Styles of Wedding Photography
When planning your wedding day, one of the most important things you can do is to explore different styles of wedding photography to decide which one you fall in love with the most. With so many different styles of wedding photography, it can be overwhelming to decide which one best reflects your personality and vision. In this blog post, I’ll break down the various styles of wedding photography, from traditional to documentary, fine art, and more, helping you understand each one in detail. By the end, you’ll have a clearer idea of which photography style resonates with you, making it easier to choose the perfect photographer for your wedding day.
Documentary Wedding Photography
As a documentary wedding photographer myself, this is the style that I offer my clients. Sometimes called reportage or journalistic photography, this style captures your wedding as it happens candidly. It’s about authentic storytelling in a relaxed fashion; free from staging or posing. It is perfect for couples who are camera-shy as it offers a very subtle, discreet and ‘hands-off’ approach. It allows the day to run more naturally as scenes don’t have to be ‘set-up’. When you look through your wedding photos afterwards, documentary wedding photography provides a very genuine viewing experience because you know that all the stories and emotions you’re seeing are real and natural. Among the many styles of wedding photography, documentary offers a truly authentic and emotional representation of your day.
A wedding day creates so many emotive photographic moments but not all of them are obvious. Of course there are the big moments such as the ceremony, the first kiss, cutting the cake and the first dance but documentary wedding photography captures the little moments as well as the big ones. The happy tears when a parent sees their daughter in her wedding dress for the first time, the look of pride on a best friend’s face as they watch the ceremony, or the fits of laughter as guests enjoy the speeches. Documentary wedding photography offers a thorough and comprehensive approach from start to finish, often starting as the bride/groom is getting ready and then photographing all the way through until the dancing in the evening. This style of photography will often incorporate a few other styles of wedding photography in a relaxed fashion such as black and white photography, natural light photography and candid portrait photography. By doing this, documentary photography provides a ‘rounded’ collection of photographs.
Ideal for couples who: Want their day documented in a relaxed, unobtrusive way with minimal intervention from their photographer. Also ideal for camera-shy couples who appreciate a natural, free-flowing day where subtle moments are captured as well as the big moments. A ‘comprehensive’ way to tell the story of a wedding day as it happens naturally.
Not ideal for couples who: Like to be in full control of the set-up, compositions and process in its entirety.
Black and White Wedding Photography
Black and white wedding photography provides classic, timeless images by evoking a sense of nostalgia. Without the distraction of colour, the use of light becomes critical to balance contrast, highlights and shadows. Black and white wedding photography offers a more consistent editing aesthetic and is often considered elegant and artistic. Documentary wedding photography will often include this style of wedding photography intermittently over the course of the day.
Ideal for couples who: Appreciate classy and artistic images, whether directed or candid.
Not ideal for couples who: Enjoy colourful and vibrant photographs.
Natural Light Photography
Natural light wedding photography is pretty self-explanatory! The photographer utilises natural light only- no flashes or studio lighting- to illuminate the events of the wedding day. For outside scenes this would be directly from the sun (preferably a little muted behind soft clouds) but for inside shots the photographer needs to be creative by mainly using window light. This style of wedding photography reduces harsh shadows and can create a romantic look. The photographer will often utilise ‘golden hour’ (later afternoon) when the sun is lower and the light is softer for a more natural, relaxed effect. A natural light wedding photographer can be creative with different lighting situations by shooting either in direct sunlight or shaded areas. This style of wedding photography can provide a fresh and authentic look. Documentary wedding photography will sometimes include wedding portraits deliberately taken in ‘golden hour.’
Ideal for couples who: Appreciate natural-looking and warm photographs.
Not ideal for couples who: Are comfortable relying solely on naturally-available light without any assistance from flash.
Portrait Wedding Photography
Portrait wedding photography is often a posed and formal style of wedding photography (but not always). Quite often the photographer will direct the wedding couple and their family groups into curated positions and then request them to pose for the official photograph. This approach allows the photographer to create flattering and timeless images by focussing on details such as composition, framing and lighting. More modern approaches to portrait wedding photography can include candid portraits, where the photographer captures specific individuals and couples in a relaxed and natural manner at the wedding. Documentary wedding photography will often include this style of wedding photography over the course of the day.
Ideal for couples who: Want formal photographs of specific individuals and groups on their wedding day.
Not ideal for couples who: Want a relaxed ‘flow’ of the day as this style can be time-consuming and very ‘staged’.
Lifestyle Wedding Photography
Lifestyle wedding photography is similar to documentary wedding photography, with the addition of minimal staging and directing. Sometimes the couple are given a scenario to ‘play out’, resulting in semi-natural images. Lifestyle wedding photography incorporates everyday life elements and highlights the couple’s personalities and connection. It is very much middle ground between spontaneous documentary wedding photography and a styled photoshoot.
Ideal for couples who: Want a degree of criteria met in their wedding photos whilst also appreciating candid documentary wedding photography.
Not ideal for couples who: Don’t want to be posed or directed on their wedding day.
Traditional Wedding Photography
Traditional wedding photography involves direction and intervention from your photographer. It is a more formal vibe where your photographer will pose people into positions against specific backdrops. There is a focus on structure and composition to ensure that key moments and family portraits are captured. Whilst traditional wedding photography lacks the spontaneity of documentary wedding photography, it does provide predictable results by ensuring that a specific criteria is met.
Ideal for couples who: Know precisely what they want from their wedding photos and prefer/expect to be posed by their photographer.
Not ideal for couples who: Who prefer the natural flow of their wedding day, free from time constraints.
Editorial Wedding Photography
Sometimes called contemporary or fashion photography, editorial wedding photography creates fashion magazine-worthy images by focusing on artistic flair and elegance (think tuxedos and designer sunglasses!) The images are often visually striking whilst sophisticated and refined. Style and mood are crucial in this type of wedding photography, and dramatic flash is often used indoors to create strong shadows.
Ideal for couples who: Are invested in high-end fashion and want to look like a model for the day!
Not ideal for couples who: Are not confident in front of the camera.
Cinematic Wedding Photography
Cinematic wedding photography is a style of wedding photography that creates images that look like moments out of a film. The photos are often created using techniques like dramatic lighting and high-quality composition to create rich and visually-captivating pictures. Unique and creative angles produce impactful perspectives, whilst cinematic editing enhances the aesthetic experience.
Ideal for couples who: Want striking, dramatic and impactful photographs of their wedding, carefully curated and directed.
Not ideal for couples who: Don’t enjoy being the centre of attention.
Vintage Wedding Photography
As the name suggests, vintage wedding photography evokes a sense of timeless nostalgia from a bygone era. These images feel classic and romantic, often with a soft or muted colour palette. Some photographers use film cameras or simulations in their editing to create a grainy, textured aesthetic. Depending on the required result, sometimes period-specific clothing or props are used to enhance the experience. Vintage wedding photography often incorporates black and white photography too which enhances the timeless quality of the images.
Ideal for couples who: Are nostalgic, sentimental and appreciate images that look old-fashioned and timeless.
Not ideal for couples who: Prefer a modern and contemporary vibe.
Creative Wedding Photography
Creative wedding photography can be considered artistic, unconventional and ‘outside of the box’. There are no limits to the level of creativity that can be applied. Images can be visually-striking or thought-provoking by using imagination and unexpected perspective. The photographer may experiment with things like creative composition, symmetry and unusual angles. To further the aesthetic, eccentric clothing and props may be used and there may be an artistic editing applied that focuses on unusual and surreal colours and textures. Creative wedding photography can sometimes result in a surreal and quirky quality of images.
Ideal for couples who: Have a distinctively quirky personality and want to express their individuality through artistic surrealism.
Not ideal for couples who: Prefer more mainstream, conventional photography.
Aerial Photography
Aerial wedding photography is achieved by using a drone from height to capture visually-striking images. It can include elevated views of large groups of wedding guests, the wedding venue or the grounds for an effective alternative perspective. This style is mainly used in conjunction with another type of wedding photography on the day.
Ideal for couples who: Require eye-catching photography that offers a different perspective
Not ideal for couples who: Are having a wedding in challenging wintry weather conditions. Drones can also be distracting if you are getting married in a serene environment.
Landscape Wedding Photography
With landscape wedding photography there is a stronger focus on the natural surroundings of the wedding location. Photographers will often use wide-angle lenses to portray the scenes in a panoramic format. Visually-striking backdrops become a key element in the composition of the images, with the couple often captured against the vastness of the landscape. These portraits can be either candid or posed- the ‘wow’ factor often comes from the scenery that compliments the portrait and this scenery often includes backdrops like sunsets, forests or waterfalls.
Ideal for couples who: Want photos that are visually-striking against stunning backdrops.
Not ideal for couples who: Who want their photos to be focused fully on the finer details such as emotion or wedding attire, as wide shots are often used to incorporate the environment.
Dark and Moody Photography
Dark and moody wedding photography uses the stark contrast between light and shadow to create moody and atmospheric photographs. It often uses pockets of light to illuminate and isolate the subject against dark and gloomy backgrounds. Dimly-lit rooms often provide the perfect backdrop, with the colour palette usually consisting of darker hues like deep blues, greens, reds and blacks. This style can create cinematic and artistic images by focussing on strong contrasts and deep, dramatic tones. This style of wedding photography is usually directed and posed rather than candid.
Ideal for couples who: Would like their photos dark and moody!
Not ideal for couples who: Prefer brighter, warmer tones in their wedding photographs.
Light and Airy Photography
Light and airy wedding photography is the complete opposite of dark and moody wedding photography. This style creates soft and romantic photographs by using simple compositions, uncluttered backgrounds and warm tones. Natural light and open environments are usually utilised to help create images that are deemed cosy and dreamy. This style of photography is often directed by the wedding photographer.
Ideal for couples who: Are after bright and warm images that look dreamy.
Not ideal for couples who: Prefer contrast and fine detail in their photos as sometimes this style can create an overly-soft aesthetic. The broad focus can sometimes lose the raw emotion of the couple.
Film wedding photography
Film wedding photographers use traditional film cameras to create distinctively nostalgic images. Film cameras often produce unique photographs that have a vibrant and grainy look to them, which can often be difficult to replicate on digital cameras. Film cameras also have a limited number of exposures per roll, usually 24 or 36. This encourages a more thoughtful and creative approach to capturing each frame. Images often have rich tones and softer highlights.
Ideal for couples who: Love that nostalgic vibe that creates an old-fashioned aesthetic.
Not ideal for couples who: Want an extensive, comprehensive recording of their wedding day as film photography is often limited to a smaller amount of images.
With so many varied styles of wedding photography to choose from, finding the perfect one for your big day can be a fun and exciting journey. Whether you’re drawn to the timeless elegance of traditional portraiture, the candid moments of documentary photography, or the soft, romantic tones of natural light, there’s a style that will beautifully capture your love story. By understanding the different styles of wedding photography, you can choose a photographer who best aligns with your vision, ensuring that your wedding photos reflect the unique atmosphere of your celebration. Take your time to explore each style, and you’ll be sure to find the one that resonates most with you, creating memories you’ll treasure forever.
Now That You’ve Chosen Your Favourite Style, Let’s Make It Happen!
If you’re looking for a wedding photographer who blends the most authentic styles of wedding photography like documentary, natural light and creative candid shots, please take a look at my wedding photography portfolio and pricing list. This is where you can really get a feel for how I work; capturing genuine emotion, real moments, and all the little in-between details that tell the full story of your day. If you love relaxed, storytelling photography with a natural, artistic feel, I’d love to capture your big day!