This article is a translation of one of my very first posts on this blog. It is still one of the most read articles I have written, so I decided to gather my courage and translate it!
2020 here, and since I'm confined and have already played approximately 83 games of checkers with my husband (which I lost 2 times out of 3), I have to find something else to do. So I've been reading up on the beginnings of photography and wedding photography.
A brief history of photography
Before we talk about wedding photography as such, we need to look at the rise of photography itself.
Until the 19th century, the process had not been mastered. Back then the “darkroom” was used: a very old process (at least in the 4th century B.C.) consisting of projecting an image onto a surface by passing light through this famous darkroom. Painters make great use of it, since it enables them to project an image onto a plane, i.e. in two dimensions, making it an ideal model. The problem with the darkroom is that the image is only projected, not permanently fixed on a surface like a photograph.
Louis Daguerre made this breakthrough possible with his daguerreotype. This was the first photographic process to enable an image to be durably fixed on a support while maintaining an acceptable exposure time (on the order of thirty minutes). Nicéphore Niépce had already devised a process for fixing an image using a plate of tin and Judean bitumen. The problem with his method was that it required several days' exposure, which is not very practical and not at all marketable (do you want to spend 72 hours in a row standing still to have your portrait taken? Nope).
The daguerreotype is a game changer. This new process is immediately very popular, but its prohibitive cost make it only available to the “well-to-do” classes. The very first wedding photograph is considered to be that of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in their wedding outfits, in 1854. Actually it's not really a wedding photograph at all, since it's a re-enactment in costume almost 15 years after the actual wedding that took place in 1840. In addition to this first use of photography, Queen V also “launched” the modern fashion of white wedding dresses. Back then, aristocratic wedding dresses were mostly about showing off: colors and opulent fabric was a common go-to. Though we don't exactly know why Queen Victoria went for a white dress, it has been said she did not want to outshine her husband who wore his militarian and therefore more simple costume for the wedding (which is both thoughtful and very smart considering the tremendous impact her decision had on wedding fashion).
The 1850s saw the birth of the first photography studios. As photography was an expensive process, families only used it for special occasions, such as weddings. There were also utilitarian uses for photography, such as parents having portraits taken of their unmarried daughters, to make it easier for them to get selected by a potential husband (how thoughtful.)
In addition to the popularity of the process itself, the boom in photography during this period is due to technological advances that rapidly simplifie the process and reduce the exposure time required. These improvements make the process less expensive and therefore more accessible: more people can now have wedding photographs taken. However, getting a photographer to come to your wedding venue is still extremely expensive, so most people would rather go to the studio for “official” wedding shots. While a few wealthy families can afford the luxury of an “in-home photographer”, studio shots are the most common at the time.
The first wedding photographs therefore have a very particular style: formal attire, gaze towards the lens, rigid pose. Those will endure until the early 20th century. Back then, wedding photography has a social role to play. It is less about conveying emotion or illustrating a moment than proving the social standing of the couple or family posing. The image must convey respectability (neutral pose, camera gaze) and if possible wealth (outfit and decor). As they are also intend to be very neutral (no facial expression, no particular emotion), they have this 'all look the same' vibe.
The rise of documentary photography
What does this even have to do with wedding photography, Manon? Well, the post-war period, from 1945 onwards, was a turning point for photography. And these evolutions were to be felt in the world of wedding photography. So I need to give you a little background.
The post-war years bring great changes to photography. Firstly, thanks to ever-improving technology, private individuals finally have access to photography, enabling them to document their daily lives, independently of the major family events for which a photographer was called in. As for professional photographers, they now can leave their studio and wander in the streets to photograph their subjects elsewhere than in a dedicated room where the staging is artificial.
The period is also marked by major economic upheavals, giving rise to the movement that would later be known as “humanist photography”.
This is the part where I mostly write about France and Europe because Humanist Photography as a movement was actually born in Paris during the 30s before rising in the 50s.
The post-war period is particularly difficult for the French: the state coffers are empty, and France, like other European countries, benefits from the Marshall Plan to rebuild cities bombed and destroyed by conflict. The “humanist photographers” want to depict the everyday life of the French people, taking to the streets to photograph them in their everyday environment. It's a peculiar situation, torn between the jubilation of liberation and the financial difficulties of a country the war has drained dry. Numerous institutions and organizations in charge of reconstruction commission these photographers, as they see the advantage of highlighting the optimism of the French people in this gloomy context. As a result, photojournalism and the photographers of this movement flourish. For Jacques Prévert call them “peace correspondents” ('des correspondants de paix").
Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson (to only quote a few of them) are part of this movement. Photography is no longer merely illustrative: it becomes documentary. The aim is to tell the story of everyday life, and the setting of the subject matters, as it gives context to the viewer. The photo recounts an action that takes place in a specific context: a street, a house, a garden. This is the birth of photo reportage. Press reporting also takes off at this time, as the press born of the enthusiasm of the Liberation is abundant.
The influence of war and photojournalism on wedding photography
Ihe institution of marriage always is a reflection of the societal evolutions in which it is embedded, which is why the particular context of the war and the post-war years will shape marriage and, by extension, wedding photography.
Changes during the war
Before even talking about photography, the institution itself is evolving. Up until the Second World War, marriage was a family affair, even a village affair - we all remember those photographs of church outings bringing together the entire community (at least as a French person I do, I used to find some of those in my grandparents' attics).
The war contributes to the evolution of the institution of marriage, as it throws off this stifling straitjacket, for the simple reason that it is inapplicable during this period. The context makes everything more difficult: a significant proportion of the male population is absent, the country is cut in two by the Occupation... It is more difficult to organize weddings, or even simply to obtain the official papers that would accredit them. In a world of anxiety and rationing, it is all about being efficient and not spending too much. In this context, the bride and groom take the initiative for the wedding, and it is organized a bit “à la débrouille”.
Ok how do I even translate that one? 'Débrouille" is a familiar French word for resourcefulness. This expression basically means that when you have not many resources, it's all about ingenuity and capacity for adaptation!
Gone are the large gatherings immortalized by an official photographer. It's not a question of respecting age-old traditions, but rather of managing to get married despite the restrictive conditions of war. And in a context where soldiers on leave often don't come back, weddings are made when you can, where you can!
Changes after the war
This new lease of life initiated during the war would continue to shape the institution of marriage thereafter: brides and grooms regain control of their marriage and let go of some old traditions, so the wedding as an event is gradually modernized.
As a consequence, wedding photography evolves too, with the arrival of “romantic” photographs: beyond the formalization of a relationship through marriage, people get married because they love each other and are happy, and they want it to show. Love, an emotion hitherto absent from wedding photos (as is joy, as we saw in the studio pictures), becomes an element in its own right. We're gradually breaking out of the straitjacket of the turn of the century, and seeing emotions appear in photos that were previously absent: the bride and groom looking at each other with a look of love, smiling or taking each other by the hand. We finally have photos of couples who seem happy to be there, rather than an army of sullen people, which it's quite refreshing.
Here's an example from the wedding of Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer in 1954. Three new elements appear compared to the same types of photos twenty years earlier:
1) They are walking, not posing.
2) They're relaxed and their emotions are visible: she's taking his arm, and we can imagine that he's telling her something amusing that makes her smile.
3) They're on location, not in a studio with a carefully staged set.
Granted, this isn't the most dynamic approach either, but you have to admit that compared with previous generations, it clearly is a revolution. In fact, this photo is much closer to those we find in our wedding reports today than in pre-war wedding photos.
Wedding photography is also changing its raison d'être. It now freezes a happy moment. It's not about saying “We're a respectable couple, and this photo will hang on our living-room dresser for the rest of our lives, so that no one will forget it, and the totally blank stare we turn towards the lens only accentuates this respectability - what a pleasure life is” anymore (thank God). It's more about saying "This is a moment where we were happy."
This new trend in which neutral, posed photos give way to a more light-hearted approach, only accelerates after the post-war years. The advent of instant cameras in the 60's and 70's enables everyone to take photos of their daily lives and families, independently of major family events where professional photographers are involved, further accentuating a taste for “narrative” photography. Funnily enough, brides and grooms have been showing a renewed interest in instant development for some years now, with polaroids and photo booths (I hate this word, “photo booth”, it's unpronounceable for me so do enjoy it, I think it's the only time it will aver appear on this blog).
The ever-increasing democratization of photography, followed by the advent of digital technology, favors the emergence of wedding coverage: we are no longer content with a few still photos at the end of the ceremony but want to cover a wider range of the day's highlights. Like humanist photography in its day, the importance of the setting is also felt: Details photos are now often included in photo reports to convey the emotion of a particular place or moment of the day.
And that brings us to our current wedding reportages: a sum of small moments and details of the day to tell the story of a wedding, with its joys, its perfectly organized activities and its few unforeseen events (which, I confess, make my day).
If you're interested in reading more about wedding photography, here are a few articles I has already translated:
You can also see my Portfolio or contact me through my website.
See you around !
Manon
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