Wedding Photography Styles

Currently there are two general styles of wedding photography.

Wedding Photojournalism

This is an increasingly popular style of wedding photography today. Brides who choose photojournalists to capture their wedding day feel the traditional photography style is out dated. Photojournalism is a skill just like traditional or any other facet of photography. A photojournalist is a photographer whose strength is in capturing the action. Photojournalists capture images that tell a story.

The wedding photojournalist usually arrives well before the bride is dressed and stays until they take last photo of the bride and groom leaving the reception. The photographer unobtrusively captures each action of the day and does not do the traditional posed photographs. Since the images are taken as they happen subjects are unaware the camera is there and the emotion is more honest. Black and white is a popular medium for these types of wedding photographs. Some photojournalist will take 1,000s of images at a wedding.

If you are asked to photograph a wedding as a photojournalist I would suggest making sure the expectations for coverage are spelled out in the agreement. Some couple have been known to purchase this type of package and then want to not pay because key photographs were missed.A popular upscale trend for this type of coverage is for all formal photographs to be taken prior to the wedding and from the start of the ceremony on there are no posed photographs.

Traditional Wedding Photography

Traditional or Classic wedding photography is the most common style today. This is a timeless style that you have seen time and time again in wedding albums. Traditional wedding photography is defined as a well posed photographs where the photographer is more of a director than an observer. Typically the photographer is very involved in arranging individual and group photographs before and during the wedding reception. This can be helpful in keeping the wedding flow planned and on track. Often these poses take a lot of time. Especially, if family members have not been clued into the schedule.

A fortunate trend for modern weddings is that the couple will have their own portraits taken by the photographer before the wedding day or an hour before the wedding. This is a great idea if you think you might get stressed out if the photos take a little too long on your wedding day.

The traditional wedding photographer usually has a lot of experience in portraiture and bring quality studio lights. They are concerned with quality and making their subject look great. This is where the list mentioned elsewhere comes into play. Review the list to see examples of traditional wedding photography.

The traditional style is great for couples who want the wedding day to be a record of the families.

Traditional Journalist

 This is how I describe myself and I believe this to be the best of both worlds. A traditional journalist will capture the posed photographs to record the families and then work to capture the candid moments which tell the story.With this type of approach the bride has the best of both styles. As we meet with the couple we will discuss what they are thinking and what their parents want. From there a wedding day coverage plan is determined.

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