If you're an engaged couple, booking your wedding photography is probably a new experience for you ... and it might be a strange one! Not only will you be hiring a professional photographer for maybe the first time ever, but people keep using confusing terms that you may never have heard before. When you add in the pressure to get everything just right for your once-in-a-lifetime celebration, it makes perfect sense that finding a wedding photographer can be an overwhelming proposition!
I want to demystify this process a bit by clarifying some of the terms we use to define styles of wedding photography! I'll start with the two that primarily describe my own photography:
Photojournalism
Photojournalistic wedding photography is close to my heart, and makes up a huge part of my personal shooting style! Photojournalism is characterized by an unposed naturalness, documenting events as they unfold. Some people will call this "documentary style," and those terms can be used interchangeably. My goal as a photojournalistic photographer is so be as invisible as possible so that I can capture the organic, sincere moments of the wedding day as they happen. My clients love the way this style of photography helps to preserve their memories. Nothing beats flipping through your photo album and sharing "Remember when ..." stories from your wedding, and nothing captures those shots quite as well as photojournalism.
I want to demystify this process a bit by clarifying some of the terms we use to define styles of wedding photography! I'll start with the two that primarily describe my own photography:
Photojournalism
Photojournalistic wedding photography is close to my heart, and makes up a huge part of my personal shooting style! Photojournalism is characterized by an unposed naturalness, documenting events as they unfold. Some people will call this "documentary style," and those terms can be used interchangeably. My goal as a photojournalistic photographer is so be as invisible as possible so that I can capture the organic, sincere moments of the wedding day as they happen. My clients love the way this style of photography helps to preserve their memories. Nothing beats flipping through your photo album and sharing "Remember when ..." stories from your wedding, and nothing captures those shots quite as well as photojournalism.
Fine art
I feel that fine art wedding photography is a term that is sometimes applied to everyone who shoots film, which can confuse brides. At its core, fine art wedding photography is about creating visual art -- something aesthetically beautiful and impactful. Shooting fine art wedding photography involves a more deliberate mindset, with care to make the most of every shot and every moment. I find myself drawing on the fine art style most when shooting the details of a wedding and during the bride & groom portraits. These are the times when I can be most intentional about creating artistic beauty without fearing that I might miss a candid moment.
Even within the category of "fine art," photographers can have very different aesthetic preferences. There are photographers who create fine art photos with a dark moody vibe, but my own style is bright and airy.
I feel that fine art wedding photography is a term that is sometimes applied to everyone who shoots film, which can confuse brides. At its core, fine art wedding photography is about creating visual art -- something aesthetically beautiful and impactful. Shooting fine art wedding photography involves a more deliberate mindset, with care to make the most of every shot and every moment. I find myself drawing on the fine art style most when shooting the details of a wedding and during the bride & groom portraits. These are the times when I can be most intentional about creating artistic beauty without fearing that I might miss a candid moment.
Even within the category of "fine art," photographers can have very different aesthetic preferences. There are photographers who create fine art photos with a dark moody vibe, but my own style is bright and airy.
Photojournalism and fine art photography are the two styles that I fall into, but they aren't the only ones! Others include:
Traditional
Traditional wedding photography is more formal and posed. Think about the images in your grandparents' wedding album! Traditional wedding photographers are more likely to work from a shot list than many other wedding photographers, and to have "signature" poses or photos that appear in every wedding.
Editorial
Editorial wedding photography is the sibling of fine art wedding photography. It is similarly focused on creating works of art with each shot, but editorial photography tends to be more edgy and stylized ... maybe even sexy. This style draws heavily on the kinds of shoots you see in magazines with professional models.
"Which style of photography appeals most to us?" is one of the questions I suggest you ask yourselves before you embark on the search for your own wedding photographer. Discuss this with your fiancé, and you're sure to have much more success in finding the photographer who is the right fit for your wedding!
----------->It's a great idea to start thinking about the timeline of your day early on in the wedding planning process! If you would like to have a timeline to start from, click here to take a quick 2-question quiz, and we will email you back with an ideal preliminary timeline based on the sunset time on your wedding day as well as whether or not you would like to do a first look!
Traditional
Traditional wedding photography is more formal and posed. Think about the images in your grandparents' wedding album! Traditional wedding photographers are more likely to work from a shot list than many other wedding photographers, and to have "signature" poses or photos that appear in every wedding.
Editorial
Editorial wedding photography is the sibling of fine art wedding photography. It is similarly focused on creating works of art with each shot, but editorial photography tends to be more edgy and stylized ... maybe even sexy. This style draws heavily on the kinds of shoots you see in magazines with professional models.
"Which style of photography appeals most to us?" is one of the questions I suggest you ask yourselves before you embark on the search for your own wedding photographer. Discuss this with your fiancé, and you're sure to have much more success in finding the photographer who is the right fit for your wedding!
----------->It's a great idea to start thinking about the timeline of your day early on in the wedding planning process! If you would like to have a timeline to start from, click here to take a quick 2-question quiz, and we will email you back with an ideal preliminary timeline based on the sunset time on your wedding day as well as whether or not you would like to do a first look!
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