Tag: Photography

“I’m a photographer – but I’m also a storyteller.” John Nassari

John Nassari certainly is the storyteller he proclaims to be; as much is evident in his incredible work which has won numerous accolades, and in his desire to continue to change the future of photography with the help of immersive technologies.

But what about the story behind the storyteller?

How did John Nassari get to be one of the most recognised and appreciated photographers in London today?

We met up with him to find out.

This is the story of John Nassari.

How it all began

At the tender age of 13, Cypriot born John was handed a Zenith VM by his stepfather. It was a Russian film camera and it was the best birthday present he’d ever received. Over the next few months (and as it turned out, years) John experimented with this camera and learnt all about the basics of photography with the help of his devoted parents.

“My father had this magical way of discussing aperture and shutter speed. I remember I just got it…it just made sense to me.”

John would write down the F stops and shutter speeds that he used for each photograph. He’d take the same picture but in different ways; changing how he exposed images and noting the different effects these changes had.

“Most of it was rubbish but my mum pulled a few aside and questioned why I’d photograph that particular shape or shadow. I used to say I don’t know – it just caught my eye. And that’s when I started to play around with form.”

John knew from very early on that this was what he wanted to do. He’d been captured by the art of photography.

Nurturing his passion

Within the next 12 months, John had joined a local camera club and found himself developing real photography skills alongside a group of older gentlemen – all of whom were hobbyist photographers. It soon became clear to the club members that this 14-year-old boy had a very special talent for photography that reached far beyond the realms of a hobby.

A member of the camera club donated a darkroom to John and other members began to lend him equipment and teach him things that they themselves had learnt about photography.

“They were so kind to me” says John. “ I was so shy at the time. And then I started entering these competitions and actually winning them. Everyone was really thrilled for me.”

John went back to the camera club that helped him perfect his craft 10 years later to teach photography, and to his joy, some of the original members were still there.

Carving a niche

John was always interested in form, and particularly in shadows, colours and textures. John would photograph objects and landscapes more than he would people early on in his photographic journey.

Still life was John’s first love, and it is a love that has stayed with him throughout his career.

“When I shoot table decorations for weddings – that’s still life – so of course, I’m still shooting what I love to shoot most. I really enjoy it. It’s a technical process rather than the process of shooting a person. People came into my work later on.”

John pursued an academic career at the University of Arts in Rochester, and it was during this more practical period of his education that he began to shoot people.

By the time John reached 28 years of age he had completed his MA in Visual Culture (which was more theory than practical) and chose to undertake his dissertation on people, which is ultimately where some of his finest work begun to materialise.

“I think at some point or another, most photographers turn the camera on themselves. Maybe not directly on themselves but on their family. And that’s what I did.

“I began to think about ‘the self’ and about family, and I managed to take around 2,000 pictures in 2 years with my 35mm lens. In those days, everything I shot was with a 35mm. I’d photograph all kinds of occasions.”

“I went to see a curator with this collection of family photos and they asked me: “what’s the story?” I couldn’t really answer. As a body of work it just didn’t fit. So finding the story and meaning behind me and my family was a journey of exploration which involved me digging deeper to discover as much as I could about my background.” 

At this stage of his career, John begun to explore emotion, family and relationships through the lens.

“I became focused on the subject of belonging and in turn, I rejected objects and aesthetics in favour of emotion.

“Emotion is a hard thing to capture. It’s not just about someone laughing. To capture raw emotion in a beautiful moment demands something more than a smile. The most powerful images – whether they include a touch, a look or a smile – capture an isolated moment; perhaps between a newly married couple whilst they’re surrounded by relatives dancing.

“How you convey that emotion within an aesthetic frame is what makes a photograph truly powerful.”

A defining moment that changed you…

Dad and Me is one of John’s most recognised and best-loved photographs. It won the Taylor West Award at the National Portrait Gallery in 1999 / 2000 and is one of the defining shots that signalled a shift in John’s career. He was officially on the map.

So how was the idea executed?

“Well I asked dad to go shopping – I gave him a budget and asked him to buy himself something and to also buy me the identical outfit. He asked me what it was all about – he didn’t get it but he participated and did it, and came back with these two matching outfits – one for each of us.

And so we put on our outfits and I set the timer on my camera for this self-portrait.”

“The outcome is a photograph about ambivalence. It’s about the relationship I have with my father and possibly the ambivalent relationship that many men have with their fathers.

“Conflict and contradiction are key – this photo suggests imitation and me wanting to be like my father; of course I admire him and look up to him, but there’s this tension about not wanting to actually become him.

“You admire your father but you don’t want to become him. We’re holding hands which implies intimacy but there’s also this distance between us – we’re not smiling.”

A defining moment in wedding photography…

The Cyclist is an iconic piece from John’s wedding collection and has won awards for its metaphorical display of two lives and two journeys intersecting at a pivotal moment.

“I had everything planned out perfectly. I was in position; I’d stopped traffic temporarily and guests were preparing to throw confetti as the couple emerged from the church. And then just as the sky exploded with colour a cyclist tears through the shot… I was so angry at the time but somehow had the presence of mind to keep shooting despite the interference of the cyclist.”

When John explained what had happened to the newlyweds they just smiled and said: “typically Cambridge”.

In the days that followed the wedding, John became more and more intrigued about this man – the cyclist. He wanted to enter the photo into a competition but needed permission from him. Plus he wanted to find this mystery man from a human interest perspective and enlist the help of others to create a bit of a buzz.

John reached out to the Cambridge News and they loved the story. It soon made it into the Metro and people everywhere started talking about the photograph and ‘the man’.

Eventually, Archie Wood – a Cambridge student – came forward as the mystery cyclist. In fact, he was late for his physics exam because he was speaking to John! John made it up to him and sent Archie a signed, framed copy of the photograph that had made him one of the most famed cyclist in the photography world.

What’s next for John Nassari…

As someone who doesn’t like to sit still for very long, it was to be expected that we’d soon see something groundbreaking from John.

Nassari 360 is an immersive, interactive, explorable 360 digital experience, which layers content in the form of a curated gallery of senses and environments.

People are able to view photographs, scroll around to see what lies beyond the frame, and hear the sounds of people and their surroundings.

Nassari 360 is to be launched at The Photography Show on 17th March at NEC Birmingham.

John is also close to completing an online wedding photography course which is designed for both aspiring photographers and established photographers outside of wedding industry.

Stay tuned for more from John Nassari and the latest in wedding photography news.

Looking for more wedding industry trends and couple insights? Head to the Bridebook Business Hub, the home of wedding industry knowledge. 

John Nassari shares his top 10 tips for professional wedding photographers

Whether you’re an established wedding photographer or are just considering leaping lens first into the world of wedding photography, you understand the value of expert advice.

John Nassari is an award-winning London photographer with a diverse career and considerable academic experience. We’ve met up with him to ask for a few lessons in wedding photography.

Meet John, your expert for the next 10 minutes.

John Nassari’s Top Ten from Behind the Lens.

1.Turn the camera on yourself

“I think at some point or another, a lot of photographers turn the camera on themselves. Maybe not directly on themselves but on their family. That’s what I did.” John Nassari.

Practice at every possible occasion. Take loads of photographs and get used to shooting people and searching for those decisive, emotional moments.

Emotion is a hard thing to capture and it’s not necessarily about capturing someone laughing. There’s something more than a smile that makes a powerful image. A touch, a look… an isolating moment between the couple as they stand amongst the crowd – that’s how you capture a beautiful moment.

Practice and develop your eye for capturing these moments within your own life.

2.Study other photographers that inspire you

By studying the work of photographers you admire – whether inside or outside of the wedding industry – you challenge yourself to continually improve and you can more easily carve out a style for yourself.

Some of the photographers that inspired John include:

• Richard Avedon – a portrait photographer well known for shooting against white backgrounds.
• Robert Frank – a documentary photographer and filmmaker
• Nan Goldin
• Cindy Sherman
• Henri Cartier-Bresson
  

3.Know that wedding photography is different.

If you have experience in photography outside of the wedding industry, prepare for the difference!

When shooting weddings you’re reacting, not planning.

You have to react to the story as it happens and unravels because it’s a live event that you’re there to capture. There’s always a beginning, a middle and an end but it’s always a different story. You don’t know what’s going to happen and that makes wedding photography both fun and challenging. Listen to what’s going on around you and react.

Top tip: Always use multiple backup SD cards – never rely on just one. You can’t ask for a couple to re-enact their wedding – it’s very different to a studio shoot in this way!

4.Become the invisible guest.

When photographing a wedding you become an “intimate stranger”.

“There’s a kind of unspoken agreement that I could block someone’s view but it’s ok because I’m the photographer, and although I don’t know anyone I’m allowed to move around freely.”

Wedding photographers are allowed to have so much power and space.

Attempting to capture all aspects and every moment of the weddings you shoot is a skill in itself. You’ll need to invisibly and seamlessly glide around the ceremonies you shoot and this is something that comes with practice.

“The bombastic, “can we have the bride’s parents now” cliche of a wedding photographer is now a thing of the past. We’re more adept and agile now as photographers.”

Forging a good relationship with the couple you’re shooting is really important as they have to trust you not notice you. If they’re worried about your ability, professionalism and whether you’re capturing everything, you’ll be in their focus.

5.Promote yourself properly

John believes that photographers must embrace blogging to raise awareness of their brand. John himself shares regular news and photography tips on his website and he believes it’s imperative to ensuring one is highly commended within the photographer community and subsequently recommended to newly engaged couples.

Keep your Bridebook profile up to date because this is where your audience is. Be where engaged couples are and make sure the photographs and information you present are relevant, current and representative of how talented you really are.

You will, of course, need a website – but how do you have a website if you’ve never shot a wedding?

“Photograph family and friends…offer to photograph their weddings and if you’re not experienced or confident enough yet, shoot them for free and possibly even in addition to a ‘pro’ wedding photographer.”

You could also try working with venues and doing style shoots for free so that you have industry related work to show.

6.Network

“Networking is imperative,” says John “and there are different kinds of education when it comes to learning how to be a successful wedding photographer”.

Joining a group of photographers that meet every month and talk about their portfolio is classed as education and development.

You could become part of a community like SNAP Photo Festival which is aimed at wedding and lifestyle photographers and includes workshops and activities which will inspire you and help you to develop your wedding business. This too is education.

Building relationships with other suppliers is important for your professional development and for business.

7.Make the couple feel comfortable

John believes that a pre-wedding shoot is really important in making the couple you’re working with feel comfortable.

“They get to see your style and pictures first hand before their wedding. Plus they have the chance to meet you and have a few practice shots in front of the camera. A relaxed couple that trusts you is so important in wedding photography.”

Meeting a couple when they first book your services and keeping in good contact with them throughout their wedding planning journey is also imperative.

Couples are looking for a sidekick, not a colleague.

8.Tips for shooting in low lighting

It’s impossible to give a one size fits all answer to the problem of low lighting.

Many weddings happen in churches or moodily lit rooms and as a photographer, you’ll need to manage the lighting available to you without the support of flash.

“I go up to ISO 3200 if I really need to but I try to use fast lenses to overcome the issue of low lighting. Obviously, you can’t use flash at weddings so I would say the best advice is to look for low noise, high ISO cameras. If you pick the right camera and invest in fast lenses, you’ll be amazed at the difference in low light photo quality.”

9.Shooting cultural weddings

In 2009, John shot his first Jewish wedding and became slightly stuck on a few references to tradition, such as the use of the word “Bedeken”.

To ensure you’re fully prepared to shoot cultural weddings you’re unfamiliar with it’s imperative that you do your research beforehand.

“Just do your due diligence as a photographer. I Googled the term Bedeken and found a resource for Jewish weddings. Then I’d keep in good contact with the couple to make sure I’d interpreted my research correctly and that what I knew about their culture fit the reality of their wedding.”

10.Prepare a winning portfolio

To prepare a winning wedding photography portfolio you have to first identify what it is you want to specialise in and be clear about your photographic style.

Are you a slightly overexposed, ethereal style wedding photographer who specialises in outdoor weddings and posed shots? Or perhaps your style includes shadow and drama, and you specialise in documentary style castle weddings.

Whatever your style and substance, keep pushing your work to the next level. Shoot more weddings and every year, update your portfolio in line with improvements in your work.

“Get rid of last year’s wedding shots because you should have better samples from this year. Your work is going to get better and better, and you may find that you’re shooting more barn weddings now and therefore that’s what you want to specialise in. Show more of these. And let your style adapt to the jobs you take on.”

Top tip: Keep your Bridebook profile packed full with your most up to date photography. With 1 in 2 couples now planning their wedding with Bridebook, your work is always being seen. You want to make sure that it’s your best and most recent work. 

Thanks to John Nassari for his top 10 tips for wedding photographers

If you’d like to learn more from John Nassari, purchase ‘The 10 Essential Steps to Wedding Photography Success‘ – with over two hours of online tutorials, this course offers everything you need to supercharge your wedding photography business. (Full course information in the video below).

Use Discount Code: “bridebook” and get 50% off until 31st March 2018!!

Looking for more top tips and industry insights? Head to the Bridebook Business Hub now. The wedding industry professional’s one-stop shop for the all the latest news and top tips to power your wedding business.