Wedding photography style breakdown
Wondering what kind of wedding photography style might suit your needs best? Well it depends on wether or not you like the idea of perfectly posed portraits or a more relaxed approach to the capture of your photographs. The other factor to consider is if you prefer pictures that are lit by the sun vs. a flash. Natural lighting is gorgeous but may not produce expected color results shown in your photographs, especially if the images were captured at high noon or in a dark venue.
With these concepts in mind, using examples found in my own portfolio, here is a breakdown of my interpretation of a couple of different popular wedding photography styles.
Photojournalistic:
First favored by the news media, this informal, reality-based approach to photography is the current rage in wedding photography (and I could not be happier!). Rather than posing your pictures, I will follow you and your guests throughout the wedding day, capturing events as they unfold in order to tell the story of your wedding. Using my zoom lens, my job is to be able to fade into the background and become “invisible” to the crowd in order to get these candid or unposed shots. As a photojournalist, my job is not to does not to interfere with the natural course of the events unfolding throughout your day, I’ll need a keen eye and a willingness to “do what it takes to get the shot, no matter what kind of lighting or situation is happening at the moment. Many photographers also refer to this style of photography as a "documentary" style.
Traditional/ Classic:
The main idea behind this timeless style is to produce posed photographs for display in a portrait album. The photographer works from a “shot list,” ensuring he or she covers all the elements the bride and groom have requested. To make sure every detail of the shots is perfect, the photographer and her assistants not only adjust their equipment, but also the background, the subject’s body alignment, and even the attire. There will be a greater focus towards "items" in the photo delivery (such as flowers, decor, dress details ect.) and less emphasis on candid moments. Hiring a Traditional wedding photographer is a great way to end up with a beautiful set wedding photos that end up looking like popular Pinterest board's of "must have shots".
Natural/ Available Light:
Rather than using a camera flash, photographers use the natural light found in a setting, usually daylight. Captured correctly the look gorgeous—yet the photographer must be HIGHLY skilled to deal with color grading, shadows and other (very common / predictable) lighting challenges posed to them during a wedding day. Beware of hiring a “natural light only photographer” if your wedding venue will be dimly lit during your reception or you will risk receiving an album full of dark and grainy reception photos.
Illustrative Photography:
Although I have the ability to incorporate each of the genre's listed here, this "Illustrative" style of photography that I am most closely aligned with.
Illustrative style~
My style, has been described as a pleasing blend of modern and emotive photojournalistic elements, with an emphasis on correct composition, optimal lighting, real colors, and a lovely background.
I take a VERY light touch in editing.
My goal is to try and capture REAL colors and deliver that 'natural timeless aesthetic in your photographs as opposed to putting a trendy overcooked filter on the images.
Preferring to take a hands off, more light directorial approach to "posing", I will place my couples together in an interesting environment and will encourage them to relax and interact with one another.
During the reception, I will focus in on the guests and my couples interacting with one another and capture those real emotive moments of connection while keeping an eye for a pleasing aesthetic result.
Utilizing a mix of off-camera flash and natural lighting techniques, my illustrative style captures some of the emotion and spontaneity of candids, while offering the technical control of posed shots.
Note: After a decade of shooting, one of the harder aspects of my job was to actually develop my own "style of photography". I've always been curious to see wether this belief lines up with everyone else's perceptions.
So, upon the advice of a fellow photographer friend, I recently posted the following question on Reddit to see how the public views and defines what it is that I do...
Q. How would you describe the “style” of my wedding photography shown on my site? I just want to make sure that I am properly setting the right expectations for my prospective clients when they Google then view my work.
Examples: Dark ‘n moody, True to life, bright n’ airy, Illustrative, documentary, Artistic, Traditional/Classic, ect. ?
A.
~ "I think "authentic" is good. You capture emotion very well!'
~ "The shots really seem "modern" and "photojournalistic"
~ "You could say your work is dreamy yet timeless— really nice, true-to-life colors, and it doesn’t look like your editing is super stylized (so your work won’t be super dated by your editing style."
~ "I think it’s a combination of things. I see documentary/photo journalistic and I see a lot of emotive shots. You have good composure and good exposure. Also please don’t fall into the trap of over-stylizing your work with presets. (Remember the crushed blacks/reduced contrast craze of 17/18?) Avoiding those trends allows your images to be (and stay) timeless."
~ "Agreed with everyone’s comments! Very authentic moments and I love your natural tones! You do have a photojournalistic approach. Love your work! "
-Sally