As you read Gary Fong’s post “What’s wrong with wedding photography today” you can almost feel the pressure build behind his eyeballs before it spews forth from his fingertips and onto his keyboard. But you know what? He’s got a point… actually he’s got many points!
If you process your actions with photoshop-heavy gimmicks (I especially am befuddled by the aged-film action, this is so fake looking) then someday the grandkids will point to your silly over-processed, over-saturated, over-sharpened, barbie-doll skinned looking face images and giggle, and go gramps, your wedding photos are silly. Face it. They are.
Allow me to summarize what Gary is trying to say: keep it real, believe in your product, believe in yourself and be timeless. So true, so true…
Regular readers know I love to hate on the Fong Dong, but really that’s all in jest. Gary is a very smart man and even though he has called the DWF ”The Fox News of Wedding Photography” on his twitter feed we can forgive him so long as he keeps it real with posts like the one above.
Well said Gary from your friends at “Fox News”. 
9 Comments at "What’s That? It’s Gary Fong on a Soapbox"
While Gary is an accomplished well respected photographer, who is he to disregard a type of art or genre of photography. Stylized photography is not only in great demand but allows artist like myself to mix mediums of graphic design and photography together to create a different style of wrt. No better mo worse, just different. That’s like saying that a photographer that only shoots black and white film was wrong during the trend of color film days! I do agree no business should rely solely on current trends and photography gimmicks.
Scott,
I’ve known Gary since we worked together back in the early days at Pictage. I believe Gary is basically saying what you said in your last sentence and Mark mentioned it as well. Keep it real and go easy on the “gimmicks”. Heck, I like to throw some of my own tricks in on my work as well, but its probably a good idea to not get too carried away with it. I think we have all seen that, usually with beginners, and cringed.
As much as I don’t like Mr. Fong (for various reasons), I absolutely agree with what he says (and it would be so much more fun mocking him) he has a lot of points.
When looking at blogs of known “gurus” these days it seems that all of them are trying to create a story instead of just documenting it. All those shots of graffiti walls and train tracks could be nice if they are done in moderation and are actually a part of the scene and not the scene.
Trendy is always short lived. I am to blame as much as the next guy with trendy, trust me. I get really excited and can go nuts with actions and presets but many times I go back to the original and that is what the client gets.
However, I think that everything is a process and smart photographers go through it and learn from it. Dismissing the artistic work that we can do today to a photo as just a trend is also a mistake.
Moderation. That’s it.
Go Habs Go!!
Motti
Hmmmmm go easy on the gimmicks. Not sure but last time I checked fong was resonsible for one of the biggest gimmicks with his rannge off flash gimmicks, LOL
the man speaks the truth….!
eddie
You folks might want to read this electric rebuttal to Gary Fong’s blog post – http://tiffinbox.org/state-of-wedding-photography-industry/
Kind of smart and kind of a wanker. That’s why we love him.
“Fox News” i.e. the network with the most viewers. Speaking truth there?
Mr. “Keepin’ It Real” seems to be suffering from long term memory loss…
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