For Joe Elario, great wedding shots aren't about labels but about relationships. After 15 years in the wedding business, he's still dedicated to only one formula - be yourself. "I don't like labels - formal, candid, journalistic, I do all of that, but I'm not willing to be pigeon-holed by the expectations they create. When people hire me, they hire me for my personal style, not for an approach defined by what someone else thinks I should be doing." he said.
Based in Albany, New York, Elario is just as likely to be shooting on locations throughout the eastern seaboard or in the Big Apple itself. But what he always brings with him are his passion for photography and his desire to allow the bride and groom to enjoy their special moment of a lifetime. "I don't try to commandeer a wedding." he said. "This is the bride's time. I want her to enjoy her wedding and that includes being present at her own cocktail hour after the ceremony." His goal is to get the shots, and step aside. The secret, he believes, is "good communication and the right timing."
CREATING STYLE
Elario has always looked not to other wedding photographers for inspiration but rather to leading photojournalists and fashion photographers David Kennerly, Harry Benson, Douglas Kirkland, Richard Avedon. The exception is Denis Reggie, whose seminal journalistic approach to wedding photography struck a chord with him the instant he heard it described many years ago. "It was exactly the way I'd been thinking about it for a long time. I don't want people to say, 'that's a wedding shot', I want you to forget you're looking at a wedding party and focus on the people and the images. Sometimes people ask if I've used models for my shots. They think they've been posed. But I consider that a compliment"- because, he explains, he wants to elevate his images beyond the level of simple documentation and to distinguish them as unique photographic moments. "They have a slightly different look from what most people are used to seeing." And why is that? What's the defining Joe Elario moment? "Emotion" he replies, "Genuine emotion." To illustrate, he refers to an image that always seems to spark even other photographers' admiration: his shot of a light-haired groom and the dancing bride, the two of them hand in hand and spinning joyously in a circle. "I always get great comments on that image." he says. But how does he manage to promote those seemingly spontaneous emotions? "People ask me that all the time. But I don't know. It just happens." He does admit, however, to having a few tricks up his sleeve. "I ask them to forget I'm there; to whisper to each other, to sing, or dance without music. I always ask them to dance and that seems to get them into each other and to create intimacy. It's made for some great moments." One of his personal favorites occurred not too long ago as he shot in New York City at the famous intersection of 5th and Broadway with the landmark Flatiron Building in the background. He asked the bride and groom to dance out along the street, "and it was pure emotion." he says. "I shot it in black-and-white and the final images were purposefully grainy, so they looked more like magazine layout rather than something you'd see in a bridal magazine. And that's part of the appeal. It reminds people of what they've seen in commercial work and magazines, so it's familiar to them even though they aren't really aware why"
WEB MARKETING
Elario's Web site (www.joeelariophotography.com), hosted by the-knot.com, has been a major resource for marketing his work. "It's allowed me to compete on a level playing field, both locally and in other cities", he said. And with more work coming to him than he can accept, he now has the luxury of being able to choose client relationships that he knows will prove to be satisfying. "It's very important that people understand what type of photographer they're hiring", he said explaining why he posts a "disclaimer" on his homepage that encourages potential clients to match their expectations with the style of photographer. "Interview 3 to 5 other photographers", he suggests, "then give me a call." "I want people to look carefully at my work and to really like it. That's very important to me. So I always ask if they've seen my Website, because so often they're from out of state. When they come to my studio, I look to see if they are really interested in the work I do, not just in who they think I am, based on someone's recommendation. "This is very very important because if there is no chemistry and the bride isn't comfortable with me and my style, it'll show in the work. The best brides are the ones who just say, 'I trust you. You do what you think is best.'"
SOMETHING SPECIAL
"I'm always looking for that one special shot", says Elario. "It's very important to me." To get it, he may be "shooting from the hip." But only years of professional discipline have earned him that freedom. "There's no real game plan. I use an arsenal of lenses, and i switch them a lot, depending on the setting and the creativity and excitement of the moment." For such occasions, however he passes up the agility of 35mm and shoots only with Hasselblads, preferring the uniformity of the 'blad. "I just love the square format", he explains. "So much can be done with it. And the Hasselblad is just an incredible camera."But what about cropping and album layouts? "I'm cropping as I work. Once your eye adjusts to it, it's not an issue. And square images create beautiful results. When someone looks at my albums, they're not thinking horizontals and verticals; they're simply enjoying the images on the page."
PROMOTING CONFIDENCE
A member of the Kodak Promise of Excellence program, he prominently displays the program's distinctive logo on his web page, along with those of Hasselblad and Capri albums. "I don't get anything in return, I just feel very strongly about those products. About five years ago I made a decision to shoot Kodak exclusively for my weddings. The film is excellent and the labs are so consistent and finely tuned that we get great results. And i thing that Capri makes the finest albums in the country. I want my clients to know that. "I spend a lot of time in post production working with the bride and having her participate in the layout, because I want the album to be displayed on her coffee table and not under her bed. A fine leather binding makes for a beautiful volume that I know she'll want to display and that she'll be proud of."
THE REWARDS ARE PERSONAL
When he's not shooting weddings, Elario also freelances for the City of Albany and the mayor's office, fulfilling a dream he once had of being not only a photojournalist but a combat photographer as well. Looking back on his career, he sometimes marvels at the opportunities his camera has offered him. For example, he once found himself sitting with Michael Jackson in the Jackson family living room eating ice cream (no cameras allowed) and has raced down the interstate in a presidential motorcade on assignment to photograph President Clinton, the First Lady Hillary Clinton, and Tipper Gore. Such pressure situations, however, aren't so unlike those he encounters regularly at his weddings, "Shooting weddings is being on the edge. You're dealing with a lot of emotions, so you have to be prepared for the unexpected. I find it a constant challenge."But the personal rewards are worth it. Recalling some comments he once heard Dennis Reggie make about not being "competition-minded" he concludes, "I too feel like my 'blue ribbons' come when people hire me because they like my work. That's the only award I need. Their admiration for the work I do is the most important thing to me."
