Staged photography. Choice between staged and reportage shooting

  • 21.06.2020
  • One cameraman travels to the shooting location.
  • More often - the operator brings one camera and a tripod, less often - he takes shooting equipment in addition.
  • Reportage camera is limited in its characteristics.
  • Shooting takes place without a clear plan.
  • During installation, you can get the same type of video, because. shooting takes place from a maximum of 3-5 angles or even from one angle. Limited equipment does not allow for smooth camera zooms.
  • Shooting only what is happening (or not happening - if you just need to remove the equipment).

Staged video shooting

  • A film crew leaves for the shooting location. The minimum composition is a cameraman and a director. As the shooting becomes more complicated, they are added to the illuminator, shareholder, focus operator, second director, actors, make-up artist, production designer, costume decorator and other personnel.
  • Shooting equipment: cameras, steadicam, lighting, rails, microphones, etc.
  • Cinematic camera allows you to get a bright juicy image.
  • Shooting takes place according to a pre-planned script and director's storyboard, where each frame is described in detail.
  • During installation, a dynamic video is obtained, because the director provides for a smooth and private change of plan. To create smooth camera movement, use electronic system stabilization or rails.
  • The director draws up a scheduling plan that guarantees that the team will create the maximum possible number of shots in 1 day of shooting.
  • Scene creation. When shooting equipment, it is not just removed from one angle, the camera zooms in and out, plans change, and a scene of equipment use is created.

Choice between staged and reportage shooting

Your decision should be based on what you want the video to achieve. For advertising shooting, it is better to use staged shots.

Suppose you need to sell a shower stall. You are waiting for a specific action from the viewer - he must bring you money and buy a booth. What kind of shooting will make it faster?

  • By using reportage shooting you just show the fact that you have a shower stall. The viewer will say: "Oh, this is a booth."
  • With the help of staged shooting, you will show the beauty of the shower cabin, its characteristics. The viewer will say: "I want the same for myself."

Shooting for video advertising

The best photographs are taken in moments of natural, unstaged action. Spontaneity and sincerity make the pictures unique and alive. A charming half-smile on the face of a person who does not know that he is being photographed is sometimes more beautiful than a million perfectly rehearsed poses and facial expressions. Natural, spontaneous shots are a real art, and many authors strive to master it.

by Lia Mstislavskaya

Andy Hamilton, a wedding photographer from the Canadian city of Saskatoon, has experienced firsthand how difficult it is to take "easy" shots. An award-winning author for an unusual approach to creativity, receiving commissions from Australia, Saudi Arabia, native to Canada and many other countries, promotes an innovative approach to photography. His photographs combine passion and a sense of the moment with technical precision and compositional perfection. Andy has prepared some tips for those who want to learn how to take spontaneous pictures.

What is spontaneous or sudden photography?

Snapshots are photos in which the model does not realize that she is being filmed. The person in the frame is absorbed in some action, thoughts, he smiles, reads or just walks down the street. It is impossible to achieve the desired effect of spontaneity by staging, and the photographer has to work in conditions of complete unpredictability.

As a rule, such work is more difficult than shooting "with preparation" and requires a serious level of skill from the photographer. Only a skilled author with a "trained" look will be able to make a good shot. To learn how to shoot in the "sudden" technique at weddings, festivals, mass events, follow Andy's advice.

Try not to use flash

Spontaneous shots work best if the model doesn't even know she's being photographed. If you don't use flash, you are less likely to be "spotted". To minimize the negative effects of low light, experiment with your camera settings. It is important that the picture comes out as natural as possible - this is the point of spontaneous photos.


by Massimo Giachetti

Looking for the right place

The experience of the photographer is manifested, among other things, in his ability to choose the right angle and point for shooting. Find a place that will give you an advantage - a special setting, an environment, a vantage point for the model. You can diversify the plot - for example, if the object in the foreground is out of focus, you will photograph the main character from behind someone's shoulder, and so on.


by Leniel Velazquez

Be mindful of dynamics and composition

The most important moment in spontaneous photography is non-staging. The model should not give the impression of posing, knowing that she is being filmed. Dynamics is often used to create a "peeping effect". Shooting actively moving people, you will create the right mood. If it is impossible to make the object move - for example, in a commercial shooting - the composition will play the right role. Change the angle from which you shoot (sit down, lie down on the floor) and the picture will become more natural and non-trivial.


by Brett Goldsmith

Use continuous shooting mode

It is impossible to predict when the most best moment to press the shutter button. In addition, there is always a danger that the model will be out of focus, and the photo will be blurry. The use of continuous shooting mode helps to reduce the risks. Take a quick series of photos to be able to choose the lightest, most spontaneous and emotional. Continuous mode greatly improves your chances of success, especially if you have little experience with spontaneous shooting.

Take a telephoto lens with you

The telephoto allows you to shoot from a considerable distance, while maintaining high quality photos even at big plans. The further away the photographer is from the model, the less danger she will notice his presence and the camera pointed at her. With telephoto lenses, you can take amazing spontaneous photos, as well as build spectacular complex compositions, using a long distance.


Spontaneous photos are difficult to create - the quality of the frame depends on too many factors. For a photographer who likes the sudden-emotional genre, it is important to learn patience. To take a memorable picture, you have to wait, all the time remaining on the alert. It doesn't matter how much time you spend, if the result of labor is a unique moment of true feelings and perfect naturalness captured by your camera.


In its specifics, professional staged photography is very close to the work of an artist and requires no less talent. There should not be anything superfluous in the frame. main feature staged shooting lies in the thoughtfulness of the little things that fall into the frame. The role is played by the pose of the model, the background, as well as the plot. Unlike standard photography, you do not get a randomly caught moment, but the result of the joint work of the photographer and the one who gets into the frame. Professional staged photography in Belgorod is carried out by a photographer with extensive experience, who creatively approaches the solution of the task. But you need to understand that preparing for filming will take a lot of time. Haste can spoil the result, it is important to pay attention to every detail. The picture itself takes a fraction of a second, most of the time is devoted to preparation, which is emphasized in this type of shooting.

Staged shooting is, first of all, a preparatory progress, the photographer takes on the elaboration of the plot, choosing the ideal shooting location, the angle that best suits the specific conditions, adjusts the light, adds to the frame additional elements or vice versa removes something. It will also help the model to take a suitable pose, ideal for a photo. The main thing here is to do everything carefully and slowly, only by paying attention to details you can get the desired result. A professional staged photography studio offers its services for affordable price and guarantees that you will be satisfied with the result.

Photographer for staged photography

Often, professional photographers not only take pictures, but also work with them in Photoshop to add new effects and make the frame even more interesting. Thus, you can even combine the received images with each other, which will make you look at them in a new way.

A staged photo allows you to realize any, even the most creative ideas, which becomes possible thanks to careful preparation. The shooting process can take place both on the street and in a professional studio, where you can choose a background and there is a large selection of scenery. You can arrange a themed photo session by arranging the background in a certain style. It can be a family, wedding or children's photo session.

A talented staging photographer will help you set up any look and get in the right position for the photo so that you are satisfied with the result. You can make a fairy princess out of you, fairy tale character Everything is limited only by your desires and imagination. As a result, you get a collection beautiful photos, which will depict you or your loved ones.

The benefits we offer you:

  • Extensive experience in this area and a creative approach to solving the problem;
  • The use of professional equipment, which allows you to get best quality pictures;
  • The opportunity to get original photographs, the plot of which is built depending on your wishes;
  • Prices that everyone can afford.

Staged photography is one of the most interesting. As the name implies, during its implementation there should be a clearly defined plot that corresponds to the format of an event. Staged photography can be organized at a wedding, graduation, and so on. Such photography is widespread in private photo sessions, as well as in the advertising industry and on the pages of magazines.

To create a detailed plot, staged photography involves the participation of two or more people. Although photo shoots are often held with the participation of only one model. In this case, the diversity of the plot is achieved by frequent changes of scenery and interesting image the model itself. When staged photography, one rule applies - an increase in the number of photo models directly affects the complexity of the photo shoot itself. Indeed, in this case, the photographer must think over the composition, place each model in its place and in its pose. In staged photography, an integrated approach should be practiced in the vision of the photographer himself. This means that the integrity of the composition should not be diluted with individual elements, if this is not provided for by the idea of ​​a photo session.

Staged photography is a rather exciting process, but at the same time it requires considerable effort from both the photographer and the models.

An example of staged photography with the participation of two persons can be considered Love Story, where the main actors are lovers. There are a lot of ideas, as well as images, for a staged photo session, the main thing is not to use typical examples and turn on your imagination to the fullest. In addition, experienced photographers will always be happy to help you.

Staged photography can be carried out both in the studio and in the form of an exit photo shoot. In studio photography, you need to carefully, and interesting and unusual effects can be achieved using or.

An exit photo session is held in a wide variety of places - both in the city and, it all depends on the idea. Simple staged photography at the same time implies a minimum of scenery that should harmoniously fit into the background - the entire emphasis is only on the model. Complex staged photography involves the participation of several key figures in the plot, harmoniously complementing each other.

The studio background plays an important role in creating the atmosphere of the future shot, and the correct use ...

Needless to say, a wedding is one of the most memorable and exciting events in the life of every person. And it is quite natural that every beloved couple wants to keep memories of this day in bright and festive photographs, which later could be viewed many times in moments of joy and misfortune. Wedding photography appeared as a genre at the dawn of photography in the middle of the 19th century. Despite the fact that at that time photographic images were made on glass or metal plates, and the process of photographing was very far from ideal, the newlyweds lined up for the photographer to take pictures in wedding dresses.

Today, wedding photography is considered a special kind of art in photography. Wedding photography combines such genres as artistic portrait, reportage, subject and interior photography. For a photographer, shooting a wedding is a big responsibility, because wedding photos will have to remind the couple over the next decades of their feelings and happy moments on this festive day.

Shooting a wedding: staging and reporting style

Nowadays, it is customary that beloved couples turn to the services of an experienced, professional photographer who is able to perform wedding photography at the highest level. The demand for such services is constantly growing, despite the fact that the genre of wedding photography itself remains quite conservative.

There are two main styles in wedding photography:

— Classic staged photo

The first style includes a classic, staged photo, which appeared in the 19th century. Then the photographers took exclusively staged photographs that were designed to convey the feelings of the newlyweds to each other. Such pictures were preserved as a keepsake for future generations. The staging style is still widely used in wedding photography today. In many ways, it is here that the talent of the photographer as a kind of director and director of the plot is revealed, main goal which is the disclosure of the true feelings and emotions of the young.

Staged photography involves fixing individual moments of the wedding day, mainly in the form of plot and portrait shots. Not only the bride and groom can be present in the frame, but also parents, friends or relatives, that is, staged group photos are taken.

Staged photos, in particular, are taken during the solemn ceremony at the Wedding Palace and the newlyweds' walk. Traditional for the production style are also festive shots with cutting the cake or lighting up the symbolic "family hearth". Staged photos allow you to convey the beauty of wedding dresses, flowers and hairstyles, as well as the feelings of a married couple. But to get bright and beautiful staged shots, the photographer has to come up with some kind of original and interesting plot, and not use simple templates.

— Reportage style

The reportage style in wedding photography arose much later, when enough photographs became available to photographers. compact cameras with flashes and interchangeable lenses. This style is considered one of the most difficult types of shooting. In this case, the photographer does not interfere in any way with the solemn event, without telling guests or newlyweds when to take a certain pose, look into the camera lens or smile. His task is to be invisibly present at the wedding and notice the most interesting and exciting moments of the celebration, capturing them in photographs. The complexity of such shooting lies precisely in the photographer's ability to see unique moments and capture them in the frame, because most of these moments at a wedding cannot be repeated.

The reportage style is the exact opposite of the classical one: here the photographer needs to see an interesting shot in a constantly changing environment and work, as they say, “from the first take”. But it is precisely shooting a wedding in a reportage style that allows the photographer to truly reveal his talent, show his individuality and his own vision of the events taking place around him. Not without reason, many famous wedding photographers have received wide recognition just because of their reportage shots. Often, reportage shots from a wedding look much more interesting than staged shots, because they use unusual camera angles and shooting angles, convey dynamic moments with the dance of the newlyweds, a furtive kiss, breaking glasses and throwing a wedding bouquet.

For a reportage photo, the possibility of modern digital cameras Capture multiple frames per second to capture truly unique moments. A feature of reportage photography is that in each individual case, whether it is a wedding ceremony in the registry office or a festive banquet, the shooting is carried out in completely different conditions. As a result, the photographer needs to stock up on a whole range of interchangeable lenses and apply different approaches to building exposure and shooting parameters.

In addition to staged and reportage photography, wedding photography also has special types shooting. For example, a pre-wedding photo shoot in the style of Lovestory (“Love Story”). This is a preliminary shooting, during which the photographer, together with the newlyweds, can choose the most beautiful and advantageous places in the city or in nature, as well as determine the most successful angles and scenes for staged shots. Since the wedding day happens only once in a lifetime and it will not be possible to repeat it (at least in the current composition of the spouses and guests), such pre-shooting and planning is very useful.

Currently the majority wedding photos graphs work both in staged and reportage photography, trying to successfully combine both genres. Although each of these styles requires a special approach and special skills from the photographer. But long wedding celebrations with a ceremony at the registry office, a walk and a festive banquet make it possible to make both staged and reportage shots.

Black and white wedding photos look very good, so quite often newlyweds order just such shots from the photographer. Also, wedding photos can be digitally processed, for example, in order to change or blur the background, or “antique” processing. In addition, colorful wedding collages are very popular today.

Wedding photography indoors and outdoors

When doing wedding photography, a photographer should always be guided by a few important points. Firstly, wedding photos should convey warm feelings and positive emotions of the newlyweds. A sincere smile, a loving or intimate look, a pose - all this becomes of great importance in wedding photos. Such emotions cannot be created programmatically already in the process. digital processing photographic images. Processing only helps to enhance or emphasize these points. That is why a wedding photographer needs the ability to feel and convey sincere emotions in pictures.

Secondly, the duties of a wedding photographer include finding the most interesting and striking moments. This is very difficult and requires a lot of experience, since he simply cannot be physically present at all events. In any case, it is advisable for the photographer to stay close to the newlyweds, since all the most important things will happen around them.

All official part usually takes place in the Wedding Palace, where shooting and the actions of the photographer are strictly regulated. At this stage, when shooting in the halls and premises of the registry office, the photographer simply needs to technically correctly capture the ceremony in conditions where the spread of illumination in different parts of the hall can vary greatly - usually there is more than enough light under the chandeliers, and at the edges it is sometimes sorely lacking.

To achieve a high-quality result is possible only if you correctly use all the available lighting. In some cases, a flash can be a good helper for a photographer. In the Wedding Palace, in addition to taking pictures of the solemn ceremony, you can also take several staged photographs against the background of the interiors.

When shooting newlyweds for a walk, the photographer is freer in his actions and plans. Both staged and reportage photos are welcome here. Outdoors, you can use a lens with a large focal length to create voluminous pictures in which main object shooting stands out from the surrounding space. In particular, a wedding photographer's arsenal should include 85-135 mm lenses with aperture ratio of 1.4-2.8.

The most interesting and vivid shots can be taken on a walk, when the photographer can try on the role of a director and work out a variety of subjects. Walking shots are usually very lively and funny. When shooting walking, you should also not forget about the flash, which in cloudy weather will help smooth out the lack of natural light. The main thing is not to miss a single moment, since every next moment can be important.

When shooting on the street, the photographer must have various photographic equipment and a whole set of lenses in stock. You never know what will happen to the weather or lighting. Sunny weather can suddenly change into heavy rain and the photo shoot will have to be urgently transferred indoors or under the roof. Therefore, experienced wedding photographers always take two cameras with them to shooting - one with wide-angle optics, the other with a telephoto zoom. It is desirable to use optics that are fast and sharp.

posing

One of the most important aspects wedding photography is posing. Here you need to remember that wedding pictures are a fruit joint work photographer and newlyweds. The choice of certain poses should be determined not only by the photographer's intention, but also based on individual features couples, as well as their personal wishes. Before shooting, the wedding photographer should try to liberate the couple by talking to the bride and groom. It is necessary to help the newlyweds to relax so that they can calmly cast aside all their worries and give free rein to feelings on this festive day. The presence of a photographer at wedding events should not distract a couple in love.

Unnatural freezing in one position is a fairly common mistake for the bride and groom when posing for wedding photos. Such pictures are unlikely to want to be reviewed. The shots in which the bride and groom smile and laugh a lot, flirt with each other and literally glow with happiness look much more interesting. A classic pose for wedding photography is when the newlyweds are close to each other, holding hands, and their gaze is directed directly into the camera lens. In this case, the background should correspond to the stylistic decision of the photo.

When shooting the newlyweds while sitting, the groom can hug his beloved by the waist, and hold on to her hand with the other hand. The bride can put her free hand on her dress or on her knees. It is important to pay attention to the position of the hands - in no case should they be simply limply lowered. A beautiful and tender photo is obtained when shooting in a “face to face” pose. This position is ideal for couples where the bride and groom are about the same height.

Pictures are interesting when the bride and groom stand at a distance of a meter from each other, leaning over for a kiss. It just needs the right background, with which it would be possible to perfectly beat the symmetry of the composition. In the collection of wedding photos, there must also be a picture in which the bride looks into the camera lens, and the groom looks at her, or vice versa. This pose can be called "one look". When shooting hugs, you need to make sure that the bride simply rests her head or leans slightly on the groom's shoulder, while he stands straight, looking either at the camera or at the bride. When shooting newlyweds in various poses, do not forget about a smile.

Gone are the days when wedding photographers in the registry office took pictures of the newlyweds literally like on a conveyor belt, with standard poses and angles. The output was the same type of photographs, the same as those of other couples. Today, the task of a wedding photographer is the need to use all the equipment, experience and knowledge available in his arsenal so that the finished pictures literally radiate love, happiness and romantic feelings. Naturally, such work requires from the photographer not only relevant knowledge, but also the ability to be a psychologist, to subtly feel the feelings of people and the atmosphere of the holiday.