Caught in the moment: Paparazzi style photos document wedding days in a unique way
When Marin Ping, a visual artist in Chelsea, was planning her City Hall wedding this past spring, she had the feeling that New York City photographer Millie Elangbam would be the right person to visually document this milestone.“We loved her street style, the way she had an eye for portraying human moments and describing the people more than the event,” said Ping.“And, because our family is spread out wide and far, we wanted these photos to communicate how important the day was and provide context of where we live and what our life is like.”Elangbam spent the day shooting photos from the time Ping and her now-husband Shaun Arora arrived at City Hall in the morning until early afternoon when the three descended the steps to the subway.
Ping and Arora’s favorites: snapshots taken at their beloved neighborhood park, their favorite pizza shop and one taken while they sat on their stoop with their neighbors.A photographer who could capture sentimental moments in a newsier style aligned with what Arora was looking for, too.“I’m very camera shy and I get awkward when someone takes my picture,” Arora said.“This was an entirely different experience because I didn’t have to sit for photos that felt posed or staged.”Turns out, more and more couples are skipping traditional posed photo sessions and opting, instead, for lifted-from-a-magazine shoots, documentary-esque images, paparazzi-style red carpet moments and photos that depict the ‘realness’ of the moment.Authenticity has become a major priority for today’s brides and grooms, says Charmi Pena, a photographer based in Princeton, NJ, who regularly shoots weddings in New York City.“Couples are looking for photos that will reflect how they felt in the moment on that day,” Pena said.
“They want to be able to look at their photos later and feel like they feel real.”Telling a couple’s story has always been a priority for Kari Bjorn, a West Hartford, Conn., photographer, who says he’s hire...