Wedding Photography from the Heart: Creative Techniques to Capture the Moments that Matter

by Joe Buissink, Skip Cohen, Denis Reggie (Foreword)

A behind-the-scenes look at master wedding photographer Joe Buissink’s acclaimed style


"There’s no such thing as a perfect image–only a perfect moment," says Joe Buissink, one of American Photo’s Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World. In Wedding Photography from the Heart , the premier photographer gives us an inside look at how he captures the feeling of a couple’s wedding, seeing the moments from their perspectives and hearts.

Here, for the first time, are more than 150 of his stunning images–including many from celebrity weddings–accompanied by creative techniques, inspiration, and unparalleled advice. Joe brings us into his creative process, emphasizing "learning to see"–training yourself to anticipate the moments that matter–and, most important, developing a relationship of complete trust with your clients.

His goal is not necessarily to take technically perfect photos, but to capture the right moments, transforming intimate, emotional memories into timeless images.

A must-have for all professional, semipro, and aspiring wedding photographers–as well as brides and grooms looking for inspiration– Wedding Photography from the Heart reveals how to create wedding photographs that will, even decades later, capture the joy of a couple’s wedding day.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't especially impressed by this when I read it. Most of the (non-technical) advice seemed pretty obvious to me: try to make the images personal, mix in some candid or unusual shots with the standard poses, be ready for unexpected opportunities, try to capture the emotions of the couples and families.

But then I read some other wedding photography books, and thought about the weddings I've been in, and have to admit that Buissink is, if not spectacular to me, distinctly better than other wedding photographers.

Part of it, as he himself says, that he actually likes his job. Whereas most of the wedding photographers claimed to be artists who were just doing what they had to in order to eat, Buissink really likes weddings. He seems to really be excited for the couples and care about giving them photos that will make them happy.

It seems weird to me that the idea of having candid or even semi-natural wedding photos would be so recent, but it really does seem to have originated, at least as a professonial "photodocumentary" style, with Buissink. Other photographers who shoot in this style name Buissink as their influence. And almost every wedding I've been in or at produced very generic, stiffly posed groups with no personality or interest (the exception was a very casual garden wedding with a photographer who was a friend of the bride). I understand that every album needs a formal shot with the entire party included -- but in my opinion one or two of those is plenty.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this book captures more of what clients are looking for: to capture the moment rather than focusing on the technical aspects.

[Mario Brathwaite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh!