What Wedding Photography Style Suits You?

The time has the to start thinking about your wedding photographer. Who will they be? How much will you pay? What style will they have? Well, a lot of that depends on what kind of style you go for. You probably have a bit of an idea about what style suits you, even if you don’t actually realise it. Instinctively you would be drawn to a specific Wedding Photography Style. Maybe you follow wedding photographers on Insta, maybe you have seen friends and families wedding photos. But now is the time to start thinking of what wedding photography style actually suits you. So let’s go through the differing styles, and give you some more information to decide which one suits you.

Fine Art Photography

A lot of people are misunderstood about what Fine Art photography is, and in fact, many wedding photographers claim this title without being anything of the sort. The best way to describe this wedding photography style is to say that every single shot (or a large majority of the shots) will be taken with artistic integrity in mind. What this means is, the photographer would be aiming to shoot each image so it could be displayed in an art gallery as a standalone piece. If you are after candid, documentary style, you are best to avoid this, as a lot of the shots are posed and created, to get the ‘art’ just right.

Adventurous Photography

Let me start this by saying, this is less a style and more about a vibe. You don’t get ‘adventurous’ style, but you get an adventurous photographer. What this means is that you won’t be shooting in a studio, or in a garden outside a venue, but maybe on the side of a mountain, after a hike through a rainforest, or on top of some sand dunes. Given the type of location an adventurous photographer would take you to, the ‘style’ of shot is likely to look similar in nature to other adventurous photographers. This style tends to work well for elopements, but for those who are getting married at a local venue, this style of photographer may not suit you, and may not suit them.

Traditional Photography

This one is nice and easy. Imagine what your parents had, but put a modern twist on it. A traditional wedding photographer focuses on details, decor, all the small things as well as all the family portraits. They are slightly less candid than other styles, as they usually come with a shot list to ensure they miss nothing. They tend to do a lot of shots of people looking directly into the camera, but not always. The editing style is timeless, nothing ‘trendy’ about it.

Film Imitation Photography

This style of photography is where a wedding photographer shoots to emulate a film effect. A lot of photographers now shoot on 35mm film, and those of us who use digital will edit our work to emulate this style. You will get vibrant colours, deep shadows, and gorgeous highlights. Skins tones will look immaculate. These types of photographers tend to almost be a hybrid mix of Fine Art, Traditional and Photojournalistic in the sense that they are looking to create artwork, but not looking to pose much of the day. They do have a shot list, and will shoot the details, but looking to do it to emulate that film look, giving your images a timeless appeal.

Photojournalistic Photography

This is the style that is most obvious to people, and the style I get told people want the most. It is exactly what it says, it is a documentary approach to photography. To explain it briefly, this style of photographer will let whatever happens happen. They will not pose you, they will not organise groups of people for family shots (unless you ask). They are totally candid. If someone falls and spills red wine all over a child, they will be there to photograph it.

So, which style is the one for you?

I like to think that the best style is usually a hybrid. You will of course find photographers who are strictly one style. They are adventurous, and no matter what, they will not do a traditional wedding, or they are fine art and under no circumstances will shoot dark and moody. But let’s face it, most of us are a mix of these styles.

For me, for example, I am a mix of ‘Film Imitation + Traditional + Photojournalistic’. What does this even mean? It means that I shoot with a documentary style in mind. I won’t intervene with too much of the day. I will do some posed shots, and give some direction, but about 90% of the day is as it is. I do come with a shot list, and will get the traditional details and family shots without you needing to ask me to, but my shooting and editing style is congruent with that of film imitation. My images have that look about them, the gorgeous timeless appeal.

Now that you have a better idea of what wedding photography style suits you, you can start narrowing down your wedding photographer options. If you are unsure what a specific photographers style is, just ask. If you want to chat about your big day, simply get in touch here and let’s chat!