One thing I like to think makes me a not-so-typical photographer is that I have a distinct aversion to sameness in anything. If circumstances allow, I work to make a different picture of something that’s typically the same. In the picture below, that would be the toast. Sure, I took straight-on shots of the bride and groom (Melissa and Phil) being toasted, and pictures of the person giving the toast, and, of course, reaction of nearby guests. But I always say to myself in situations that occur at most every wedding, “how can I make a different picture and still tell the story?”
In this picture, I worked my way around the table so I was standing between Melissa and Phil and the wall. To me and my eye, what makes this image compelling is all the storytelling elements present: the clinking of the champagne flutes, the smiles on their faces and, off to the right of the frame, the maid of honor with the microphone, tying it all up in a neat little package.
Do you have an aversion to sameness?
