thank you, Mr. Ascough, for the reminder!

Read Jeff’s blog post here.