Christine Chang Photography Blog » Recent work, Photo Tips, & Random Rants by Christine Chang.

Different photographers have different approaches to taking pictures.  For some, it’s about the technical aspect -what camera settings are being used to make sure it is properly exposed and in focus.  For me, it’s the feeling.  It’s the feeling you put into it and sometimes that entails giving up shooting from a technically “correct” standpoint.

Take, for instance, the first dance (one of my favorite moments to photograph at a wedding, btw).  It’s intimate, dreamy (kind of a lame word, but true!), and like no one else is in the room.

Here are two similar moments from Yera & Leonard’s first dance.  Which picture do you like better?

I like the second one.

In the first one, the picture is in focus, properly exposed, and taken at an angle where you can see both their faces and exactly what is going on. I like to call this the safe (and sometimes boring) angle.

The second photo exudes way more feeling in my opinion.  They were dancing so the blurriness shows movement, and even though you can’t see the groom’s face you know exactly what is going on.  You can tell he is enjoying the moment.  That is also why I chose to make the picture black & white – to give more focus to the subjects.

So whether you meant to do it on purpose or not, remember that blurry photos can be a good thing.  Where some people delete the blurry photos of the bunch, sometimes I delete the ones in focus!