Understanding the Difference Between Photography Styles
I take a lot of pride in what I do. I love photographing weddings, and I truly believe it is something I am talented at – that the images I produce are meaningful to the couples they are intended for. I hope that most of you would agree!
But I know that for someone who isn’t in the photography business, understanding what sets certain images or styles apart can sometimes be difficult. If you don’t know what you are looking for or at, you might not necessarily understand why it is so important to find a photographer whose style you love for your big day. After all, if you can’t differentiate between styles – where do you even start when it comes to looking over portfolios?
The truth is, most photographers have their own unique style. And when you have been doing this for as long as I have, you can usually start pinpointing the images that were taken by the same photographer. That’s why it is always nice to look at a photographer’s portfolio prior to selecting them; because those images will give you a pretty good idea of the type of pictures you could expect from your own wedding. And if a photographer presents you with a portfolio that doesn’t have a consistent style or that seems a bit all over the place, you may want to look elsewhere – because a lack of an individual style can indicate that the photographer is either just starting out, or wasn’t responsible for taking all the images they are presenting to you.
For my part, I consider my style journalistic – but really, it’s more organic in nature. I like to capture the natural moments as they occur on your wedding day, rather than forcing poses or scenes that otherwise seem intentional. My style tends to veer more towards the subtle and emotional exchanges that take place throughout the day, and I like to think that I help to tell the story of your wedding in a way that is natural and true to how the events occurred.
More traditional wedding photographers focus on those posed created-images and aren’t as interested in real storytelling. The pictures can be beautiful, but they can also come with a fair amount of stress as the bride and groom (and family) are ushered from one location to the next for a series of posed images.
A more documentary style will still include a few poses and group photos, but will otherwise focus on candid shots and artistic captures.
Keeping that in mind, you can usually start to pick up on a photographers preferred style as you go through their portfolios. A journalistic photographer will be presenting you with more images that look as though they were taken in the moment, while a traditional wedding photographer will have a portfolio full of staged set-ups.
It is normal to want a little bit of both from your wedding photographer, but knowing which direction they prefer to lean can help you to decide whether or not a photographer is the right fit for you. Obviously, I tend to believe that there is so much value in those organic moments, and I think the artistry lies in being able to capture those images that no one even realizes are happening. That’s what you’ll get if you choose to hire me to photograph your wedding.
I would love to be the one to help you tell the story of that day through pictures!