Trash the Dress Photography

[CivilWarLady]

I am a 60 year old photographer, my primary line of photography is Wildlife and Landscaping. I do not do portrait unless they are a deer or raccoon. I do not understand why people would do Trash the Dress photography. What is the reasoning behind it, what would it be used for in the commercial world and why, just why would a women want to ruin such an icon as her wedding dress or prom dress. My son's girlfriend wants me to so a shoot for her trashing her prom dress I think it is foolish, if she no longer wants the dress then donate it to a thrift store or consignment shop and give another girl that can not afford a dress a chance to wear a nice dress it is so wasteful to ruin a dress for this type of photography. Can anyone enlighten me the justification of this type of photography,

[villafane928]

Well I am of the thought if someone wants to pay me to take images of them trashing her dress, well, trash the dress! If we over analyze what the client is thinking about why they want this kind of art you will find yourself pretty much censoring people from your talent which you have the right to do. Why you would care what she wants to do to her dress? It's hers. Well thats just my opinion.

jeff

[srt]

Although I have not done one of these shoots I love the concept! It does not neccesarily involving completely trashing the dress. I believe the idea is more like this: On your wedding day or prom night you get photos taken but of course you want your dress to stay clean and pristine, so you pose accordingly. A 'Trash the dress' or as it is also known 'Rock the frock' shoot is more so you can shoot in not so traditional poses (like lying on the ground) or in a more natural setting (like a river) WITHOUT having to worry about getting the dress dirty or snagged. So drycleaning should actually get it back to nice. Anyways I think that's more of the concept behind it rather than just ruining a lovely dress

[ksouza]

Have you seen any of these shoots before? Perhaps try googling for some examples just to see how they're done, i think that helps explain the interest behind them. there are even trash the dress videos.

As a bride to be, I am interested in doing one of these, because i think they present amazing opportunities for casual and unique pictures. I would probably just keep my dress in the back of my closet for the rest of my life (and will probably still do that, unless i totally ruin it). I would ideally like to do ours on our honeymoon though, i dont know if i'd just do it for the sake of doing it somewhere random.

Sidenote: i havent gotten my dress yet so i'm not sure if i will do it with the dress i actually wear. A suprising amount of brides do this shoot with a "stunt" dress, a very, very cheap knockoff of their original.

To each their own i guess, but I recommend googling! There is some great stuff out there. If you have any more questions, i'd be happy to answer

[Ms Byron Bay Photography]

They do it because it's fun! Life is about having fun...isn't it?

[as4968]

I think trash the dress shoots are FABULOUS! You can take some spectacular images of the couple that would not be taken on wedding day (ie: in water, on the ground, etc).

The original idea behind "trashing" the dress though is it's a symbol to your husband that you are never going to need to wear a wedding dress again. It's a stretch, I know. But I think that's how it all started.

Being just recently married, I CANNOT WAIT for our trash the dress session in a couple of weeks. We are traveling to a waterfall, and will take most of our pictures in the woods/nature. If my dress gets a little dirty...so what? It's not like I'm going to wear it again. All it will do is sit in my closet. And if a bride wants to sell her dress, most of the time a dress can be cleaned

I think you should google some trash the dress images. There are some spectacular ones out there and I think you may be pleasantly surprised

[BigVinnie]

Somewhat kin to shooting fashion junkyards and abandoned buildings. It's all about contrast.

Weddings are extremely formal for the most part. Probably the most formal event most couples ever participate in. This type of photoshoot is really a rebellion or release from that stress.

My soon to be daughter in law plans on doing one. She is using a stunt dress.

[dcclark]

Absolutely, the idea is to have fun, and to show a striking juxtaposition. A beautiful woman in an elaborate dress... standing in the middle of mine ruins. Wouldn't that catch your eye?

I have to admit that I hadn't heard of "trash the dress" until very recently. A close friend is getting married next week, and asked me if I'd do a "trash the dress" shoot with her sometime after the wedding. It's a good gift for her, since she will be getting (presumably!) cool portraits and a new experience out of it. It's great for me, because I get to combine an unusual wedding gift with my favorite subjects -- industrial ruins.

You're certainly not alone in questioning it. My friend's fiancee is having a tough time understanding it. I personally see a sort of humor in it, but certainly many don't. But that said -- is it better to let an old dress rot in a trunk for years, or to use it to do something new, beautiful, and unusual?

Edit -- one more thing. Not all "trash the dress" shoots are about destroying the dress. Our plan, for example, is to try and keep the dress in good condition. It's more about taking the bride (or couple) and the dress into unusual situations, where you might end up with some damage. That's why you only do it after the wedding!

[natek313]

It's a fair question, but I think the concept is awesome from a photographer's point of view. You get to make some very cool and unique images. I'm sure that is the appeal for a lot of brides as well. But, to directly answer your question, I feel the same way as Jeff. The dress is hers, and she can do whatever she wants with it.

I'm finishing up a trash the dress session soon, and let's just say, the dress definitely won't be salvageable. Haha. I can't wait!

[joep]

I totally agree, I think the gentleman who started the thread is entitled to his opinion, but also being 60 I have had to bend my way of thinking when clients want what they want, I may not agree with what they want but when they are paying for the service,........you provide the service.