Photo © Astra Creative
Years ago, if you wanted professional photos taken at your wedding, you had relatively few stylistic options available to you. All wedding photography was formal and posed, with very little variance within that. One photographer's work often looked much like that of another, and there was no need to spend much time reviewing different portfolios.
Well, no more.
Today’s bride had a wide variety of photographers and styles to choose from. However, among all the variety, three basic categories still arise: Traditional, Photojournalistic/Candid, and Hybrid. Many of today’s photographers fall somewhere in the ‘Hybrid’ category, although there is much variation in style and balance among them.
Let’s define the categories.
Traditional
Just as it sounds, this is your mother’s wedding photographer – perhaps literally. Photographers who fall into this category will focus mainly on posed, formal images. Think: various family and bridal party groupings taken at or near the church altar. Some candid shots may be included during the ceremony and at the reception, but even these often have a formal feel to them. Traditional photography is a good fit for the bride who has many family and bridal party members she wants to be certain are photographed, as well as the bride who dislikes having photos taken when she is unprepared, or un-posed (candid.)
Photojournalistic/Candid
Perhaps the biggest wedding photography buzzword of the last decade, true Photojournalistic photographers are actually hard to come by. This style includes absolutely no posed images – only the documentation of the events of the day as they happen – nothing else. Most brides fear that someone will get missed, and therefore shy away from a purely photojournalistic approach. However, if you always feel uncomfortable and smile awkwardly when you know the camera is pointed your direction, this might be just the right style for you.
Hybrid
As you might imagine, this is a combination of the other two basic styles of wedding photography. In general, most wedding photographers today fit somewhere in this category. They will do some posed group shots, sometimes in a very formal, traditional manner, and sometimes in a more artistic, informal manner. They will do both posed and semi-posed shots with the couple, often using the areas surrounding the ceremony and/or reception sites for interesting settings. Then, they otherwise work to capture the moments of the day in a candid manner, without disturbing you or your guests. Within this category, many different approaches exist, so if this is your preferred approach, you’ll have to do your homework.
Make sure, regardless of the shooting style category that is right for you, that you view plenty of samples from potential photographers, including at least one complete wedding album. It is important to see how a photographer covers the full event, not just the highlight shots from many beautiful days. Even grandma is sure to end up with at least one great image from the day – you want to be certain you’ll have bunches of great shots to memorialize your wedding day.
Cheers,
Heather, The Events Conciergetm
Well, no more.
Today’s bride had a wide variety of photographers and styles to choose from. However, among all the variety, three basic categories still arise: Traditional, Photojournalistic/Candid, and Hybrid. Many of today’s photographers fall somewhere in the ‘Hybrid’ category, although there is much variation in style and balance among them.
Let’s define the categories.
Traditional
Just as it sounds, this is your mother’s wedding photographer – perhaps literally. Photographers who fall into this category will focus mainly on posed, formal images. Think: various family and bridal party groupings taken at or near the church altar. Some candid shots may be included during the ceremony and at the reception, but even these often have a formal feel to them. Traditional photography is a good fit for the bride who has many family and bridal party members she wants to be certain are photographed, as well as the bride who dislikes having photos taken when she is unprepared, or un-posed (candid.)
Photojournalistic/Candid
Perhaps the biggest wedding photography buzzword of the last decade, true Photojournalistic photographers are actually hard to come by. This style includes absolutely no posed images – only the documentation of the events of the day as they happen – nothing else. Most brides fear that someone will get missed, and therefore shy away from a purely photojournalistic approach. However, if you always feel uncomfortable and smile awkwardly when you know the camera is pointed your direction, this might be just the right style for you.
Hybrid
As you might imagine, this is a combination of the other two basic styles of wedding photography. In general, most wedding photographers today fit somewhere in this category. They will do some posed group shots, sometimes in a very formal, traditional manner, and sometimes in a more artistic, informal manner. They will do both posed and semi-posed shots with the couple, often using the areas surrounding the ceremony and/or reception sites for interesting settings. Then, they otherwise work to capture the moments of the day in a candid manner, without disturbing you or your guests. Within this category, many different approaches exist, so if this is your preferred approach, you’ll have to do your homework.
Make sure, regardless of the shooting style category that is right for you, that you view plenty of samples from potential photographers, including at least one complete wedding album. It is important to see how a photographer covers the full event, not just the highlight shots from many beautiful days. Even grandma is sure to end up with at least one great image from the day – you want to be certain you’ll have bunches of great shots to memorialize your wedding day.
Cheers,
Heather, The Events Conciergetm
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