Wedding photography is not just one of my favourite genres, but it also encompasses a wide range of styles. There are several styles of "shooting," as well as various styles of "editing" or post-processing.
The "labels" should help you get a sense of the various styles available in the wedding photography market. The fact is, most great photographers are a little bit of everything while leaning strongly on a handful of them. The wedding day and the couple inspire the photographer's technique when taking images.
These are merely definitions to assist you in your search for a wedding photographer and should in no way be seen as rules or implying that any photographer fits ONLY one of these categories.
You have selected the day, secured the location, and begun the dress search. It would be best if you found a photographer to capture your big day. While those who work in the wedding photography field may be well versed in the various approaches, the vast array of options might be overwhelming for the happy couple. It's important to keep in mind that, in addition to deciding on a photographic approach, you'll also have to factor in the time commitment that various wedding photography options require.
Photographs were taken during a wedding. There are three primary considerations when deciding on a wedding photography style. How long you want to spend with a photographer on your big day, the type of shots you hope to get, and, most significantly, how you feel about being photographed.
Numerous photography-related jargon can be found online. A few examples are the vintage, journalistic, creative, and contemporary categories. What's more perplexing is that different photographers employ them in varying ways. In the end, it is up to the couple to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research, and rely on seeing a whole set of photographs from finished weddings before choosing a photographer. Avoid making a decision based on the top five or six pictures from some weddings.
The approaches photographers take to weddings strike a balance between taking their time and getting the job done quickly. Although others may appreciate a talented photographer's work, you may become impatient if he takes too long to provide the results.
List Of Wedding Styles
Candid Wedding Photography
Some partners prefer not to have their pictures taken in a staged setting and instead want to capture genuine, unscripted reactions to the day's events. Wedding photographers that specialise in "candid" shots capture the action as it unfolds, without any staging or posing. They're set up to snap candid photos of everyday happenings, capturing details you might have missed otherwise.
Lifestyle Wedding Photography
Lifestyle photography is like a contemporary take on reportage. The goal is to look natural, although you may receive subtle instruction on your position or lighting. You are constructing plausible scenarios while lending a hand in their final refinement.
Traditional Wedding Photography
In most old wedding books, you may see numerous pictures that are classic and will never go out of style. An American wedding nowadays is a more up-to-date version of the conventional weddings your parents probably had, complete with a line-up of the bridal party for photos, family formals at the altar, and possibly a first dance and bouquet toss.
Can you picture the ideal sequence of photographs? The bridesmaids and groomsmen all lined up, and they all cracked up. Beautiful portraits of the bridal party and the bridal party's families on the altar? What, no breathtaking, panoramic shots of your wedding at the Basilica? If so, they think you'll like having these more classic photos in your collection.
Fine Art Wedding Photography
The photographer's imagination plays a vital role in wedding photography. It is using what they know and their surroundings as resources. They will use innovative techniques to make their pictures, including creative composing, framing, lighting, and even Photoshop. It can be severe, imaginative, humorous, unusual, etc. Art is considered high-quality when the artist has a clear mental picture of how it should turn out.
Photos are taken in this technique often lean towards the posed side, but the results may be stunning. When the photographer sets up the scene and waits for the spontaneous moment to unfold, the result is a work of fine art candid photography.
Natural Wedding Photography – Light & Airy
Boho is another term for a natural wedding photographer. Natural and functional lighting sources will be used nearly exclusively for this design. Green and earthy tones are commonplace in photographs taken in this technique, giving them a lovely, organic vibe.
However, it would be best if you verified with the photographer that they are comfortable working in dim settings. Look at that facet of their portfolio carefully.
Dark and Moody
If you're looking for a wedding photographer, but "light and airy" isn't your style, try "dark and moody." These pictures' dramatic light and dark tones give them a dreamy, almost theatrical quality.
Black and White Wedding Photography
Black and white photography is still stunning, even though it is created in post-production software rather than on film. This is the kind of thing done on exceptional occasions. Black and white wedding photography may give even a contemporary image a timeless and classic quality, regardless of whether the shots were taken candidly, as fine art, or in any other style. A black and white photograph is the best choice when the emotion is more essential than the details.
Editorial Wedding Photography
Editorial photographs may be more to your taste if feeling like a supermodel on your wedding day is a priority. These shots are from out of the most prestigious bridal publications, where the models and their subjects are all styled to perfection, and the lighting is spot on. These shots may require additional time to set up, so be sure to allow for that in your schedule. You may like this approach if you hope your wedding news will appear in print or on popular blogs.
This type of wedding photography takes its cues from the high-fashion spreads of glossy magazines and, when done well, can result in stunning, high-end photographs. The photographer will need to be extremely well-organised and may want to enlist the aid of an assistant to help set up some of the images in advance, depending on their prefered approach.
Find out how much time is needed for this type of shoot to be sure it will work with your schedule—planning a second picture session after the wedding is a good option if you enjoy this style of photography but don't want to spend too much time on it on your wedding day.
An alternative picture session, often known as trash the dress or cherish the dress shoot, could be the most excellent option to have the wedding you want and the photographs you'll love without having to sacrifice too much of the big day itself. It also gives you and your photographer more options if it rains on the big day and you must reschedule. The trend in high-end wedding photography in many countries, especially the United States, is toward three separate picture sessions: the engagement shoot, the wedding day, and an editorial session. They don't think having things done in a single day is essential.
Traditional (or Posed) Wedding Photography
People often associate traditional wedding photography with boring, rigid group shots. Even more distressing is the seemingly endless duration of the various human clusters. While it's currently trendy to disparage the standard wedding photo shoot, the fundamental structure used by most professional photographers remains the same. Even if the photos are more fashionable, the bride and husband's wedding day will be relatively identical.
The type of work a photographer takes and the amount of time it takes to shoot it will always be at odds with one another. Traditional posed portraits require more time for preparation and execution. There is a minimum amount of time necessary for any photographer who does pose artistic work. You should find out how much of your time he will need and plan accordingly. Photographers can spend a couple of hours on formal portraits.
It's essential to check that your wedding day schedule allows for that much downtime. Taking photographs like these can be challenging if you are uncomfortable being the centre of attention. Even though a professional photographer is there to assist you and make you feel comfortable, having your picture taken can be an intimidating experience for some people.
Vintage Wedding Photography
There has been a recent resurgence of interest in vintage-style wedding photography, but this trend is elusive and difficult to define. Vintage can refer to anything from shooting a wedding with an antique film camera to just uniquely editing digital files to achieve a retro effect. There are many talented photographers available, but keep in mind that your images may look a little old-fashioned in a few years if you receive files that have been severely manipulated in a specific manner.
They not a big lover of fakery, so if they were to hire a vintage-style photographer for the wedding, they want at least a portion of the event captured on film. Always do your research, look at examples, and think things through carefully.
Artistic or Fine Art Wedding Photography
As a modern spin on the conventional wedding photo album, this style of photography evolved from the standard formal portraits. Both of these terms have been abused in the photography world. Thus it is essential to define them precisely.
The best examples of this style can evoke powerful feelings of romance, but when the same positions are used over and over again, the result can come off as impersonal. Inquire about viewing a wide variety of photographs and providing your comments during the pre-wedding meeting.
FAQs About Wedding Photography
Wedding photojournalism is another popular shooting technique that many wedding photographers choose to adopt, even when they are just beginning their careers.
This type of wedding photography is frequently combined with traditional wedding photography. It is reminiscent of reportage and documentary shooting, in which the photographer adopts a more casual approach to narrating the tale of the day.
Different Styles Of Wedding Photography
It can be not easy to find a reliable wedding photographer. In other words, you have to make a decision based on someone's previous work, and you won't be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour on the big day. Aside from your friends and family, the photographer may be the person you spend the most time with on your wedding day (unless you have a wedding planner).
The images are the sole tangible memento of that day, and there weren't any other vendors. Consequently, it is essential. For this reason, it's crucial to carefully select the people you'll be spending the day with at the office.
First, let's acknowledge that there is no agreed-upon nomenclature for most of these topics. Therefore the language is a hot mess. They typically go by multiple names, sometimes sharing the same moniker amongst various types. Based on the investigation, they have come to the following conclusion. Before making your final choice, here are some things to bear in mind if you feel the need to do some research.
Classic Modern Portraiture
By "classic," They refer to the status quo at most modern weddings, which entails a staged photo shoot with the groomsmen, bridesmaids, family members, the happy couple, etc., before the ceremony, and then a more candid recording of the reception, like a cross between "Your Parents' Wedding" and contemporary wedding photography.
Though this isn't how They usually operate, You don't see any problems with it. It lets the photographer do a lot of experimenting and take a wide variety of photos to guarantee the customer is satisfied. Pick your collaborators carefully, as with any other endeavour. A great "classic modern" wedding photographer will identify exciting places to take photographs, etc.
The most excellent aspect of traditional, contemporary photography is that it captures your special day in a timeless, tasteful manner without the awkward posing that was common in bygone eras.
The Benefits:
These pictures will most likely remind you of your parents, but with a modern twist. These photographers are the ones to go to if you want timeless, minimalistic photographs. If you've invested a lot of time and thought into the little things for your wedding, modern traditional photographers will make sure to capture them so that they can become a part of your wedding's visual tale.
Another advantage, in their opinion, is that it ensures uniformity. There is no shame in preferring the safe route through life if you are not an adventurous person. You can rely on dependably, high-quality results.
The Drawbacks:
However, consistency might occasionally mean that your photographs look similar to those of other clients. Depending on what you want from your wedding photography, this can be a significant disadvantage.
Fine Art:
This technique allows the photographer almost complete artistic licence to incorporate their unique point of view and style into the photographs. It seeks to portray portraits/people in circumstances, real-life events, or landmarks in an aesthetic way. These are staged shots. The visuals can be dramatic, beautiful, hilarious, quirky, epic, and so on. The primary purpose is to tell stories about people's lives or to encourage them at various points in their life. As a result, it encompasses a wide range of photographic disciplines.
Fine art wedding photography, like photojournalism, is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the wedding industry. Often, it's a means for photographers to express their desire to take photographs that push the boundaries. However, keep in mind that fine art wedding photography can sometimes be more about the photographer than the shot itself. Just be attentive when conversing with them. Many of us have enormous egos.
The Benefits:
The photographs from a wedding captured with a fine art lens can be pretty stunning. If done right, they can be loads of fun, trendy, and cool as hell. And if you choose a fine art wedding photographer, your pictures will probably look unique.
The Drawbacks:
However, it can be a crapshoot, or it can be a crapshoot. You risk becoming dissatisfied with the final product if you give the photographer free creative reign. That holds true in every situation, but they feel it stands out the most in Fine Art Photography.