Henri Cartier-Bresson. Vivian Maier. Garry Winogrand. Robert Frank. You may not be familiar with these names, but you almost certainly have seen some of their work. They are just a handful of notable street photographers, otherwise known as photojournalists. For over a century, street photographers have given us images that touch the soul at every end of the emotional spectrum. Surprising. Humorous. Haunting. Their images all have one thing in common, they are unforgettable. Photos that transcend time and all trends.
Over our careers as professional wedding photographers, we've been blessed with the chance to observe how things age. Most of the time, we look at weddings shot in our early years and laugh at old trends. Both in our past style of photography, as well as the trends of then, and how they influenced the wedding day... But there was always one wedding that was an anomaly for us; one wedding that always held true and never looked silly. Even now, this one wedding from our early years looks as relevant as anything today. Why? Why do we keep coming back to this one wedding? I remember the Bride's direction; she described street photography in that classic black and white. Photos of the little things...the interactions...the moments.
The Eastcore is by Matt & Jamieson, with over 30 years of professional wedding photography experience between them, and multiple international photo awards. This includes the prestigeous WPPI 1st place award for Wedding Photojournalism won by Matt in 2008.
The name "Eastcore" is a bit of a play on words. First, in homage to the street photographers who have influenced us most, who's work was most often based in eastern American urban cores. Also, in recognition of Eastman Kodak Company - the maker of much of the classic black & white films you would find in these artists' cameras. Finally, since street photography is very much at the core of what we do, we thought it fitting to put the word core right beside the east.
Today, we see most wedding photographers doing their best to mimic the other wedding photographers around them. Following current trends. Recycling the same poses. Using the same insta-filters. Using trend words like "Candid", "Modern", "Vintage", or even "Organic". That's cool. It might not be after a decade though. Our style is firmly rooted in photojournalism. There's a better story to be told. It's the details, the interactions, the real moments that become the expression and essence of telling the story of a wedding day. It's the lessons that history's most influential photographers have taught us.
Not to confuse a photojournalistic approach as being something that is easier than traditional wedding photography. In our experience, classic photojournalism is much more a living art form than standard wedding coverage. Although it's something that may appear to require much less direction, it is not as simple as just showing up and snapping whatever. It involves actively observing and anticipating everything at all times. Being ready to capture anything possible in the blink of an eye - no time to adjust your camera settings. No retakes. It requires us to be in the right place at the right time, often unseen. To be always present and in the moment. To take all of this, and make it look good... To make it look easy. If this all sounds easier than following a shot list and set of poses, then we encourage anyone with an honest interest to try photojournalism.
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