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Rangefinder Magazine
Features/January 2002
Monte Zucker by Peter
Skinner
A Legendary Wedding Veteran Looks Back
on the Future
Irrepressible Monte Zucker’s enthusiasm and excitement are almost
as legendary as the man himself. Here is a wedding and portrait photographer
whose work has influenced the industry for over 50 years and yet today
he is more excited about his craft than ever. Just ask any of the thousands
of people who have “oohed” and “aahed” their way through
this wedding photography guru’s seminars and workshops and they’ll
tell you.
Virtually encyclopedic in the technical and esthetic aspects of his craft,
Zucker is just as prolific in words (oral and written) as he is in imagery.
That remarkable combination of words and pictures, complemented by his
aptitude for imparting knowledge has been a tremendous boon to information-hungry
photographers.
For decades Monte Zucker has been among the most sought after of workshop
instructors, with students from all over the globe flocking to his classes
at WPPI, PPA, Hasselblad University, and his own programs in Florida.
The man who is credited with taking candid wedding photography from the
grab-shooting style of the 1940s to a stylized professional art form has
quit being a full-time wedding photographer, and he’s as busy as
ever.
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| A back profile is really the only way to show the
back of the wedding dress. Try to show some of the bustline of the
bride to make the picture more flattering for her figure. Be careful
with today's bridal bouquets. They're sometimes difficult for the
brides to hold elegantly.This is all done by available light, under
cover, of course. |
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Thanks to Internet technology and Zucker’s willingness to share
his knowledge, photographers can benefit from his free lessons at www.zuga.net,
a Web-based photography resource of galleries, images, and instruction
from a group of eminent photographers. At this comprehensive site, you
can learn all about Monte’s choice of cameras, lenses, image capturing
equipment, light sources and modifiers and his incomparable technique.
Also, he continues to conduct on-location workshops—his own and for
other organizations—and will do so “for as long as anyone wants
me.”
This icon of wedding/portrait photography exudes more energy, curiosity,
and optimism than most people half his age. And he’s so excited about
his relatively recent foray into the digital revolution that he can barely
contain himself when talking about it. In fact, he doesn’t even try
to disguise his exuberance, confessing that the strength of his digital
evangelism surprises even himself. “I didn’t think I’d
ever be saying things like this but I think I am a better photographer
with digital equipment than I ever was with film,” he said. Now,
that’s a candid and bold statement for a photographer whose soulful,
evocative and crafted images have set standards and inspired photographers
for 50-some years. But it also provides insight into the psyche of an
imagemaker who has never been afraid—well, hardly ever—of technological
advancement. That “hardly ever” proviso is based on two observations.
The first was that Zucker reluctantly switched from sheet film to roll
film (back in the mid-to-late 1940s when 5x7 and 4x5 were his tools of
trade) only when he found he couldn’t change film holders as quickly
as his work demanded. He made the change even though he was loathe to
use a smaller negative. And the second was that he avoided computers for
a long time (“My IBM Selectric typewriters were all I needed for
writing articles!”) until his granddaughter Sara showed him how word
processing on a computer might be worth considering!
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| One of my most recent images shot digitally with Canon
D30. She was under cover of a porch, a large Westcott translucent
panel softening the light outside the porch. The background is a column
that was softened in Photoshop. |
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Today, the man who once cast a jaundiced eye on computers is a digital
evangelist, exuding the personality and excitement of a Generation-Xer
and relishing both the image capture and manipulating process of the digital
environment. The developing trays and film drying cabinets, the enlargers
and print dodging, burning, toning and other print finishing techniques
of yesteryear have been replaced by a Mac and Photoshop. The wedding shooter
who cut his photographic teeth on large format film and for years steered
clear of medium and 35mm format—“those negatives were too small
for me”—has become the complete digital convert. And like converts
of any ilk, be they religious or political, Monte Zucker is something
of a zealot.
To those who know him, Monte Zucker’s fervor for the new technologies
is not surprising. And Monte himself admits that he’s always been
concerned about being out of touch with reality—of “getting
behind the times.”
“I could see that digital was coming and didn’t want to be left
behind. I have always wanted to be where things are happening and I could
see that digital was definitely happening, quicker than many of us believed
it would.” Will digital replace film? “Definitely. There is
absolutely no question,” he said.
Having made the decision to go digital, Zucker didn’t waste any time,
initially experimenting with a little, basic digital camera before advancing
to another more sophisticated model. Before long sponsorship from Canon
loomed and now he’s an aficionado, capturing images with the D30
(and a couple of zoom lenses) and hardly ever using film. And having made
the images he can hardly wait to get to his computer to scrutinize, analyze,
and fine tune the pictures to his own demanding standards. “Digital
has given me so much more freedom in making images and I can see immediately
what I have, can make changes right then and there, or can manipulate
and enhance in Photoshop later. I am not really interested in the technical
aspects of the photograph, more in the subject matter and this technology
allows me the freedom to make the subject look exactly as I want,”
he said.
But, warns Zucker, photographers should not think that the advent of digital
technology has created a shortcut to success. Never one to be hesitant
about offering well-intentioned advice, he is critical of those who try
to take the easy way. “Photographers today are basically lazy and
are looking for the easy way out. They look for less of a load to carry
with them, less equipment, forget about good lighting and composition,
forget about the very best quality. Do something wacky and wild and it’ll
sell. Well it’s not good enough,” he said.
Photographers, Zucker admonishes, should learn and master their craft—hone
those traditional skills and understand and be proficient in the medium
in which they work. Know how to light with both ambient and artificial
sources; know how to analyze faces and how they should be lit and from
which angle to shoot; know how to compose images; how to work with people
and be flexible in meeting clients’ needs. Strive for the best and
know that there are clients who will pay premium fees for quality. These
are all traditional basics of wedding and portrait photography but, in
Zucker’s opinion, they are being overlooked by too many contemporary
photographers.
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| This image was shot
from standing directly above the couple—he was on his back, head
resting on his tennis shoes. She was laying in the opposite direction
on her side with her head on his shoulder, lips close together. All
natural daylight coming from above (flat lighting is best when heads
are turned in opposite directions. ) |
All natural daylight coming
through windows to my left and behind the subjects. I used a huge
diffusion panel to my left to soften the light on the subjects. |
All natural daylight. She
is inside the first branch of a weeping willow tree. Westcott Monte
Illuminator (silver/black reflector) was placed camera-left to block
light from lens and to help wrap light around onto the left side of
her face. |
With more than half a century in the business, Monte Zucker is steeped
in the tradition of wedding photography but by no means bound by it. He
applauds the masters of photojournalistic wedding photography, a trend
introduced by one of them, Denis Reggie, but which has been turned into
an excuse by many followers for being lazy and turning out unacceptable
photography. “To be sure a handful of photographic artists have really
found themselves and their style in the photojournalistic approach to
wedding photography. They have created a niche in which they excel. But
it does not work for a majority of photographers,” he said.
The solution, and one which is emerging in the wake of complaints by disgruntled
and disillusioned clients, is a combination of the traditional, more formal
images and photojournalistic coverage of weddings. “In 25 years,
which images are going to mean more to the wedding principals; the artsy
shot of a bow on the tip of a bridesmaid’s toe or a classic parents/couple
portrait?” asks Zucker.
He also points out that the fault does not rest entirely with the photographers
who are meeting a demand. “It’s true that many brides today
think they want a totally unposed, photojournalistic coverage of their
wedding day. That sounds well and good and there is room for some photojournalistic
shots to be made at a wedding. Still, everyone’s telling me that
today’s bride and her family are still spending most of their money
on the more traditional portraits and family group pictures. The PJ photos
they thought they wanted are relegated to being ones they’ll buy
if they can afford them after buying what they really want,” said
Zucker.
His advice is for photographers to discuss the wedding coverage with all
the principals including both sets of parents and strive to make the day
a stress-free, memorable event. That is traditional and well-founded advice
from a veteran photographer who has seen it all.
There is no disputing the fact that technological advances have changed
the way business is done including how pictures are proofed and delivered
to clients. A major perceived threat is the advent of scanners, enabling
customers to scan proofs and make their own prints from inkjet printers.
The result: lost sales for the photographer, inferior prints for the client.
A lose/lose situation in which no one is happy. But to Monte Zucker, the
proliferation of scanners in homes adds weight to the argument that photographers
no longer need to provide proofs, a practice he gave up years ago. “I’ve
come to the conclusion that this (scanners in the home) is one of the
best things that could happen to wedding photographers. Now, they have
the ultimate reason for discontinuing proofs,” he said.
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| Shot outdoors under cover of a porch.
Daylight lit the left side of his face, his head turned slightly away
from the light source to create the feeling of side/back lighting. |
This was another digital capture. Late afternoon
sun was directly behind her. I used a strong off-camera blast of
flash from my Quantum Strobe to overpower the daylight by 2–3
stops. I exposed correctly for the flash,however. By overpowering
the daylight, yet exposing correctly for the flash the color went
deeper than it actually was.
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Shot over 15 years ago using Photogenic
lights thru Westcott Mini Apollos. Diffusion was with a Rodenstock
Imagon lens on a Hasselblad. A fill light, two stops less than the
main light, allowed for heads to be turned in opposite directions. |
The best alternative is delivering
a finished album of images selected by the photographer. However, this
does mean that the photographer cannot up-sell after the fact so Zucker
urges that the up-front fee is high enough to cover the whole product.
Another alternative is to sell from projected images in the studio where
the photographer can capitalize on clients buying in the flush of excitement.
The downside is that some customers might not be able to get back to the
studio. And of course there is putting proofs on an Internet Web site
where pictures can be selected from people all over the world. But, in
Monte Zucker’s opinion, relying on the Web for the complete sale
is not wise. “The inherent problem with this is that the excitement
of the event is gone and I think the initial sale should be made in person,
or better yet, present the couple with the finished album that contains
everything they wanted. Allow them to make the decision up front—
do they want a basic coverage, a more fulfilling coverage including lots
of fun shots and photojournalistic images combined with the more traditional;
or do they want to pull out all stops and have the best of everything?
Give the client three choices and present them with a finished album.
After that, extra orders can come from the Web. But don’t rely on
the Web for all sales. Use it for additional sales and it will help increase
orders,” he advises.
These changes in how business can be done are things that professional
photographers can adapt to and profit from. The key to it all is being
professional in every meaning of the word and being willing to go the
extra mile. For Monte Zucker, who started his career back in the 1940s
in Washington, DC, and who never dreamed he would be “more than just
another photographer” the answer lay in setting higher goals. “In
1947 my goal was to make $5000 a year. I reached that goal very quickly
so I just kept elevating my goals. I just can’t stay still and that’s
the way it’s always been,” he said.
There is still great potential in the business of wedding photography
(after all, people still get married) and Monte has this advice to anyone
wanting to succeed. Combine both photojournalism and traditional coverage;
study and learn photographic technique (you can learn technique and if
you have talent it will be brought out through greater technical skills);
master the business of the business; and learn from the past experience
of others.
And one of the best places to learn is through membership of associations
of your peers. Monte Zucker points to Wedding and Portrait Photographers
International, WPPI, as being among the most dedicated of associations
whose prime goal is to benefit wedding shooters. “Get involved with
professional groups and you’ll learn the right way of doing things.
After you know that you can follow your heart and do things your own way,
perhaps differently and hopefully better,” he said.
That is sage advice from a photographer whose classic work is timeless,
who has embraced and harnessed the digital era, and whose eye on the future
is sharp and unclouded.
(Note: For more insight into the words and photography of Monte Zucker,
check out Free Lessons at www.zuga.net.)
Peter Skinner is communications director for the American Society of Media
Photographers (ASMP) and is a writer/photographer living in Anacortes,
Washington.
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