Bill Stockwell

BILL STOCKWELL

Of the three pioneers of wedding photography, Bill Stockwell was the one I knew about least. I did not have the opportunity of attending a Bill Stockwell seminar until several years into my career.

When I finally did get to attend a Bill Stockwell seminar, I was blown away. The things he was teaching was new to the industry. You might say he was the father of wedding photojournalism. Not only that but he was so very passionate about what he believed in.

At the seminar, I had an opportunity of talking with Bill while on break and found him to be so dedicated to his craft. It was obvious his enthusiasm for his new style of wedding photography and charisma were the reasons he became a Legend.

Bill Stockwell and Monte Zucker used to do a lot of good natured teasing to each other. Bill would say Monte photographs batting practice while Bill photographs the real ball game.

Bill Stockwell single handedly, without outside inspiration or guidance from peers or photo cults, completely changed the face of wedding photography worldwide. Before he came along, wedding photography consisted of a drab series of family groups, sterile formals and worse, corn ball jokes such as the bride holding a ball and chain or the grooms trying to flee the church restrained by the best man. What a riot! Though his photography never sank to those depths, his creative soul could no longer bear delivering sterile statistics. He said to himself, "I can't do this anymore. Either change or go back to writing sports for the local newspaper."

In 1961 he published his own book, "The Casuals Encyclopedia" which outraged some, but inspired thousands of photographers around the world to use creative techniques and to depict the wedding as a romantic and dramatic story. He coined the phrase, "the wedding through the misty eyes of the bride."

By the late '60's Bill was conducting seminars in every major city in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and Great Britain. He preached his photographic gospel with the fervor of a televangelist, entertained and inspired as no one has before or since.

The famed Monte Zucker and Rocky Gunn were both products of his seminars, but added their own spin to his philosophy. There was no more recognizable name in the late 60's, 70's and 80's, in the photographic community than Bill Stockwell.

There is no photographer working today that in unaffected by his influence. They may have never heard the name, but his message lives on, "A wedding is a fast moving emotional event, not a plodding portrait and tedious portrait sitting." It's our job to follow the wedding as it moves along and to draw inspiration from the couple and their friends and family..... the bride's mom desperately choking back tears.... the misty eyes of the bride as she enters the aisle..... dad, unable to look at his daughter without a frog in this throat.... hugs, tears, joy,... all the explosive emotion that is genuine and palpable.

Bill Stockwell believed in keeping things simple and in capturing the "emotional murmur" of the event without extraneous equipment. "Bill Stockwell Jr. can shoot 50 saleable Casuals while Monte is looking for a wall plug". Bill and Monte competed in a heavily touted battle in the boxing ring at Caesar's Palace in 1981. With Rocky Gunn as the referee. Truly he was a showman the caliber of P.T. Barnum.

Left to Right - Monte Zucker, Rocky Gunn and Bill Stockwell when Bill and Monte competed in a heavily touted battle in the boxing ring at Caesar's Palace in 1981. With Rocky Gunn as the referee.

Special thanks to Bill Stockwell of http://www.mauiweddingphotographer.com/ for the use of photo