Hi all,
I'm new to this board. I work designing fashion jewelry, but recently developed an interest in photography. So I am glad to have found this board.

But my question is regarding wedding pictures. I will be getting married soon, but am almost hating the photo sessions. I have never been photogenic, and for some reason my pics usually look alot different than what I look like in real life. I know some people find it hard to believe at first, but I've even had trouble getting thru customs with my passport picture, since they thought I was a different person.

I think the problem is that I have very round cheeks when I smile, and my nose seems to get longer when I smile. This makes my face look rounder than it normally is, and the cheeks almost like like 2 round balls stuck on my face. My nose is not large, but the tip is kind of long (I've been told I have a hanging columnella). So in pics, this becomes more prominent.
Needless to say, I look kind of ugly in pics..at least to me and some friends have even admitted this when I made them be brutally honest. They agreed that I look much better in person. I am no beauty though, just average. But I look horrible in most pics.

So my question is, what can the photographer do as far as setting up poses, or what type of lens/angle can they use so my face looks better or at least not so bad?
I have tried posing at a 3/4 angle, but I hate this too, since it shows off my hanging nose.
I think I look better or the least ugly, face forward, and not smiling. But I don't want to look solemn or too serious at my wedding.

Can anyone give me any tips about what to look for in a photographer as far as his/her skills, and what do I ask for?
I actually prefer black/white pics since they seem to soften up my face and I look a bit better.
I also hate most digital photos of my face, since they seem to capture all my flaws. I sometimes think film looks better, but I don't know much about photography.
Is it possible to have a Highly non-photogenic person look somewhat attractive in digital pics?
I am not exaggerating when I say highly non-photogenic. I would post some of my digital pics but I'm too embarrassed to post them. I can hardly bare to look at them myself, it make me feel so bad. I know I'm not pretty, but in those pics I really look ugly. I've tried different cameras, some experienced photographers, but I still look horrible. I've never had professional photography though, with retouches, etc.


Thanks for any info.

Hi Artmy,

I was married about a year ago and my wife and I not being fans of big photo shoots, we hired a very talented photojournalist who primarily works for large newpapers and news magazines but does weddings also.

Rather than seting up elaborate poses and lighting schemes, photojournalists are trained to capture the action as it unfolds and to shadow an event getting the essence of what is going on. This meant there was very little posing for the camera and many more candid shots. We felt candid shots tell more of a story in terms of our wedding ceremony and reception and were thrilled at the final product.

In your case this may be a good option since the photographer will capture you in a natural setting making natural expressions instead of forced poses. The trick is to find someone with a good eye that can distill your wedding day into the essential "magical" moments that make it up.

If you think about it, photojournalists are constantly going into volitile situation such as fires and demonstrations where they never know what's going to happen next. You figure that a wedding ceremony that is mostly scripted and a reception that has keep scripted moments (cake cutting, bouqet toss...) is a photojournalist's dream.

I would suggest contacting your local newspaper and finding out who they purchase their photographs from. Then check out some of those photographers and see if they are willing to take on a wedding on a day rate or a per hour charge.

If you find a talented photojournalist you will not only end up with beautiful, memorable shots but you will also be able to enjoy your ceremony and reception all the more without having to worry about lifting your head and turning slightly to one side the whole night.

Best of luck with your wedding planning.

I am responding just to let you know that you are not alone! I am as unphotogenic as a person can be. I think that the previous responder had an excellent suggestion with the photojournalist. I noticed in my wedding photos that the ones that were not posed were significantly better than those that were. I once had a bank teller ask me if they had put the wrong picture on my driver's license. This might seem comical to someone who does not have the problem, but it isn't. I am suddenly having a keyboard problem and must log off. Good Luck.

Hi Artmy,

I was married about a year ago and my wife and I not being fans of big photo shoots, we hired a very talented photojournalist who primarily works for large newpapers and news magazines but does weddings also.

Rather than seting up elaborate poses and lighting schemes, photojournalists are trained to capture the action as it unfolds and to shadow an event getting the essence of what is going on. This meant there was very little posing for the camera and many more candid shots. We felt candid shots tell more of a story in terms of our wedding ceremony and reception and were thrilled at the final product.

In your case this may be a good option since the photographer will capture you in a natural setting making natural expressions instead of forced poses. The trick is to find someone with a good eye that can distill your wedding day into the essential "magical" moments that make it up.

If you think about it, photojournalists are constantly going into volitile situation such as fires and demonstrations where they never know what's going to happen next. You figure that a wedding ceremony that is mostly scripted and a reception that has keep scripted moments (cake cutting, bouqet toss...) is a photojournalist's dream.

I would suggest contacting your local newspaper and finding out who they purchase their photographs from. Then check out some of those photographers and see if they are willing to take on a wedding on a day rate or a per hour charge.

If you find a talented photojournalist you will not only end up with beautiful, memorable shots but you will also be able to enjoy your ceremony and reception all the more without having to worry about lifting your head and turning slightly to one side the whole night.

Best of luck with your wedding planning.

Hello Goose443,
I appreciate your response, and your idea sounds very appealing.
The problem is though, I will be getting married out of my home state. I am currently in NYC, but will be getting married this summer in CA. I saw that you are based in LA, and wondered if you could give me any recommendations of photographers or maybe a photojournalist that you know about.
My fiance's family is from southern CA, and the wedding will probably be in Marina Del Rey. We will have a wedding cruise, on a yacht. I didn't want a traditional wedding and love the idea of the ocean in the background of my pics.
I just need to find a photographer that will understand how I hate pics and posting, and hopefully able to make me look better.

www.davidcrane.org

He's very professional, non-intrusive and most of all he has a great eye for photography. I would recommend you look not only at his wedding stuff but at his photojournalism stuff also. As long as you're not looking for posed pictures he's excellent (not that he can't do posed photos but as a photojournalist it's not really his thing). Best of all he gives you a DVD with all of your pictures so you can reprint them as many times as you want.

I hope this helps.

www.davidcrane.org

He's very professional, non-intrusive and most of all he has a great eye for photography. I would recommend you look not only at his wedding stuff but at his photojournalism stuff also. As long as you're not looking for posed pictures he's excellent (not that he can't do posed photos but as a photojournalist it's not really his thing). Best of all he gives you a DVD with all of your pictures so you can reprint them as many times as you want.

I hope this helps.

Thanks so much for the link! I really appreciate it. :)