Photography is an art with temperature, if you want to shoot excellent works, not only do you need superb photography skills, a good photo must hide intriguing stories, and the photographer's job is to dig out these stories. In particular, the young people of Generation Z pay more attention to the sense of atmosphere conveyed by the photos. We interviewed Mr. Li Guofan of Sandan Jin and listened to Uncle Guo talk about marriage photography.
Li Guofan
Founder of SanduanJin / Representative of documentary influence / Well-known fashion photographer in China
It is everyone's dream to be able to record important moments in life and preserve them forever, and it is also with this good wish to pass on a good record, Li Guofan embarked on the road of photographer. When he was an independent photographer, he took wedding photos for many star artists, and then many fans took the wedding photos of celebrities as samples, and it was such an opportunity that Li Guofan began to embark on the road of wedding photography in 2009, and founded the three-dan brocade, which means "three lives and everything, icing on the cake", hoping to express unlimited possibilities through simple and natural images.
Li Guofan has always hoped to convey the strength and warmth of more people through the lens of photography, in his view, wedding photography is undoubtedly the link that magnifies the "happiness" between people, and the warmth conveyed behind it will illuminate more people. For him who loves photography, photography itself is a very happy thing, it can record the various emotional fulcrums of people's moods and sorrows.
Li Guofan feels that it is not necessary to rely on sad emotions to freeze a photo with a story, and the smile on the face should also be worthy of people's exploration and attention, he hopes that more photographers will think more and observe life, taste more and taste more, in order to take photos with souls.
It is also this humanistic care and the pursuit of human temperature that Li Guofan and every employee of Sanduanjin have become friends, and colleagues have affectionately called him "Uncle Guo".
As a "founder and photographer", he calls himself an "ordinary worker" of Sanduanjin, and he often tells his colleagues that he hopes that everyone can become friends with customers in the process of work, treat every shoot like their relatives and friends, and treat every shoot with heart, so that the final work can be vivid and classic.
In addition, he also felt that as a photographer, he must understand life, feel the moments of life with his heart, and constantly think and observe in order to create a good work, so he used "three lives and all things" to derive the value of "production of large instruments": to work on the basis of life, and after both, there must be a vision pattern and a quantity.
Sanduan Jin slogan has always been "drama , love , soul", which also conveys Li Guofan's values, he believes that in the face of customers, the most important thing is to let the other party feel the sincerity of the photographer.
Especially today's Z generation young people, have more of their own ideas and want to express the emotions, whether in the shooting scene or style have their own unique requirements, which is more necessary to establish a sense of trust between the customer and the photographer, only by communicating with each other openly, can we understand each other, the photographer can better inject emotions, the customer is easier to cooperate, so that the work shot is full of temperature.
Li Guofan was most impressed by the chat with customers and became a confidant born on the same day in the same month of the same year, and his hobbies and interests coincided with each other, and he could feel that the other party trusted himself very much during the shooting process, which was a great gain for himself and for his work. For him, such a warm photo is not only a moment of happiness for the customer, but also his own work.
Every era will set off a wave of photography style, but the short-lived works are reproduced after many years, there may not be a taste, for Li Guofan, he prefers works with his own characteristic style, so he will add elements that conform to the times on the basis of maintaining his own style. He would absorb a large number of books and documentaries and keep learning about new things.
With feelings, thoughts, self-insistence and adapt to the changes of the times, I believe that no matter what kind of times changes are faced, no matter what age group of customers, he can shoot works full of temperature.
Q
&
A
How is wedding photography different from general portrait photography?
Hue, lighting, overall picture, etc. will have differences, which will also involve the photographer's shooting techniques and skills, but the most fundamental difference is that portrait photography pays more attention to the shape and spirit of the character, while wedding photography pursues the happy expression and emotional sense of the subject. It is more diversified and has personality, which is also the reason why more and more young people choose different styles when taking wedding photos, the combination of subjects and clothing plus the use of style, different collocations will rub out more sparks.
What was the biggest challenge and the most rewarding thing about entering the industry?
At the beginning of 2021, invited by the fashion bride, SandanJin won the Annual Image Achievement Award for Wedding Photography, which was officially recognized as a metaphor for climbing upwards, and more symbolic of the peak honor of the wedding person, which is the biggest affirmation of me over the years, but in recent years, it has also been affected by the epidemic, the company is facing great challenges, fortunately, it has persisted, and I hope that the future has been getting better and better.
You've photographed a lot of artists, how do you channel the emotions of your subjects?
Whether it is an artist or a simple person, there will be nervous and unnatural emotions when shooting, and generally chat and communicate with them, for a photographer, the subject must be fully trusted, fully believe in the photographer, in an extremely natural state, in order to complete an excellent work.
Can you make a prediction about wedding photography trends in the coming years, and talk about your own plans?
With the continuous intensification of competition in the wedding photography industry, there will be more outstanding enterprises in the future to stand up, the market changes unpredictably, the wedding dress industry should not pursue the form of sensationalism, but should add artistic essence, so that everyone can feel its viewing value, this is what I have been executing, the future hopes to see more excellent peer wedding photography works, benign competition with each other, a hundred flowers blooming, will be mutually beneficial and win-win.
Wedding tips
01 How to choose a wedding photographer?
First of all, this photographer must understand the customer; the second is to see his previous shootings; and the third is to communicate with the photographer as much as possible.
02 What do I need to pay attention to when taking wedding photos?
A week or two before the shooting, you should start skin care, apply more masks and hydrate, and do more small care appropriately to make the facial look better on the day of the shooting; friends who are slightly fat can start to control their diet a month in advance, maintain their figure, and choose the most suitable wedding dress according to their body.
03 How to communicate with the photographer to ensure the quality of the film?
Meet the photographer offline to explain your detailed needs, and listen to the photographer's suggestions to produce better quality.
04 How to take wedding photos to save money?
Choosing a high-quality photographer is the most important thing, followed by whether there is an activity package for the wedding photo set, and if you have your favorite dress, you can bring it yourself.
05 What style of wedding photo classics will not become obsolete?
Wedding photos with a soul and a sense of story are never outdated. It does not have a fixed style, but it has an effect from a distance, and there are many small details in the close-up, which is a successful masterpiece that is enduring and durable.
(Article published in Fashion Bride 2021 Winter Issue)
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