Types or styles of wedding photography

There are four distinct styles

Wedding photography today is recognized by most professionals as falling into four types or styles, each of which results in a completely different look to your pictures.

1. TRADITIONAL

The traditional type is what most of us envision when we think of wedding pictures.

Posed formal portraits are taken of the bride and groom, the members of the bridal party and the bride’s and groom’s families with a variety of candid photographs taken during the ceremony, reception and in between.

Most weddings are photographed in the traditional style.

2. PHOTOJOURNALISTIC

The photojournalistic style is a totally candid approach.

None of the photographs are posed or set up.

The photographer is an observer, not a participant, capturing pictures in the same manner as a newspaper photographer who arrives on a given scene.

In its purest form, all pictures are taken without any direction or instructions from the photographer, and the wedding participants are encouraged to just be themselves, acting naturally and ignoring the photographer.

3. ILLUSTRATIVE

The illustrative style produces grand and dramatic wedding pictures.

This is a larger-than-life type of photography that goes beyond the traditional approach and leans toward the romantic look.

Poses are almost theatrical and backgrounds are majestic.

The pictures have impact.

Lighting, posing and all details are controlled and arranged against a carefully chosen backdrop to produce a grand and impressive effect.

4. CREATIVE or IMPRESSIONISTIC

The photographer is given free rein in creative or impressionistic wedding photography to convey his or her artistic impression of your wedding.

There is nothing traditional about this approach.

Image composition may involve unusual angles, off-beat framing using foreground or middle-ground objects, dramatic emphasis on certain elements, extreme wide-angles, tight shallow focus, grainy film, extreme poses, unusual lighting and other techniques that will result in photographs that are intended to be suitable for framing as individual art pieces.

WHICH STYLE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Most wedding clients expect their photographs to be taken only in the traditional style, however some bridal couples will request another of the types of photography for all their wedding pictures, with the photojournalistic style being the most-commonly chosen alternative. You must have a high degree of confidence in your photographer’s skill, judgement and artistic ability when providing him or her with your consent to shoot in a single, non-traditional style, and you must also be able to predict how people will react while attending your wedding.

Shots of the ceremony itself and of the reception are intrinsically candid since the photographer acts as a witness-recorder of the events, and has little to do with their set-up. Therefore, the ceremony lends itself to the photojournalistic style, since so much of it is dramatic in nature and meaning, and almost theatrical in appearance. The photographer doesn’t have to ask anyone to pose, because posing occurs naturally and predictably during the ceremony. Shots of the guests do not have to be staged because their emotions are running high, especially those of the immediate family, and their expressions will tell a story by themselves. Similarly, the reception is a happening thing, with people standing to speak, moving about, laughing and acting spontaneously in an interesting manner.

Candid pictures before the ceremony and before the reception rely upon there actually being something of interest to record and upon luck that places the photographer in the right place at the right time. If the guests and participants do not interact in a fairly-lively manner, against pleasing backdrops, the photographer will have a tough time capturing pleasing images. He or she may feel like an interloper at a private party, restricted from initiating any response that might generate a good image.

The photojournalistic style of wedding photography can look very impersonal, since few photographs actually show people looking at the camera. It is difficult for the photographer to capture many truly-memorable pictures unless the bridal couple, wedding party and guests are truly out-going and expressive. You must be sure that interesting, photo-worthy things will happen outside of your wedding ceremony and reception before you choose this style of photography. And then you must assist the photographer by providing an idea of what kinds of occurrences to expect so he or she can be ready and in position when they take place. After all, a bride walking among her guests, chatting, can only produce so many good and memorable pictures.

For a large wedding, your best bet in choosing the photojournalistic style is to have more than one photographer, since no one camera-person can be everywhere that good image opportunities may occur. Two or more photographers will be able to canvas the event much better, and will improve your odds in getting a good selection of meaningful candid pictures.

MIXING THE STYLES IS VERY EFFECTIVE

In practice, most good photographers will use some of each style in photographing a wedding, with heavy emphasis on the traditional type of photography. The photographer will often begin with a traditional pose and once it is “in the can,” meaning that the photographer is sure that he or she has captured the picture properly, he or she will then rearrange the elements, switch film or lenses, and change shooting angles to photograph the same scene in a different style. Switching between styles in this manner provides the bride and groom with a variety of pictures, giving the wedding album greater interest while at the same time ensuring that the wedding is adequately covered from a traditional perspective.

We recommend that you discuss the mixed-style approach with your photographer for your own wedding, and be sure you both have the same understanding as to how it will be applied when the pictures are being taken. Your instructions may be as simple as saying that you want to be sure of a good selection of traditional images first and then the photographer is free to be more creative using the other styles. Remember that the photographer will need cooperation from you and your guests in all but the photojournalistic style, which is purely candid.