Odd Job: HE CLICKS WITH WEDDINGS
By JENNIFER RICH
Al Gordon is a wedding photographer, a recorder of memories, a family friend, a record keeper. Capturing people's weddings for posterity is his passion.
"It is just as important that people have a great experience doing it (wedding) as having good photos," he explained. "I'm passionate about capturing their story."
Gordon, who has operated Alfred Gordon Photography in Lakewood Business Park since 1992, had a rather unusual introduction into the world of wedding photography.
The trombone player went to college with the idea of being a band director. But when he bought a camera for his fraternity, he soon discovered he enjoyed the life behind the lens.
"I fell in love with the artistic end of it," said Gordon, who shot his first wedding - a friend's - in the early '80s. He's been shooting ever since and estimates he has now photographed about 1,000 weddings.
"Most photographers think of weddings as combat photography," he smiled. "But weddings are my favorite thing. To me every wedding is different, each has its own energy and intensity and I feed off of that."
He's taken pictures of brides on the beach, in fancy hotels and ornate churches and even in barns. The barn wedding was in East Manatee and the bride wanted a photo of herself lying among the hay.
Gordon is nonchalant about people's personal quirks when it comes to their wedding day. He's learned to take it all in stride, from the bride who almost passed out after taking a tranquilizer and drinking several glasses of champagne to the wedding cancellation the morning of the wedding.
He does everything from a four-hour wedding day shoot to a three-day event that includes parties leading up to the big day. His pricing ranges from $3,500 to more than $10,000.
"The pressure is off the charts for the photographer," Gordon admitted. "I always say, if you can photograph a wedding, you can do anything."
Gordon looks forward to each wedding, even after all these years, and he tries to capture the personality of the couple in his viewfinder.
"Most of what happens is funny," he said. "It is important that they have a great experience." One groom has enjoyed Gordon's craftsmanship so much he's had him shoot all three of his weddings.
Gordon travels extensively for wedding assignments with two upcoming events planned in Jamaica and Tennessee. He's taken pictures all over the Southeast.
When he started out as a photographer, the style for weddings was all posed shots. "Everything was posed, even throwing the bouquet," he said. Then in the early 2000s, the pendulum swung the other way and weddings were captured through spontaneous photos. "But brides realized they did want some family photos," Gordon said. "Now it's a good mix."
High school senior portraits and family portraits are also done at the studio, but Gordon's real love is at the altar.
"It's the greatest job in the world to me," he said. "I'm capturing people's memories." x Portrait photographer
