Brides and grooms want awesome imagery from their wedding, period. They want the unscripted moments captured, but they also want a photographer that can get very creative during a portrait session. That’s why couples everywhere are donning their wedding finery and not only descending into caves, but plunging into breakers, walking through abandoned amusement parks, wandering through cornfields, wading into forest streams and chasing other wild pursuits in an increasingly popular ritual and edgy extension of wedding photojournalism called Trash the Dress (TTD).

A celebratory toast to the bride and groom is deeply ingrained in wedding tradition, but do you know how the venerable custom came about?

Destination weddings offer stunning scenery and exotic atmosphere, providing the conditions needed to enhance those fabulous memories. However, since these types of weddings are often at resort locations in foreign countries, they’re subject to the unusual and the unexpected.

Every newly betrothed couple assumes that their event will go off without a hitch. But there’s one big mitigating factor in this lofty assumption. Namely, your day’s success is entirely dependent on other humans. And, unfortunately, that species is still a few sardines short of a bucket of chum.

Do you ever catch yourself dreaming about the perfect shot? Of course, the elements never fall into place as perfectly in real life as we would like them to but it never hurts to dream. Some WPJA members pre-visualize a few of the shots they’d like to get when documenting a wedding, whether it is days or seconds before the actual pictures are snapped.

Couples hire wedding photojournalists for their narrative approach to photography, but they?re also expected to get the more formal portraits shots. Balancing those competing expectations is an ongoing challenge and a somewhat tricky proposition that not only permeates the wedding day, but also spills over to your Web site design and public portfolio. How do you present your images in a way that pleases portrait-centric clients while staying true to your esthetics and attracting new business?

Capturing real moments and fleeting, intense emotions is almost always what Matt Kim has been driven to do. And while he has not always been welcome among his subjects on the streets, he is embraced and respected among wedding-day celebrants as he captures those authentic slices of life in churches and reception venues.

When the wedding day is over, your memories will be enhanced through photographs of the two of you looking at one another or simply being together, thus narrating the story of your love.

Ever since early man learned to beat a stick on a rock, some guy has embarrassed his family by dancing to it. The primordial urge to shake your booty can be traced back thousands of years.

Top ten professional tips and techniques that your wedding guests can use to kick their personal photos up a few notches, while ensuring that their efforts will not detract from the “official” photos produced by the hired photographer.

Scenes of patterns from the otherwise chaotic wedding day tend to highlight the order, organization, and planning of the day, and in their own way, they help portray a sense of calm.

Shooting wide vs. long runs to the heart of how you approach wedding photojournalism—in the storytelling, composition, visceral message, emotion conveyed, and even in how your subjects relate to one another.

Today’s digital post-processing tools can be a force for good in the right hands, but can create visual mayhem when used without the proper judgment, and in lieu of an essentially good image.

It wasn't until Michelle Frankfurter was in college that she found her voice in photojournalism, and ultimately, a taste for adventure and discovery. That has since led her down an exciting road of documenting humanity where, along the way, her work has been greatly appreciated by thousands.

For one day, the two of you are the focus of attention. The concerns of the world slip away as your sweetheart and you take center stage for the moment you’ve long anticipated.

Reaction shots, which record the reactions of guests observing the wedding’s activities as they occur, add an invaluable dimension to the visual record of the festivities.

Instead of exchanging vows, the bride and groom, along with their 33 guests, waded through roiling surf, holding their luggage overhead, to get to a boat moored just off shore.

Weddings can be chaotic, noisy affairs where emotions are displayed publicly, so one of your biggest challenges can be capturing their quiet, intimate side.

WPJA members cite the ease and economy of digital photography as a factor that support their creativity—one that includes a license to take large numbers of shots.

While news photojournalism provides a practice ground to hone trigger-quick reflexes, weddings let the photojournalist bring out creative tricks.

Sergio Lopez prides himself on being a visual storyteller. Although he has been a photographer only a few years, his work has garnered awards and attracted clients from all over America and Mexico, where he also shoots numerous destination weddings.

Weddings are a time to honor tradition, commitment and family. But as any wedding photojournalist knows, they’re also a great time for people to come together and cut loose.

A wedding is the happiest moment of most people’s lives. It just doesn’t have to last a lifetime. If your ceremony includes a souvenir program and an intermission, it might be time to make some edits.

These days untold numbers of wedding photographers state in their bios that they have a background in photojournalism. Yet many do not really have any actual professional experience as photojournalists.

Dragging the shutter is a basic photographic technique that is often put to highly creative use, producing images that contain a sense of motion and bring an added dose of festivity.

WPJA professionals are spurred on by the heartfelt thanks they consistently receive from their clients after the big day, in the form of emails, phone calls and tears.

A superior biography will give your clientele a compelling perspective on what has defined and molded your career, communicating your education, major accomplishments and unique skills that have made you the photographer you are.

Anna Kuperberg has been an artist since childhood. But for a long time she didn’t know that she was destined to be a professional photographer, let alone an award-winning wedding photojournalist.

Rainy conditions can present unexpected, extraordinary opportunities for your wedding photojournalist to capture lovely, funny and sometimes dramatic photographs.

Getting ready can be a monumental task for the bride and her entourage, and an event in itself. The outflow of elation, anxiety, nostalgia and hope that accompany these activities create an ideal time for your wedding photojournalist to capture those timeless moments.

How you conduct your search for a wedding photojournalist can make a big difference in ensuring that you’re more than pleased with your photographic experience on the big day, as well as with the moments and memories captured in pictures.

Deep photos, like any good wedding cake, are made up of multiple layers of people, objects and emotions that make for compelling photographs and, for those involved, memories that will last.

As with the stricter side of wedding photojournalism, creative portraiture requires the practiced ability to anticipate and to be in the right place at the right time, a skill that becomes intuitive with more experience and the right chops.

At any given wedding, there are an infinite number of these moments that pass into time. Some hold in place for longer than others; some come and go in the blink of an eye.

Like many wedding photojournalists, Evrim Icoz entered the field looking for a change. After graduating from Duke University with a Master’s in Computer Engineering, Icoz spent seven years working for Intel before he realized he needed a different kind of challenge.

The emotional aspect of a wedding isn’t just about the love between the bride and groom. Family plays an important part in many weddings, and older relatives bring a deeper meaning to the ceremony and festivities.

There’s nothing quite like a wedding reception in a tent, with its uniquely informal atmosphere, customized decor and proximity to the elements outdoors.

Many brides put significant consideration and energy into determining the outfit scheme for their wedding party. The children who are participating in the ceremony are usually no different.

Sideline shots broaden and deepen the story of the day, and are in fact an essential part of the record. Grab some good sideline shots, and your clients will thank you.

A creative portrait session can also develop into a great way to learn about the couple's personality, which can give further insight about just what sort of wedding to expect.

Scene setters are an important component of any picture story, providing a sense of place to help convey the tone and mood of the wedding day.

Throughout most of his life, Brian Tsai never kept a camera too far off hand. As a result, new friends would quickly pick up on the fact that he was the shutterbug of the group. “I have always been the guy with the camera,” Tsai admits.

One decision that you may agonize over is whether to see your partner before the ceremony, or to wait for your eyes to meet on the aisle. It can put you in a conundrum.

A wedding is not just the culmination of a couple’s commitment. It’s also the final product of much planning and preparation. Yet despite the best-laid plans, some chaos is almost inevitable at some point along the way.

Throughout the wedding day, parents and their children walk a delicate line between past and future. Letting go is never easy, but it can make for dramatic photographs full of heart.

Many wedding photographers use music to some degree on their Web sites. Proponents say that music helps create and enhance the emotional experience, and also serves to brand the wedding photographer’s approach to the craft.

Ethnic weddings, in addition to providing a change of pace from the more typical ceremonies that wedding photojournalists know well, also offer a rich visual palette and deep cultural rituals that can offer range to your portfolio.

Weddings provide timeless memories, and everyone would agree that the best wedding photojournalism should do the same.

With very little planning and the encouragement of admirers, Stacey Kane's transformation from photo hobbyist to full-fledged wedding photojournalist was not part of a pre-planned career path. In fact, she says that she is “forever grateful” to her friends, family and the complete strangers who offered everything from suggestions to forthright pleas that she become a professional photographer.

Thanks to the digital revolution, many cameras now are lighter, smaller, relatively inexpensive, and they’re showing up everywhere, especially at weddings.

No other tradition during the wedding day relies as heavily on improvisation as the cake cutting. Not following the “rules” is frequently what makes the cake cutting unforgettable.

Many photographers have found that the groom, the best man, the groomsmen and numerous other dudes contributing to the big day often serve as provocateurs and especially interesting subjects for wedding photojournalism.

One of the most defining tools in shaping unique perspective at a wedding is angles. Working the angles lets you express the way you see the story unfolding.

Having a second shooter at a wedding introduces issues related to qualifications, shooting responsibilities, usage rights and more. Here’s a look at second shooter experiences and best practices, aided by input from a few of the WPJA’s accomplished members.

Layers aren't just for wedding cakes. As most wedding photojournalists will tell you, each layer of a photo adds yet another dimension to the shot, further enhancing the visual story.

Christobal Perez understands the power of photojournalism and the rewards of helping others. And, he believes that everything happens for a reason. Those basic tenants, along with a strong work ethic and an unwavering drive to be true to himself, have effectively steered his life from migrant worker’s son to award-winning photographer.

With the number of wedding photojournalists perpetually on the rise, confusion over what they will-and won't-do seems to be increasing at a parallel rate.

One of the often overlooked, and maybe under-appreciated settings for photos during your wedding day occurs while the bride, groom and other members of the wedding party are in a car, limo, party bus or other form of transportation.

Animals create excellent photographic opportunities. Pets can add a measure of spontaneity, whimsy and fun to the photographs.

WPJA’s competitions call for the very best in world-class wedding photojournalism. Talent is rewarded with unparalleled peer review, cash awards, trophies, titles and professional recognition.

Quick thinking and a constant awareness of light—helped along by anticipation, some serendipity and a little luck—can result in direct, dramatic illumination that helps capture the full beauty and drama of the wedding day’s once-in-a-lifetime moments.

As a wedding photojournalist, the client contract is central to your business. However, a good contract is critical to your business. How good is yours?

At first glance, Heather Mabry’s photography career looks direct, even planned. In fact, her path was a burst of creative combustion that propelled her from fine art photography and a financial career to wedding photojournalism.

While wedding party stereotypes still exist, most people realize there’s more to being a bridesmaid than looking beautiful, more to being a groomsman than adding life and excitement to the reception party.

Next to the pomp and fanfare of the wedding day, the rehearsal dinner has historically gone undocumented by the wedding photographer.

This is the first installment of a quarterly WedPix feature in which we will profile some of the world’s top destination wedding locales, as evaluated by the WPJA’s most accomplished members.

The WPJA was founded to further define and develop wedding photojournalism, and to encourage and reward photographers who excel at capturing found moments.

So what is pure wedding photojournalism, and how does it impact the pursuit of good shots, as well as “giving the clients what they want”?

As one of three certainties in life, taxes cannot come as a surprise to any wedding photographer, although you can certainly be forgiven if you push the thought of them into the back of your brain. As a creative professional, you'd likely want to devote most of your energy toward honing your craft.

veryone who's ever had a boring, unfulfilling job that they've always wanted to quit in order to pursue their true passion, but maybe never had the guts to do it, have Eric Cable to look up to.

A wedding is a special event for all involved, and children are no exception. In the thick of wedding planning, many brides and grooms often forget the little ones.

Picture this: It's mid-summer, with temps in the low-80s, a cloudless sky, and oh-so-light gusts keeping everyone just cool enough.

Before you ask your wedding photojournalist to visit each and every table during the reception, consider this...

Solid negotiating skills weigh greatly in elevating and furthering a wedding photojournalist’s work, making those unique moments more accessible.

What combination of equipment is the most useful for the successful wedding photojournalist, balancing results against weight, bulk and convenience?

What if through illness, accident, family crisis or other situation you are unexpectedly unable to address your commitments?

Karin von Voigtlander enjoys a steady diet of editorial and wedding photography, and her contentment is evident in her work.

Wedding photojournalists regularly have the most trouble shooting their best work in churches, where the very wedding ceremonies take place.

With all the attention heaped upon the bride and groom, a portrait session away from the crowds can help capture private moments between them. It gets the couple away from the pressure that comes with their wedding.

A little advanced communication and planning with your photographer can go a long way, smoothing the way for everyone involved - from the wedding party and guests, to the creative pros assisting with the festivities.

Spontaneous moments are what every wedding photojournalist works to capture, but not all uninhibited moments are humorous or touching. Some can be downright embarrassing.

For many wedding photojournalists, documenting weddings is not a full-time job. In fact, they often turn their cameras elsewhere as part of other gigs, which can range from landscape and nature photography, to shooting images for newspapers, ad agencies and magazines.

We checked in with a few WPJA members to get their views on evaluating and managing their digital camera investments, as well as what they'd like to see in their next "must have" purchase.

Matt McGraw went to college to become a weatherman, not a photojournalist. But kind of like a perfect storm, the conditions were exactly right for turning a boyhood pursuit into a thriving career, almost spontaneously.

Your wedding could be the first-time you’ll be hiring a creative pro. You might think the ins and outs of working with a wedding photographer are as simple as writing a check.

A sunny wedding day is a dream come true, supercharging the color and the scenery around your event. However, direct sunlight actually creates issues for those capturing the festivities.

For brides and grooms watching their costs, planning a wedding usually involves making a few well-considered tradeoffs in selecting the venue, the number of guests, the food, the type of entertainment and, of course, the photography.

"The default move I make when I encounter someone who won’t stop mugging for the camera is to smile, drop my camera and move on to the next person."

What do the White House, Super Bowls and crime scenes have in common? All prove to be fertile training grounds for news photographers who have made the switch to wedding photojournalism.

Many wedding photojournalists have carved their own space in the so-called blogosphere, finding that setting up a blog creates a tool with many uses. These blogs are part portfolio, part calling card.

Susan Stripling's debut aspirations were not the most ambitious: “I didn’t want to do anything fancy. I just wanted to learn how not to suck,” she says. “I was thinking, ‘Just don’t ruin it.’”

You hired a wedding photojournalist, but when it comes to deciding on the best way to share your story, the choices might overwhelm.

Our award-winning WPJA members offer their hard-won perspectives and tips for how they stay creative and "real" with portraits.

It's a sad truth about receptions: Photographers are low on the food chain. Some banquet halls have turned food denial into an art form.

A lot can be said for a successful site. But as with much of the content on the Internet, there are countless shades of gray for the wedding photographer.

There are foreseeable moments during a wedding that every wedding photographer should learn to look for.

Many labs are offering simple and efficient drag-and-drop file transfer, online sizing and specification options, reliable quality, and speedy print delivery.

Greg Gibson has won two Pulitzer Prizes and has received awards and acclaim for his photographic work during the first Gulf War in Kuwait. His pictures have been published in nearly every major news publication in the world.

Brides and grooms need to understand the difference between real wedding photojournalism and the trends some photographers are buying into.

You can get the photos you want, in the setting you love, with a little bit of input from some of our award-winning WPJA members.

Wedding photojournalists are artists. That's the idea behind the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association.

From correcting poor lighting to looking beyond the typical ring and ceremony kiss pictures, our experts have bestowed some of their most valued advice upon us.

Defining style can be difficult because it lies at the nebulous intersection of intelligence, heart and instinct.

The judicious use of on-camera flash plays a central role in assuring great shots and happy clients.

Instilled with an affinity for seeing and then capturing those rare, split-second moments that are shared between people, Photographer Mindy Myers has spent the last 20 years honing her craft.

These days brides and grooms are far more likely to break tradition when it comes to their weddings -- and their photography.

Five generations of Americans have revisited special moments in their lives by looking through photographs, most especially of their wedding day.

Regardless of what type of wedding you have, it goes without saying that a wedding photographer is an absolute necessity.

Digital makes shooting large numbers of wedding photos easier than ever before, but managing thousands of images after the event is quite another matter.

The story of professional photographers often starts with their fascination with what the camera can do and then with what they can do.

When Tim Zielenbach is planning to photograph a wedding, there's a step-often considered somewhat discretionary-that he prefers.

It takes a true artist to turn fleeting images into indelible ones that can last the test of time. Photographer Bill McCullough captures those moments that cannot be recreated or replaced.