I notice that a lot of wedding photographers (even the very top tier) are into the who headless shot thing and am having trouble working out the rationale for it

What I mean are those shots that crop at the neck of the bride and/or groom and show their bodies only (and what they are wearing)

Am I alone in finding it distasteful? Is there a reason for these types of shots? I'm guessing the reason is to focus attention on the details of their dress or their actions, but surely a head would be a useful addition?

The reason is simple: art.

I'm sure you're not alone, but our clients usually love them.

I find it misused a lot when it's done for the sake of doing it. However, there are times when it can be really nice - some brides have a gorgeous sash around them, for example. As long as there is some detail worth focusing in on, the type of framing you speak of can be useful. A lot of times, there are no special characteristics on the torso of the subjects, but the photographer decided to frame it in that manner anyway - and the viewer (at least me) is left confused.

Another time it is used well is to show some type of conceptual emotion. For instance, if the couple are holding hands or have their bodies positioned in some emotional manner - the framing can bring real emphasis to the overall "meaning" of the scene.

YMMV.

The reason is not art for arts sake. That would be pointless and as such not be art.
The reason as you say is to direct attention to the details.
As stand alone shots they may not work but in the context of a series they become part of all that is going on and are quite important.

I do them sometimes as I feel if I were to include the faces then then the details and what is happening below the head would be a second thought....if you cut the heads off, all your visual attentions goes to what the photographer wants...no distractions.

That's why i do it

gabemc wrote:
I do them sometimes as I feel if I were to include the faces then then the details and what is happening below the head would be a second thought....if you cut the heads off, all your visual attentions goes to what the photographer wants...no distractions.

That's why i do it

+1

Sometimes the body tells a more interesting story than the face, sometimes.

I like doing it - I feel like we pay more attention to the outfits/whatever with a good head-off image. I wouldn't do a tonne of them, but I usually do one per wedding.

Your subject should be dominant in the frame. Is your subject ALWAYS the face of the client? I would hope not, otherwise you would have 500 images of the same thing for a wedding.

I agree though, I've VERY recently viewed chopped heads calling it art.

I do it a lot. I think it adds drama and as stated previous, forces the viewer to see the emotion in the scene rather than the faces.

I really like this one as opposed to the ones where the heads are chopped off at the neckline - those are kindof spooky to me....

technocraft wrote:
I do it a lot. I think it adds drama and as stated previous, forces the viewer to see the emotion in the scene rather than the faces.

I love headless... when it's not TOO busy below.

i do it...but i think i'll be the first one to say that, sometimes i do it because i botched the shot, or the eyes were closed, or there was something undesirable in the upper region of the frame...so "off with the heads." my favorites are shots of flower girls with the rest of the party's heads gone. good times.

i agree with everyone else-sometimes, you use their own bodies to frame a detail, such as flowers, a necklace, shoes, etc.-you're isolating an aspect of the shot-if you include the face, then the composition usually dictates that everything lead to the face-by omitting faces/heads, you force the viewer to notice what you notice...which is art...or can be anyways

daniel

I love headless shots. I did one that turned out great at the last wedding I did. It is on the home page of my website check it out. http://www.kalileenstraphoto.com/

completely random, but I have those same shoes as the guy in the first pic that Tony uploaded :0

technocraft posted what one could argue as the best example of a time you'd want to lose the heads and focus on the emotion and what's going on below... nice work. Great image... great emotion. There's your answer! - agreed that some lost head shots are a tad on the creepy side!

I cropped my first head a couple days ago (equestrian - cut the rider at the top of the shoulders) and thought about asking about for tips in regards to esessions and weddings. I was stoked to see this thread. Thanks for the images and please keep them coming.

~ Linda

I dont do a lot of them, but I agree that sometimes taking out the human gesture of the face, there is a lot more that can be said than with just a smile

Great thread. It's nice to examine why we like or dislike certain shots. I agree that it can be to spotliight details, or focus on gestures and emotion. I am the first to admit if there is a face in a shot, that's where my attention goes.

While I wouldn't call this headless I agree with the above sentiment that it makes you focus on emotion and the "paring" instead of the expressions...

CarminaF wrote:
I like doing it - I feel like we pay more attention to the outfits/whatever with a good head-off image. I wouldn't do a tonne of them, but I usually do one per wedding.

how many of your clients actually purchase/print these types of photos? Just curious...

nikongirl wrote:
I really like this one as opposed to the ones where the heads are chopped off at the neckline - those are kindof spooky to me....



Yeah same! The ones that just show a section of the body are ok but the neck ones are a bit ~

mrpeepers wrote:
how many of your clients actually purchase/print these types of photos? Just curious...

Actually these types of shots are taken for me. If the client likes them then its a bonus. I have found though that the shots that get the clients attention are the ones that sells the least.

I don't like cutting off at the shoulders - it makes bodies look very stumpy in my opinion...