When choosing your wedding photographer, one thing you have to consider is the style of photography. The most common styles of wedding photography are traditional and photojournalistic. While similar equipment is used in both, it is the technique and approach that sets them apart.
A traditional style of wedding photography is also called classical, posed or elegant. Whatever name you use, it doesn’t set the style. So, what should you expect from a traditional wedding photographer?
Traditional photographers concentrate most of their efforts into posed portraits, and rarely capture candid moments. This style is sometimes viewed as disconnected, old fashion, and can add stress by needing time to setup every shot. The final result is usually an album full of posed portraits, that often look more like a photo shoot than a wedding day. The quality of traditional photography can be judged by very factors such as careful composition and posing, off-camera lighting and the use of artistic backgrounds.
The photojournalistic style of wedding photography has also been called many names including: photo-reportage, documentary, candid and so on. While similarities exist between traditional and photojournalistic approaches, the main expectations of each style are very different; Traditional style is being portrait oriented, and Photojournalistic is being situations and expressions oriented.
An experianced photojournalistic photographer will add a unique vision based on his creativity, so the results are emotional and artistic photos showing the essence and the mood of the wedding day in the most natural and authentic way. The wedding album will be more like a storybook, rather than series of posed portraits. Most wedding photojournalists also offer magazine style albums which is combination of photographs and graphic design.
There are no strict rules for photojournalism, angles, framing, lights, it is all about the artist vision and ability to properly document the day. And so when wedding photojournalism is reviewed the only thing that matters is the client!
What style is best for you?
It is common for people to want a slice of both styles. The reasons are simple: it’s a good time for portraits because everyone is looking their best, and on the other hand the bride and groom want to remember their wedding day the way it really happened.
Traditional Style Wedding Photography may be best for you if:
– You want your photographer to be the director of your wedding.
– You want to spend a lot of time posing the bride and the bridal party. You want to know when you’re being photographed.
– You’d like to pose with all your family and guests. You think candid images, for example: a wedding shoe simply lying on the floor is pretty silly.
– You like high-fashion and glamour looking pictures.
Photojournalistic Style Wedding Photography may be best for you if:
– You want lots of candid images of you and your guests. You want to know your photographer is working, but not worry about it.
– You would like to spend as little time as possible on posed or staged portraits and go on with the wedding.
– You don’t want a bunch of photography equipment everywhere.
– You like candid photos that express the mood, ambiance and feelings of the wedding day.
– You want to document your day as it happens with minimal involvement from the photographer.
You may not be able to answer a clear yes or no, but the idea is to give you a clue of what you should expect. Consider this, every photographer is in business and will adjust his style to your preferences. Keep in mind, when you hire a wedding photographer; you are not buying a bunch of photos. It’s the skill, experience, creativity and the art that you are investing in.