The Best of Bill Brett
October 5, 2010 9:38 AM Subscribe
The Best of Bill Brett's Wedding Photos. Known as Boston's Photographer, Bill Brett shares some of his favorite wedding photos from the years.
Including a civil war wedding, a romantic kiss, Old Ironsides, a street sweeper, the Oscar Meyer Wienermoble, and a third grade class.
These are amazingly sweet!
I would love to have a Civil War wedding where myself and my guests are all dressed as Yankees, and my groom and co. are dressed as a Confederates, and at the end when we kiss, a battle breaks out among all the attendees.
The cake would have a cannonball lodged in it.
posted by hermitosis at 9:50 AM on October 5, 2010
I would love to have a Civil War wedding where myself and my guests are all dressed as Yankees, and my groom and co. are dressed as a Confederates, and at the end when we kiss, a battle breaks out among all the attendees.
The cake would have a cannonball lodged in it.
posted by hermitosis at 9:50 AM on October 5, 2010
Katherine Marina Bratsis and Christos Seremetis had a glass of champagne before being driven to the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston in the Oscar Meyer Wienermoble.
Though widely regarded by his former Delta Sig brothers as "a total cut-up," Mr Seremetis himself admits his prop comedy has never been accused of taking an understated approach to symbolism.
posted by gompa at 9:53 AM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Though widely regarded by his former Delta Sig brothers as "a total cut-up," Mr Seremetis himself admits his prop comedy has never been accused of taking an understated approach to symbolism.
posted by gompa at 9:53 AM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think that's more of a Franco-Prussian War themed wedding than a Civil War themed wedding.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:53 AM on October 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:53 AM on October 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
At first glance, thought this one had a Cirque de Soleil theme.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:03 AM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:03 AM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Boston Weddin! Ya fuckin goof, no weddin at da fuckin Dunk?
posted by wcfields at 10:26 AM on October 5, 2010
posted by wcfields at 10:26 AM on October 5, 2010
There are definitely a few highlights in there (the ones mentioned in the FPP) but most of them seem like pretty typical wedding photos to me. Nice, but not terribly interesting unless you know the people involved. Some of the Readers' wedding photos, on the other hand, are fantastic.
posted by Dojie at 10:31 AM on October 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Dojie at 10:31 AM on October 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
Must be a Boston thing. These are mediocre photographs.
posted by basicchannel at 10:49 AM on October 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by basicchannel at 10:49 AM on October 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
Much as I love the USS Constitution, the groom in that photo looks distinctly like he has just revealed the whole reason for his choosing that location by delivering what he is sure is his killer come-on: "Later I'm going to show you why they called me 'Mainmast' in Sea Cadets."
posted by Mike D at 10:59 AM on October 5, 2010
posted by Mike D at 10:59 AM on October 5, 2010
Another life ago*, I was a wedding photographer. I saw many, many weddings and have a ton of old negatives and probably a few zip disks, cdr and dvd-r's of old shots hanging around in boxes I haven't yet unpacked. The one thing I can authoritatively say is that none of the shots stand out in my (or possibly the couple's) mind anymore, but that some of the ceremonies were unforgettable. Flipping through these photos (which are nice, don't get me wrong) I see very little there that I haven't seen a dozen times before, and less of which I'll remember in ten minutes or so (one word: Weinermobile!). The things I've witnessed that do stand out are: the flower girl hiding under the bride's train, the best man who passed out and gashed his head, but still managed to not lose the ring and gamely posed with a head bandage after the ceremony and the pastor who before he allowed the groom a kiss, leaned over and gently kissed his daughter on the forehead when she pulled back her veil. None of these ever translated to a picture the way the moment did, even when I was lucky enough to catch it. However, I did come away from all those experiences with one great truth I can share: second weddings are always more fun.
*An exercise for the bored reader might be to document and number all the lives I've professed before on MetaFilter. I think I may be giving my cat a run for her money these days.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
*An exercise for the bored reader might be to document and number all the lives I've professed before on MetaFilter. I think I may be giving my cat a run for her money these days.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
Must be a Boston thing. These are mediocre photographs.
Bill Brett is better known, to me, for his "party" photos. Where these parties are held, attended to and organized by are a mystery as I'm from Boston and for the life of me, I've never bumped into Mr. Brett nor witnessed any of the proceedings which he documents and which are inevitably hosted on Boston.com
I can assume that they're corporate events and the quality and originality of these wedding pictures are a direct reflection of where he plies the majority of his trade. Why a publication that brings us The Big Picture feels compelled to champion the works of Mr. Brett is beyond me. In a related note, I'm pleased to know that this unaccomplished backwater provincial town is still small enough where anyone can become Boston's _____.
posted by jsavimbi at 11:46 AM on October 5, 2010
Bill Brett is better known, to me, for his "party" photos. Where these parties are held, attended to and organized by are a mystery as I'm from Boston and for the life of me, I've never bumped into Mr. Brett nor witnessed any of the proceedings which he documents and which are inevitably hosted on Boston.com
I can assume that they're corporate events and the quality and originality of these wedding pictures are a direct reflection of where he plies the majority of his trade. Why a publication that brings us The Big Picture feels compelled to champion the works of Mr. Brett is beyond me. In a related note, I'm pleased to know that this unaccomplished backwater provincial town is still small enough where anyone can become Boston's _____.
posted by jsavimbi at 11:46 AM on October 5, 2010
Agreed with Dojie, basicchannel, and 1f2frfbf. These are middle-of-the-road, unimaginative, ordinary.
I'll stack any one of the Wedding photos from this photography studio chain against the best of Bill Brett's work:
http://www.venturephotography.com/uk/gallery/
(Or most of the "reader's photos" in Dojie's links... which are pro shots from other photogs... Brett is nothing special.)
What's next? Really cute family portraits from the Sioux Falls NE Sears Photo Studio? That would make a great FPP!
posted by IAmBroom at 11:50 AM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'll stack any one of the Wedding photos from this photography studio chain against the best of Bill Brett's work:
http://www.venturephotography.com/uk/gallery/
(Or most of the "reader's photos" in Dojie's links... which are pro shots from other photogs... Brett is nothing special.)
What's next? Really cute family portraits from the Sioux Falls NE Sears Photo Studio? That would make a great FPP!
posted by IAmBroom at 11:50 AM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
I happen to know the Sioux Falls Sears Photo Studio did a very nice job of shooting my sister and me in the Christmas dresses our mom made in 1989, thankyouverymuch.
posted by sararah at 2:08 PM on October 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by sararah at 2:08 PM on October 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
i would absolutely love the photos of a sioux falls sears portrait studio
posted by PinkMoose at 2:28 PM on October 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by PinkMoose at 2:28 PM on October 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I don't think he's better known as Boston's Photographer. Perhaps he is simply Boston.com's Photographer?
posted by maryr at 2:35 PM on October 5, 2010
posted by maryr at 2:35 PM on October 5, 2010
Bill Brett is a legend in Boston. He is a great guy, really nice, really personable and always willing to help you out.
If you spend more than ten minutes with him in a crowded room in Boston and try to talk to him you may only get about 30 seconds because every single person in that room will come and say hi, and he will remember their name, and how many kids they have and ask about their grandfather the retired fireman that Bill took many photos of when he was working hard news....etc etc etc.
Okay, he doesn't literally know everyone, but the man knows a lot of people. And he isn't friendly with just the rich people at these parties that 'jsavimbi' cant seem to find either (they are called fundraisers and pretty easy to find). He knows the city and the city knows him.
Seeing as many people recognize his name at least why wouldn't the Globe use it to drive traffic? Seems to make sense to me. As for his work, well to each his or her own. Taste is subjective. Some people like that style and some people consider it 'mediocre'.
posted by WickedPissah at 2:36 PM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you spend more than ten minutes with him in a crowded room in Boston and try to talk to him you may only get about 30 seconds because every single person in that room will come and say hi, and he will remember their name, and how many kids they have and ask about their grandfather the retired fireman that Bill took many photos of when he was working hard news....etc etc etc.
Okay, he doesn't literally know everyone, but the man knows a lot of people. And he isn't friendly with just the rich people at these parties that 'jsavimbi' cant seem to find either (they are called fundraisers and pretty easy to find). He knows the city and the city knows him.
Seeing as many people recognize his name at least why wouldn't the Globe use it to drive traffic? Seems to make sense to me. As for his work, well to each his or her own. Taste is subjective. Some people like that style and some people consider it 'mediocre'.
posted by WickedPissah at 2:36 PM on October 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
While I agree that most of these are nothing to write home about, I'm still enough of a newlywed that seeing wedding photos makes me think about how happy I was on my wedding day. So it gets a pass. I also have the knowledge that my wedding photographer was better.
posted by freshwater at 7:00 PM on October 5, 2010
posted by freshwater at 7:00 PM on October 5, 2010
(they are called fundraisers and pretty easy to find)
Yes, Bill Brett takes pictures of people dressed up at corporatey events pretending to be out in society, whatever that is. He takes the same photograph a thousand times over for people who just want to see themselves in the paper as they chug complementary wine in a roomful of strangers while they try and figure out how soon they can politely leave.
It's the same content that shows up in the back of the Improper Bostonian or in the Galway Advertiser passing itself off as society news. It's crap and Mr. Brett does nothing to dispel that, regardless of how many people he knows.
posted by jsavimbi at 7:18 PM on October 5, 2010
Yes, Bill Brett takes pictures of people dressed up at corporatey events pretending to be out in society, whatever that is. He takes the same photograph a thousand times over for people who just want to see themselves in the paper as they chug complementary wine in a roomful of strangers while they try and figure out how soon they can politely leave.
It's the same content that shows up in the back of the Improper Bostonian or in the Galway Advertiser passing itself off as society news. It's crap and Mr. Brett does nothing to dispel that, regardless of how many people he knows.
posted by jsavimbi at 7:18 PM on October 5, 2010
And he makes a damn good living at it too. Which isn't bad considering that he is basically retired. Though he is still known to cover some spot news from time to time. He is usually done by the time the rest of the news gets there.
Amd sometimes it is that 'crap' that sells newspapers. If it gives a local paper a little revenue boost then I am all for it. And really you don't have to look at them if you don't like them.
posted by WickedPissah at 7:57 AM on October 6, 2010
Amd sometimes it is that 'crap' that sells newspapers. If it gives a local paper a little revenue boost then I am all for it. And really you don't have to look at them if you don't like them.
posted by WickedPissah at 7:57 AM on October 6, 2010
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