We are not experts in classical studies, but there is a concept that has its roots in archaic Greek culture, a theme dear to all of us:the time.
There were three terms to define time in Greece: Aion, Kronos and Kairos.
A deity also corresponds to each one in the common imaginary. Aion is the god of eternity, the indistinct time that has always been in force over men.
Kairos, the youngest sons of Zeus, the god of opportunity is opposed to Kronos, the god of objective time, measured and dated.
Kronos indicates the passing time in its dimensions of past present and future, the flow of hours and minutes that we can monitor with the clock.
Kairos is the right time, the fleeting moment, the time of destiny, the good opportunity, the favorable moment. An inviolable time, a time outside conventional measurements and calculations. Time out of time.
When it comes to immortal timeless shots in wedding photography, we must better understand what we mean.
How can this ancient concept would be useful in rediscovering the value of the propitious moment, of the unique and personal time?
You surely know that the wedding day is made up of many chapters that flow one by one within a well-structured story.
SWP works perfectly on Kronos before the event: together, we discuss about movement timing and the duration of your photo shoot.
During the wedding day, even respecting the prefixed lineup, time must become Kairos: the search for that unrepeatable moment out of time and full of value.
To do this, it is necessary to remain involved and vigilant.
If you see a photographer standing still or rather rigid, it means that he is not a good photographer.
A good photographer is hardly able to stay idle. He must remain sensitive to all those moments able to make the difference, which really tell the “unique” time that the couple is living.
Once you press the trigger, the perfect photograph to think of is the next one, or unique moments will scroll away while we are monitoring the screen and we will surely lose them.
A photographer who shoots by following only Kronos puts away its cameras immediately after the preparation, ceremony, party and cutting cake have been photographed.
A photographer who shoots by following Kairos, looks for moments in the interaction of those traditional chapters and within those same passages, to get out of the conventional schemes.
Kairos surprises, amazes, excites in an unexpected way and thank to its gaze its power is really extraordinary.
There are some aspects we have naturally to consider trying to realize this philosophy during that day.
Obviously we are not talking about twisting the program or delaying to take pictures or changing the program because Kairos offers us a fabulous sunset and we must reach the sea to photograph it. Absolutely not!
The program must be totally followed, respecting all your guests and your suppliers who are working for you during that day. But, the photographer must work with a different emotional clock during this time, not being content to portray the typical moments of your day. He has to go further, to research that time out of time, the substance that beautiful photographs are made of.
The most beautiful portrait of the wedding day is that of the groom, at the exact moment when he delineates the face of his bride from the back of the entrance: a moment that lasts the blink of an eye. That moment lasts a fraction of a second for the rest of the world, but for the groom that instant is timeless and out of time. If the shot has been made few seconds later, it would not have the same value for sure.
The wedding photography is nourished by Kairos, despite being a great Kronos admirer: we love punctuality and well-structured plans, but the best thing is to let yourself be inspired, be surprised by what happens and to portray all this in photographs, just because our time is based on these solid organizational foundations.