One of the most important days of your life is your wedding day. After all the money and time, you spend on that perfect dress, your beautiful flowers, your romantic venue, and everything else involved in making your perfect day so spectacular, you want your memories recorded to reflect your personal style.
There are a variety of styles of wedding photography, so it is important to cut through the sales pitch and the fancy jargon and find a photographer who will help you maintain your vision. The following are the three major styles of wedding photography available today, although a photographer is often able to shoot in more than one style.
Traditional wedding photography
Photographers who specialize in traditional wedding photography include capturing the most memorable moments from your wedding days, such as exchanging rings, signing the register, walking down the aisle together, or cutting the cake as husband and wife.
These types of wedding photography continue to be popular today because weddings are still considered formal occasions. A traditional wedding photography shoot features carefully lit and expertly posed photos, creating a beautiful record of your family gathering. In order for posing to not look awkward, a good photographer will work quickly and ensure the subjects feel at ease during the photo shoot. mum and Granny will expect to see these types of pictures in their wedding photos, and they are usually displayed on the wall or mantelpiece of the home.
There has long been a bad reputation with traditional wedding photography caused by bossy or grumpy photographers or by photographers taking an eternity to take endless group shots with the bridal couple spending more time in front of the camera with their guests in attendance.
Reportage wedding photography
Photojournalism, or simply reporting, is a term meaning simply “to tell a story”. It is often hard to realize that photographs are being taken since the photographer blends into the background and photographs events as they happen. There is no doubt that this style of photography is the most challenging. A wedding photographer needs many years of experience and lightning-fast reflexes to capture a wedding expertly in this way. Traditional photography is different from this style of photography, which is executed with skill and makes the photograph look natural and not posed.
Due to the low prices per image associated with reportage wedding photography, wedding reports have grown along with digital photography. There are many inexperienced or new wedding photographers who practice the “shotgun” approach, taking thousands of pictures during the ceremony in the hopes of capturing some good shots.
You might regret not including some traditional photographs in your album if you decide to hire a photographer who shoots exclusively this way. Reportage wedding photographers rely on their interpretations of the day to capture the moment. Often, the couple’s parents will be the first to complain about the lack of traditional images in your album.
Contemporary wedding photography
Various things can be considered contemporary wedding photography, sometimes called Avant-Garde. The very nature of contemporary art means that the style changes constantly, which means the pictures often date very quickly. There are a lot of creative and off-the-wall ideas featured in contemporary wedding photography. Using this style of photography, the photographer incorporates some of his or her personality into the photograph along with the artistic vision or individual style. Even though this type of photography may be less popular, the results are amazing and the album will be unique when it is done properly.
Photographers winning professional photography awards often use contemporary-style images, and glossy wedding magazines often feature this style too. There is a downside to this kind of wedding photography, and that is that you can’t get a true record of your wedding day. In the case of your albums looking like art exhibitions, you may be disappointed.
The moment the date and the venue have been set, visit photographers and review their work. If you are looking for a wedding photographer, ask to see the completed wedding albums that they presented to their past clients. This will help you get a better understanding of their style. Is their style suitable for your needs? Here is a little guide to help you find the perfect photographer to take the perfect pictures of your special day.
