The different Styles of Wedding Photography

As a future bride, choosing your wedding photographer can be a tricky task. This a brief guide that will help you become familiar with the main Wedding Photography Styles available and to bring you a step closer to choosing the perfect wedding photographer.

Each photographer has his or her own distinct style, which is reflected in the photographer’s portfolio of work. Before you choose a photographer, consider the photographic style you prefer, and then seek out those photographers whose work reflects best what you like the most.

Traditional

Traditional wedding photography stands for classic posed images, and usually a great deal of control from the photographer’s side. (Remember your parent’s wedding album?) These days there aren’t so many classic or traditional photographers in the true meaning of the word, but there are definitely enough photographers who still shoot in this style. Traditional wedding photographers look to capture perfect moments with artistry and dignity and generally produce excellent, albeit formulaic, shots of the wedding party, families, and planned events.

Documentary

A wedding photographer who takes a photojournalist approach is one who considers, it is the photographer’s job to record events, not stage them. This photographer will take the group shots you want but will also include candid and spontaneous images. You will get lots of candid, natural shots, from a completely different perspective than the traditional wedding photographer’s. Most of the time the photographer will be in the background and you might not even notice he/she is there at all! (which is a good thing!). 

Fine Art

Many Fine Art photographers have a background in art and pay great attention to the aesthetics and the final image they present to the client. They often look for artistic angles, unusual points of view, mirror reflections and creative compositions, while still providing candid shots and beautiful emotional portraits, and creating a personal and authentic record of your big day! Fine art wedding photography is more than just Photography, is a piece of art. Similar to a photojournalist, a photographic artist rarely takes traditional shots but prefers to find artistic ways to photograph elements, people, and events. The photographic artist is a master in the medium of black and white and at producing beautifully composed photos, likely to be less candid than full of drama and artistic beauty.

Commercial/Editorial

A commercial photographer’s sense of style may be more formulaic and less spontaneous than a journalistic photographer. Just the same, this type of photographer is a professional and capable of taking magazine-quality images. Editorial photographers will mainly focus on details, like flowers and decor and their style is about creating a beautiful refection of the day, rather than storytelling. The photographer will look for great backgrounds and will direct the couple in order to achieve stylised images resembling editorial fashion photography.

How trendy or classy will you be?

When you imagine looking through your wedding album, what sorts of shots do you picture? Do you want more classic and elegant photos, or do you hope to have fun shots of your bridal party in different poses? Do you want to incorporate trendy, unique props, or do you prefer to keep things simple and timeless? The internet makes it easy to brainstorm photo ideas, but not every couple will like the same thing. The same event can be shot in multiple ways, so take some time to find out how you want your wedding photos to look.