On Timelessness

Someone asked me recently, “Why are some people focused on creating ‘timeless images?’ Everything has a time and place. Weddings dresses get dated, hairstyles place you, so what is timelessness?”

It’s a fair question. Why avoid the major fads in wedding photography just because someone could look back at it and say “Oh, that was taken in 2009?” After all, you already know when the couple got married.

I guess the real question is: Will your images age well? Wedding photography is one of the few forms where it really, really matters what you’ll think of the photos in 30 years. No matter what changes technology makes, no matter what is hard now that will be easy then, people should feel good about their photos. And there are plenty of fads that make perfectly great photos — tilt-shift lenses come to mind.

But who can know the future? Why do we still love the classic tux after so many years but cringe when we see bell-bottoms? What the heck were wedding photographers thinking in the 80′s when they put couples heads in brandy glasses and floated parents’ heads over the ceremony? Well, it was hard to do then, so it was cool, and Uncle Bob couldn’t do it. But that, suffice to say, has aged poorly, while much older photography is still admired today. Try not to admire the work W. Eugene Smith did more than 60 years ago, among thousands of others of old masters.

We know exactly when the V-J Day kiss took place, but it still resonates strongly. So what’s the difference? I came up with an answer that seems as good to me as any:

“Moments are timeless; tricks may not be. And this comes from someone who knows a lot of tricks.”

Technology changes, cultural norms change, but emotions are emotions and images that convey real feeling may not be truly timeless, but they’ll age well.

(Photo at top: Remember Dana and Wes? That was an unposed moment. I was thinking about them today when I was listing clients who now have beautiful children).