If you are planning to get married, and a traditional church and reception wedding sounds a little...too traditional, there is hope. Wedding couples have other alternatives. Theme-based weddings are growing in popularity. Couples may try to design their reception using a set of colors, the season the wedding will occur in, etc. Other popular ideas include receptions revolving around a particular time period, design element, or locale. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination. Besides the reception, you could also consider expanding your idea to include the ceremony.
Whatever theme or ideas you may think about incorporating into your wedding, be sure you include your wedding photographer when brainstorming possible ideas. Communicating with your photographer early on in the planning process will pay off in the long run, especially when planning a reception with a theme that isn’t traditional. Double check your photographer’s credentials and portfolios to support your theme-based wedding ambition.
Photographer Interview: How the Pirate Wedding Idea Came About
Prodigy Studios photographer Myong Hung was kind enough to share his experience shooting a theme-based wedding. Myong was invited to shoot at a wedding in which the ceremony and reception shared the same theme on a ship - pirates!
Question: Could you provide some back-story on this experience: who came up with the idea of a wedding and reception with a pirate theme? Did you have any reservations about the idea of a wedding being shot entirely on an actual ship?
Hong: The groom came up with the idea. There was one rule, no one was allowed into the wedding - unless they were dressed as a pirate. The groom’s family had a collection of authentic pirate items, and the groom holstered a real pirate sword. Pirates were a fascination to the groom’s family and thought that this was the best way to experience it.
Question: Your photography blog stated this was the most unusual wedding you photographed; how did you prepare for this wedding shoot, was there anything you didn’t prepare for that you encountered during the wedding?
Hong: I met with the groom the previous day and spent time walking around the entire area, including both ships. I chose the locations I preferred for photographing the couple. When the wedding day arrived, I was able to lead the couple directly to the spots I chose and got the shot that I wanted.
Question: What photography requests did the bride and groom have for the wedding? Were there any unique requests from the wedding couple that you hadn’t encountered before?
Hong: The couple requested all photographs shot in the evening needed to have a background that was viewable, and the subject didn’t appear flushed out. If you shoot a subject with the flash mounted directly on the camera, people will tend to look somewhat flushed due to the background turning pitch black. Otherwise, you have to open up the camera’s shutter longer to capture the background, but the subject's movement becomes a liability. With a remote flash, shooting at an off angle, we were able to capture some of the background with the subject lit nicely. I haven’t used this technique very much, but was able to pull it off to my satisfaction.
Achieving the Look of the Pirate Theme
Question: What are some other theme based weddings you enjoyed? What did you draw from your other photography experiences to help you achieve the desired look of this particular wedding?
Hong: This was the first theme-based wedding I've shot. Fortunately, I photographed some events that gave me relevant experience. In the past, I photographed a concert, Christmas parties, and Latin dancers. I also didn't want to shoot it like a typical wedding. I decided to shoot the wedding with a cinematic feel, primarily using wide angle camera shots. I wanted wedding images that looked gritty, and looked similar to a movie poster.
Question: The pirate ship appeared very crowded in comparison to a reception hall. Did this provide any challenges when trying to capture images and construct composition?
Hong: The pirate ship was very crowded, and there wasn’t much room for movement. This didn't make anything complicated; good images can be shot at any location, small or large.
Question: Some of your images have a rough, weathered appearance; was this look your idea?
Hong: The rough weather look was my idea. It was a pirate theme so I decided to apply a complementary look to some of the images. I couldn't imagine pirates on a ship, with sunny and clear skies. Just didn't fit the genre. Fortunately, it was an overcast day, which allowed me the flexibility to enhance the skies, giving them a rougher, grittier appearance.
Additional Photography Techniques and Challenges
Question: How did you overcome the spacial challenges of this confined location?
Hong: The only difficult part of photographing this wedding was navigating to the location that I wanted to shoot at. I avoided positioning myself in the middle of the wedding, and obstructing anyone’s view. To accomplish this, I had to kneel down most of the wedding. Once I chose a moment to photograph, I stood up for a second to capture the shots I needed, and then moved to other locations quickly, before I missed anything.
Question: What other photography techniques did you try on this photo shoot?
Hong: When I photographed the wedding couple at night, I used a remote flash. A remote flash allowed me to position the flash from 45 to 90 degrees off of the subject. The wedding couple was very specific in what their preferences were regarding photographic images shot during the evening. The bride and groom disliked how most photographers had shot their night photos with direct flash, and the subjects usually appeared flushed. With the angled remote flash, I was able to create a more dramatic look at night, and was able to catch the background lights easier.
Question: Both the wedding and reception appear to take place on the ship; what were some of the benefits of having the photo shoot at one location?
Hong: The ceremony and reception were actually held on two ships. The ceremony occurred on a smaller ship, and we were at sea. The reception took place on a much larger ship that was docked the entire night. Another benefit I had was location; the two ships were docked next to each other, so there was no additional driving necessary. This gave us a tremendous time advantage; we had sufficient time after the ceremony, and prior to the reception to take formal photos without being forced to rush.
Question: How difficult was it to shoot the guests, bride, and groom? Did any of your photo subjects act too rowdy? Did wedding guests decide to act the role of a pirate? Were you asked to play any roles during your photo shoot?
Hong: Luckily, we didn't have to act like pirates. I don't think I could've done it. I just don't have the guts to wear a pirate outfit. An Asian photographer in a pirate outfit?! No thank you! The close wedding guests acted the part, drinking, and harring. There was a guest dressed as the pirate Jack from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. He did an awesome job motivating and exciting the crowd. The guests went all out in picking their pirate outfits, and they looked very authentic.
Question: Did you worry at all about your photographic equipment? How did you take the water into consideration? Did you employ any unique strategies to protect your equipment (such as waterproofing your camera body, flash, etc.)?
Hong: I wasn’t worried, and didn’t feel any precautionary measures were necessary. I was confident that my Nikon D200's metal, weatherproof body would do its job in wet weather.
Question: Photographers tend to shoot images that are ‘behind the scenes’, were you able to photograph the preparation of the wedding (bride, costumes, sets, etc.)? How did this end up being different from most wedding shoots?
Hong: I shot the bride getting ready, and the room in the ship was smaller than my bathroom at home. The interior lighting was horrible, and there just wasn't much room to do anything. Despite the limitations, I got good shots and got out of the tiny hole in the ship ASAP!
About the Photographer: Myong Hong
Winner of the 2007 WPD Summer Creative Wedding Photography Contest, Myong picked up photography in the middle of his wedding video business journey and realized his true passion lied in still photography. He fine tuned his style which is a combination of his knowledge of making wedding movies and graphic art. His photography is ever evolving, with the desire to create photos that can tell a story and yet resembles fine art. You may directly access her full Wedding Photography Bio, Wedding Photography Portfolio, and the California, CA Wedding Photographers Index.
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