Understanding how photographic style applies to weddings
First, let’s just list the major styles in wedding photography which are generally known as 1. Commercial/Lifestyle 2. Documentary/Photojournalistic 3. Fine Art 4. Traditional Sometimes people will mistakenly lump editing or color into this discussion too but that’s not style although it can play a part in how you feel about an image so we’ll look at that in this article too. First, it should be understood that every photographer no matter their preferences, experience, or cost has to practice all four major styles to complete any wedding. We all take family group photos (traditional), ceremony photos (photojournalistic), and creative portraits of the bride and groom (artistic) just to give an example of each where the style is dictated but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t approaching each event in our own way. To understand a photographer’s complete approach rather you must look at each part of the day and know how those images were made to understand what your experience will be. And experience is key because it will dictate how you remember your wedding as much as what it looked like.
Part 1 - Commerical/lifestyle vs. Documentary Photojournalistic
Some photographers and videographers prefer to see the wedding day more as a script where the visuals they need can be written or memorized on a list while others see the beauty of life in what happens organically and believe that recording real, unscripted, moments will give the most memorable images. Both approaches create beautiful images but they differ radically in the experience of being the subject. For example, a scripted lifestyle image of a bride and her mom holding hands, maybe even with tears in their eyes can be made in both styles but in one the memory of the moment is of being prompted, a sort of tiny performance while the other could be a photograph you don’t even remember being taken until you see your gallery. Neither approach is empirically better than another but how that image is made is what separates one style from another and it’s not something you can tell from just looking at a gallery.
Side note: The commercial/lifestyle approach has been the dominant style for the last few years, I think because it’s easier and safer for the photographer. There is simply more control and less risk in making images and crossing them off the list than there is in waiting for real moments to happen. That being said I’ve met many couples who are willing to risk the shot list approach for something more real and personal. Be careful though as you read a photographer’s marketing copy just because they’re describing themselves as candid, documentary, or photojournalistic doesn’t make it true.
Part 2 Fine Art vs. Traditional Portraits
First, the family group photos everyone takes at their weddings are nearly always in the traditional genre so I’m going to ignore those images when it comes to a discussion of style but I do think you should take a look at those images in a portfolio because the lighting and posing of those images is critical. Truth be told they’re some, if not the most, of the most frequently printed and shared images we take.
Now back to the crux of fine art vs. traditional portraiture, you need to look at a photographer’s portrait work (images of the bride and groom alone, the wedding party not at the altar) and ask yourself do I enjoy this work? Is what I see posed in a more traditional style? Is the lighting soft and unremarkable? Are many of the faces looking at the camera? Or do you see a lot of creative license on how the couple is posed, how dramatic the lighting is or is the background bold and dramatic? Are the majority of the images of the couple doing something where it looks more ‘camera unaware’ and natural or is it posed so perfectly that it looks like great care went into the composition? Here I do think it is safe to evaluate the work you see on a photographer’s website BUT sometimes the portraits a photographer makes at any one wedding are dictated by the environment, schedule, and time of day so do take care to think about what your wedding day will be like and how that matches to something similar in a portfolio.
Part 3 Everyone is unique and everyone is also the same
Now with those comparisons on the table let’s also acknowledge that almost no one fits 100% into any one category and 99% of wedding photographers can adapt to locations, light, and a couple’s preferences. So in one sense, every photographer’s approach will vary based on their choice of approach, their eye for light, moment, and composition but we’re also in the business of making it work and should know how to adapt just in case that’s what’s needed.
In our business, we have drawn a line where we do the minimum amount of prompting to give a couple the best chance of clean backgrounds and beautiful light. This means that I will help a bride choose, for example, where to get dressed but I won’t tell her how to do it because we want to leave space or real moments. This approach leads to images where real moments can happen and the memory of the moment will not be of us.
When it comes to portraits we can customize our approach to fit a wedding day for example if I’m on a ranch shooting in the middle of the day I gravitate to a light and airy feel and a more candid feeling to the poses but if I’m working at night in a luxury hotel I’m going to generally use more dramatic lighting and precise poses to work with the low light environment. All that being said what I love most is when we can give a variety of portraits by working with our couple’s locations throughout the day in different spaces in with different light. As you look at portraits ask yourself if the environment is similar to what you’ll have at your wedding, do you gravitate to images with a bit more drama or do you prefer portraits that feel more casual? And if you see both in a photographer’s work then communicate your preferences with them and work to create the environment and lighting you love.
Examples showing several ‘styles’ all from the same wedding.
Traditional altar photos are a key part of most weddings and here professional strobe light helps us keep things perfectly lit. Every wedding photographer makes traditional images but check to make sure you see skill and consistency.
Many documentary moments aren’t staged or created from a shot list, they have to happen naturally and a photograher has to be watching and moving constantly to be ready.
A fine art ‘bright and airy’ portrait taken only moments before the second image at right. We love the look of both, so why shoot only one?
Sometimes beautiful moments are a part of mini events at a wedding like a private last dance. It’s a bit of a performance but we must also be ready for the perfect moment.
A more fine art, cinematic, creative image is something almost all photographers love to do and the mix between traditional images and these makes wedding photography interesting and fun.
These moments are slightly staged in the sense that we’ll help you pick a clean and beauiful background but we won’t micro-manage so that it still feels natural and real. We want to memory to be of you and your dad, not of us.
If the photographer is experienced they can be both light/bright/airy and warm/cinematic/moody and adapt either look to their client’s needs and/or the schedule/venue/available light.
Perpetuating the myth that an accomplished photographer who knows how to control and manipulate light can or will only make one type of choice in creating and toning every image is a misnomer becuase most of the time we’re more likely responding to the light/conditions/venue/client to make those descisoins. It’s also terrible in my mind that we believe that to be artistic and have a strong brand we can only do or be one thing. Once a photographer is really in control of their skills they can absolutely adapt to what the day/light and even couples preferences are to create a wide variety of beautiful work. Yes, personally we love to create strong documentary work but we’re also passionate about portraits and the variety of images we create is part of what fuels us. Honestly, it would be boring to do the same thing every weekend and often it would be forcing a round peg into a square hole. To my mind, it’s so much better if we collaborate and create art that you love while working with your wedding day’s best assets in terms of light/location/weather.
The way we control and capture the light can be tailored to the image we want to create and we’re not tied to just one look. Again here is a real world example of two different moods/sytles within one wedding.
A bright and airy image that really suits the light and the enviornment
Same wedding, this would have to be classified as dark/cinematic but it was somethign the couple really wanted to do and the stars have become something we have become known more with many of our couples.
Being able to work with and creatively use flash and other lighting tools makes any photographer better. Great wedding photographers are able to overcome challenges and create beautiful images even when some part of the day is compromised by time/light or location.
If there is anyone out there reporting to be an ‘available light’ wedding photographer there are only two or three possible explanations: 1. They have no desire or training on how to use flash or added light and you should probably think twice because honestly they’re simply unprepared for all the responsibilities of wedding photography. 2. It’s a marketing description to attract couples who like the bright and airy style of images. This is fine but just know that your day/venue/weather and schedule can/will still play vital roles in then in how your images will look. Also, it’s important to note and discuss how this photographer’s work could be compromised if things aren’t optimal for that style. Many experienced ‘bright and airy’ photographers will still be able to adapt and will be prepared to work in other ways as needed like using a strobe to mimic natural light but some won’t.
On the other side of the coin if you take an experienced photographer who favors controlling light for some of their advertised look I would almost guarantee that if your days lends itself to a more bright and airy style that they would be able to work with it. The reason is that if they frequently need to create different looks by modifying light with strobes/LEDs/reflectors then they already know how to work with existing light. So if you fancy a variety of images taken at different parts of the day or if you’d like to tailor your wedding images to your style then just work with them to achieve that goal.
Now I think you see where I’m going here on why would I want a photographer that I knew was capable of creative work using modified light…I think over the hundreds of weddings we’ve photographed that it’s a skill we’ve had to refine because: sometimes the weather keeps you inside all day, sometimes you run out of natural light before you’re finished with photography or the sunlight is just nasty, because sometimes we use modified light to create what looks like beautiful sunlight. Wedding days are always a balancing act of creating a great experience for you and your guests and part of that for us is being adaptable so no matter what happens we’re prepared to work. What I love about loving both available and modified light is that I’m ready to make images anywhere at any time. So please choose a photographer you trust, who will direct you when you want, and will give you space for real moments when that’s what you need. Our 2 cents.
In the end, 99.99% of all wedding photographers are working hard to make their clients happy and we’ll do almost anything in our power to give you photos that you’re over the moon about.
A note about toning and post-processing -
I really believe that an image with balanced and natural color which has been graded to subtlely enhance the tones is the best way a wedding photographer can deliver your images. The reason for this is that over the years we’ve seen a lot of popular filters come and go and eventually all of them lose their lustre and appeal. By sticking with natural and true-to-life tones we remain timeless. That being said we’re far from against the use of Photoshop to finish our work as we intended at the time of capture or to fix what was impossible to do on the day. After every wedding, we break out the best images and use our skills to enhance them. This can include removing distracting elements from backgrounds, combining images into panoramics, and changing the color/tone. When we start from our natural edit there are lots of ways we can take an image and we love that. In the end, what you get is our vision and our dedication to giving you the best we can make. We deliver that to you in a slide show presentation and as a downloadable gallery where you can share/print and use the images any way you like.
4 Different looks in post-processing from the same image
Natual colors and processing, always our staring point for wedding images
Light and bright toning, which generally falls closely in line with film and can work really well in bright environments.
Cinematic toning - I do love the richness of the tonality and it’s ability to transform an image into something you cannot see with your eyes. Cinematic looking images work really well at night when we can controll all of the light in a scene.
Black and white - never underestimage how a black white image will always draw your attention to what matters and how it will forever have a timeless look
I hope you find this useful in your discussions with photographers and that it moves you forward in making sure you have a wonderful wedding photography experience! If you’d like to speak with us we’d love to know you just use the contact button above or click here. Also if you’d love to learn more about documentary photography check out this article.
