Recently, I submitted two articles to Southern California’s Wedding Compass blog: the first one, about the different styles of wedding photography, is listed below.  As much as I strive to find clients who desire a documentary style for their wedding photography, I still am asked, especially if there is an hour or two between the ceremony and reception, to provide portait, or semi-posed, photography.  Examples of my work from three different styles  are displayed below.  If you like this article, check back next week to read my second post called “The Real Wedding Photojournalist.”  Please feel free to add any comments or questions you have to these posts.

Defining Wedding Photography Styles

Trends in wedding photography basically fall into the following categories: “traditional or posed photography” (the wedding photographer basically is in control of the entire day, directing and leading a series of portaits at each location). The following images are my most traditional, portrait-like that you would see throughout a traditional wedding photographer’s coverage of the day:

A “hybrid” photographer attempts to provide both traditional and candid photos (this style probably represents most wedding photographers today). The following are images that still required my direction and placement, but sought to be more artistic and to create an outcome that “appears” to be spontaneous:

“Photojournalism or documentary photography” (the wedding photojournalist sees the day as an opportunity to capture real moments, documenting the day as it unfolds). The following images are completely spontaneous. The images are unique and allow for the real story of the moment to be captured:

Understanding the differences is crucial for any bride and groom so that they avoid disappointment with the results that their wedding photographer provides. This should be a discussion that should take place during the first meeting between the photographer and the potential client. To be sure, there are hundreds of weddings photographed each year, that as a consequence to a lack of communication or understanding, result in unhappy clients with their wedding photos. In some cases, utter depression results with the knowledge that the photos can never be re-captured again.

A big reason that contributes to this lack of understanding wedding photography styles is because the styles themselves are not always clear. There can be somewhat of an overlap between traditional, photojournalism, and hybrid styles that, not only is there confusion with the client’s understanding, but even with many wedding photographers as well!

Wedding Photojournalism is perhaps the one style that is most misunderstood. The term “wedding photojournalism” gets thrown around like the drinking beverage Coca-cola does when people want a soft drink, or Kleenex does when people need to sneeze. “I need a coke” doesn’t necessarily mean the person wants a specific flavor or brand of beverage to quench his thirst, nor does a person with a head cold saying “do you have any kleenex?” mean that he will only use the brand Kleenex to cover his nose when sneezing! In the same way, a photographer saying he photographs weddings as a photojournalist, could mean a variety of things. To some it might mean that the photographer captures a lot of candids during the day but he/she may also “stage” some of the photos. To another it might mean that the photographer will not pose a single image during the day or impose himself that would affect the outcome of the moment for the sake of a better image. To even another it might mean that his photos are always semi-staged, but the couple is told to “act natural or to laugh” on demand, “pretend no one is photographing (them),” or “don’t look into the camera while the (photographer) is capturing images!” Also, just because a photographer includes capturing “candids” during the day, it doesn’t make him/her a photojournalist.

Considering the three categories of styles listed above, there is a tendency for the “hybrid” style photographer to mistakenly call him/herself a “wedding photojournalist.” The same is often true with the bride who decides she likes the style of a hybrid photographer, and ends up hiring someone who is really a photojournalist. There is nothing wrong with a hybrid style photographer. In fact, his/her style may be the most sought after today across the country. Usually he/she is an expert at making stylistic and creative portraits of the bride and groom. His/her images usually are perfect and natural looking. Above and beyond the traditional photographer, he/she introduces fashion and an editorial style photography in his/her imagery. The great wedding photographers of Australia like Yervant and Jerry Ghionis have lead the way in this style in the last decade and many reputable photographers in California have mastered it as well. The hybrid photographer finds a great location with bright colors, interesting textures, or perfect lighting within a gorgeous setting, and then semi-directs the couple to stand in a position and act care free, or forget that the photographer is there and laugh and kiss as if they are the only two people in the world. If the couple is willing to be expressive and have fun with one another, the imagery created is reminiscent of the photos found in today’s popular magazine ads. When the hybrid photographer is not posing and staging his couples, he changes his style and approach by capturing candid photographs of the day. I would say that the breakdown between posed and candid is anywhere from 30/70 to 50/50 of the days coverage.

In conclusion, here is some basic advice in deciding upon the style most suited for your wedding: 1) choose a wedding photojournalist to document your wedding day if you want unique photographs designed to tell the story of your day as they naturally and truly unfold and if you prefer that your photographer stay out of the way and allow you to spend most of your day interacting with your guests. 2) If you would rather have perfect images that require your photographer to interact with you, control the timing and flow of events throughout the day, use his expertise for utilizing perfect lighting techniques with reflectors and umbrellas and soft boxes, with very little candid-style photography, then I would suggest finding a traditional portrait-style photographer. 3) If you want a healthy balance of both posed and candid photos, a photographer who enjoys staging creative, magazine like imagery and capturing candid moments “whenever possible,” finding a great hybrid photographer will be your best selection. How can you know for sure what your photographer’s style is? Ask him/her to show you photographs from complete weddings, not just his best work. By looking through the entire coverage of the day, you will be able to determine whether the photographer is a traditional portrait-style photographer, photojournalist or hybrid photographer.