Less Talked About Styles of Wedding Photography
Most of the time when you read an article about wedding photography styles, they focus on traditional versus photojournalistic. The article talks about editorial wedding photography styles versus fine art wedding photography styles. Today, I’ll discuss those briefly but then I want to focus on the less talked about styles of wedding photography.
What I mean is going beyond the style of the photography. I’m going to talk about the style of the photographer and how their interaction with the wedding couples impacts the stories they are telling. As storytellers, most photographers put a little bit of themselves into their work. Therefore, you can see why the photographers’ style matters.
In this article, I’m going to go beyond the style of photography for wedding pictures themselves and talk about the style of the photographer. How does the wedding photographer impact the wedding photography? Or to go further, how do they impact the wedding experience?
Less Talked About Wedding Photography Styles
Let’s be honest, have you been to a wedding where you remember the photographer? If I were to ask that question to a room full of people I would probably get three different answers. Here is how I would categorize them.
Impressions of the Wedding Photographer
Yes, I remember the photographer at this one wedding and they were terrible. We spent hours taking photos and it was so hot and boring. We just wanted to celebrate.
No, I don’t really remember the photographer. I remember the food or the dance party.
Yes, I remember this one photographer who just helped make everything go so smoothly and efficiently. They were unobtrusive to our day but also made the experience so much better.
Do you understand where I’m going now? I’m talking about a less talked about wedding photography style that can make or break a wedding day. Because the photographer is always there and always around. They should be an asset, not a liability.
The “Other” Wedding Photography Styles
Let’s talk about the three different types of wedding photographer and their wedding photography style. This is beyond if your images come out dark and moody or if you shoot in a photojournalistic style. In this section, I’m talking about how wedding photographers act at the wedding and how that impacts their couples.
The Hollywood Director
Some wedding photographers fancy themselves Hollywood directors. They want to produce epic wedding photos and they’ll choreograph the wedding day to make that possible. This is great for couples who want a highly produced wedding day but less great for those who want to enjoy their guests and have their photographer capture some candids.
Fly On The Wall
Completely opposite of the wedding photographer who is directing the day is the photographer who takes the photojournalistic style to the other extreme. This wedding photographer is a fly on the wall that doesn’t interfere with the wedding at all but rather tries to capture everything in its pure form. This is great for the couple that doesn’t want photographer interference.
Unobtrusive but Helpful
Somewhere in the middle, and the exact balance will depend on photographers own unique style, is the photographer who tries to remain unobtrusive while also being helpful. They will direct certain aspects of the day when necessary or even immerse themselves in the moment, but their goal is to enhance the moment by utilizing their expertise.
The Photography Styles You Typically Think Of
In this section, I’m going to review the popular wedding photography styles that you typically think of, mostly because I don’t want to disappoint if that’s the reason you clicked on this article. These wedding photography styles are important to note too because they’re part of what sets one photographer apart from another.
If a bride is looking for and expecting a certain wedding photography style, it’s important that they find a wedding photographer that fits what they’re looking for.
Traditional Wedding Photography
The wedding industry has grown but traditional wedding photography is what you think of when you look at wedding photos of grandparents. It’s typically more about posed photos of who was present. Most couples want at least some traditional-style photos from their wedding, meaning they want some family portraits even if they want the rest of their photos to take on a different style.
The classic images from a wedding day are those key shots like the first kiss, exit from the aisle, or cake cutting. The right photographer for any particular couple will capture the right amount of these classic shots and posed shots. Some couples have less traditional weddings where the wedding day is less prescriptive so that can
Editorial-Style Wedding Photography
The editorial photography style is what you think of when you look at a magazine photoshoot. Similarly, editorial wedding photos are going to include a lot of details to show the style of the wedding. Many photographers shoot some editorial-style photos in their image collection.
Photojournalistic Wedding Photography
The photojournalistic style is popular for couples seeking to capture candid moments that seem more real. The candid photography style tries for minimal interference from the wedding photographer so that moments are more genuine. Different photographers have different standards for how strict they are about interfering.
Lifestyle Photography for Weddings
Lifestyle photography for weddings falls somewhere between editorial and photojournalistic wedding photography, in my opinion. There might be real moments but sometimes they are more staged and directed in order to make it look a certain way. This isn’t a common term used for a wedding photography style because most photographers will fall into one of the other categories but the more directive a photojournalist gets the more they move away from pure photojournalism to something else.
Fine Art Wedding Photography Style
When you think of fine art photography you think of photography that is about the creative expression of the artist. Fine art wedding photography is similar where the photographer might express more through their photos than what meets the eye. In my mind, this is about quality over quantity and a photographer might spend more time on fewer images.
Wedding Photography Editing Styles
Beyond how a photographer approaches the day comes how the photographer edits the wedding day. This is where you get the photos that are edited differently. Some photographers deliver moody images while others deliver airy photos, while some of this is based on how the photographer shoots much of it happens in post-production.
If a bride wants vintage wedding photography, black and white photography, or dark and moody photography, that really applies more to how the photographer edits their images than their approach to shooting. A photojournalist might be dark and moody in their editing, for example.
I think that the post-production style has the biggest impact on whether you end up with timeless images or more trendy images. Wedding photography has evolved over time but it’s also still wedding photography. The style of wedding photography doesn’t change the subject of what we’re photographing.
Other Things That Impact a Photographer’s Style
Let’s talk about a few other things that can impact a photographer’s style. Sometimes the venue plays a part in the style of wedding photography. Outdoor weddings, for example, are easier to shoot natural light or aerial photography.
Wedding photojournalism is popular but sometimes the wedding photographer has to play the part of wedding planner by helping things move along. If the wedding party doesn’t know when to go where, the wedding photographer choose to keep people on task. The different wedding photography styles then can start to blend together and feel less like any one particular style.
On that note, a photographer might embody more than one style resulting in their own signature style that is a blend of different styles. This is actually great because in creating their own style they’re able to differentiate themselves from other wedding photographers and set expectations for their wedding clients.
Choosing the Style of Photography for a Wedding
So how do you choose your wedding photography style? Or how does a bride choose a fine art wedding photographer over a photojournalistic dark and moody photographer? It comes down to what a couple is looking for in their photography and whether that’s compatible with how a photographer likes to create images.
Arguably, a wedding photographer could simply edit in various post-processing styles to get a dark and moody style or a light and airy style. Some of those looks come from your shooting style and how you’re using the natural light or camera flash. But some of it comes from how you edit.
Either way, many wedding photographers have both a personality style, approach to how they shoot, and vision for how they edit. The different wedding photography styles are based on what someone likes to create. For example, if you love flying a drone you might develop an aerial wedding photography style. And then similar a bride will choose the right photographer for her based on her interests.
More Wedding Photography Tips
Here on the Bergreen blog, we teach the basics of photography for both Brides and photographers. Learn things such as the exposure triangle and camera settings. We also review some of our favorite gear. Let us know what you’re interested in and we’ll do our best to help take your photography to the next level.
Next, check out our candid moments shooting guide or our 9 Best Tips for Outdoor Wedding Photographers. You might love these marketing tips for growing your business. Links to products are affiliate links.
About the author
I am Brenda Bergreen, one half of an Evergreen husband and wife photography team specializing in Colorado wedding photography and videography, and adventure photography. If you need wedding photography tips or advice on the best gear for your goals, reach out.
Download our free guide on how to build a creative business and a life you love. Don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can help!
In the meantime, remember to…
