Wedding Photography Style Explained

When it comes to choosing your wedding photographer before you even begin searching you will want to know just how you want your wedding to be photographed. Each photographer will specialize in a specific style so knowing what style you prefer can make finding a photographer a little easier. Most wedding photography will fall into one of these 5 styles.

  • Classic

When you choose a classic photography style the results are images that stand the test of time. These are the traditional black and white images, carefully posed and meticulously planned out. Most often the photographer specializes in capturing ordinary moments in a beautiful and elegant way. This style tends to be a bit more formal but can always be given a modern twist.

  • Artistic

If you want something that is more personal for you then an artistic style may be your ideal choice. Artistic images will capture unique, special moments and tend to utilize a lot more of the space around the couple instead of just capturing the couple full frame and up close. If you are open and willing to having a bit of fun with your photographer, you will be amazed by the results.

  • Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a type of photojournalism photography with a bit of a twist. Most images will appear to be candid, and most often they are. This style is a mix of candid, natural shots and images with some direction and staging provided to get the perfect shot.

  • Dramatic

While all styles will use different types of lighting, dramatic images make it a key component. This style will showcase a variety of different lighting techniques that the photographer has mastered to create truly breathtaking portraits.

  • Documentary

If you are not into the traditional posing or styling of shots, then a documentary wedding photographer is probably one you will want to consider. The documentary style focuses on candid and spontaneous images that truly capture the entire essence of you wedding day.

5 Things You Should Trust Your Wedding Photographer With

Trust is the key ingredient to any relationship and this is true for the relationship you have with your wedding photographer. There’s a reason you chose them to capture the most important day of your life. While you may have a vision of how you want some of your images to turn out, for the most part, you are going to have to put a lot of trust in your photographer. Trusting your photographer a little more in these main areas will not only result in better images for you to remember your big day by but will also relieve you of some stress as well.

            1. Choosing the Location of the Shot

You wedding photographer will have taken the time to familiarize themselves with your reception location or areas around your ceremony site to find the best places to photograph. They’ll know where gets the best light and where the best scenery is.

            2. Time of Day to Shoot

Lighting is key to creating beautiful images and using the natural light of the sun will produce the best lighting setting but that doesn’t mean any time of the day will give you the same results. Your photographer will know what time of day will be best to take those gorgeous outdoor shots that won’t leave harsh shadows on your face or when to sneak outside to take some night inspired shots.

            3. Poses

Trust your photographer to know what pose is the most flattering for you. They can see how the light is illuminating you and what is in the background. While some photographers will take into consideration your picture ideas, you shouldn’t be offended if they shoot down your ideas. Most times you’ll be working with limited time and light and you don’t want to waste much of either on your big day.

            4. Editing Your Photos

Trust your photographer’s creative eye during the editing process. They will know which images will look best in black and white, color, cropped and which ones to add special effects to, if any. Part of the editing process is a part of their style and this is one of the reasons you hired them. Trust them to use their skills to make each image stunning.

          5. Handling Printing Your Photos

Your photographer knows where to get prints made and probably has a long-term relationship with a reputable printing company. The worst thing you can do is have a stunning image, order a large print and find the colors are off, the image is blurred or it simply looks dull. Knowing where to get your prints made, what size they should be done in and which ones will look best in your albums, wall art or thank you cards is part of the package you get when you hired a professional photographer. Trust them and listen to what they think will look best for what you want.

Erica & Lydia’s Wedding

Erica & Lydia are a laidback & sincere couple, who genuinely care about each other and everyone around them. They work within the Boston area to help education, advocate, and support people within their community.

They reached out to me a few days before their wedding in need of a photographer since the one they had planned to used backed out last minute. I was excited that not only was this a Boston wedding but I was available on their day to work with them. Usually I have months to a year in which I help my clients plan and prepare for their special day. Since we only had a few days, I made sure to get as much information as possible to help capture their day as true to them as I could.

Like most wedding days, when I arrived things were running a little behind. No problem, I used the time to capture getting ready images, detail shots, and some canids. If I have time I also photograph the location & what makes it unique. For Erica & Lydia, once they were ready we walked the location together picking a few spots that they really liked. Through our prior conversations, I knew Lydia is a car person, so we had to make sure we captured an image or two with her car before we headed to their wedding venue.

Their venue Club Cafe was a unique venue that I hope I can photograph again. There was a nightclub, banquet restaurant, a few bars, & a stage for their performers. It was closed to the public so we were able to take images throughout the venue. Even though it was in the middle of winter my glowing brides had no problems baring the frigid weather for their beautiful images.

Wedding Vendors:
Getting ready venue: Cambridge House Inn @ Porter Square
Wedding Venue & Catering: Club Cafe
Flowers: My Bloommate

Intimate Weddings, Timelines, & The Details

For all my weddings, before your event, we discuss your timeline and what you would like to capture. Each wedding is unique to each client, so not one is photographed exactly the same. This is especially important for small weddings, since usually I’m only there for a few hours. Those hours go by faster than you may think. Having a timeline and going over image expectations and what you would like for your gallery is invaluable. For some clients, the details aren’t as important as the people there celebrating with them. Or they prefer more candid images than posed. With limited time, we work together making sure we are on the same page, so I can capture your event as it unfolds naturally and with the style you are looking for.

A few weeks before Christmas, I photographed Linda & George’s wedding at The Delamar in Connecticut. It’s a beautiful luxury hotel that’s a great venue option for small weddings. When we talked about the wedding, Linda pointed out how important it was to have images of her children and George’s children. They also liked more candid with some posed of her family. They weren’t looking for the typical getting ready, bridal party, lay flat details shot etc. Knowing this ahead of time, I was able to capture images true to what they were looking for.