Sarah & Donovan Bailey Wedding 16th August 2014 @ Red Church in Blackburn South and the Wattle Park Chalet
The road to planning a wedding is a long one and is full of decision making. This journey will offer you so many solutions and opportunities that in the end you will begin to form an idea of what you like and dislike about different aspects of the process. This is especially the case when choosing your photographer you may not realise it, but the major element that you will be weighing up will be whether you like one photographer above another. In the end you will be choosing the photographer based on their work and therefore the ‘style’ of photography that you most like.
I thought I’d help you along a little and detail what the different terms mean in order to assist you through this process. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a starting point to hopefully make the process a little easier.
Your search will lead you on a hunt that involves looking at endless wedding blogs, pintrest, magazines as well as photo’s from weddings you’ve attended. At the end of the day all you want is someone that is the right image maker for you on your day. The great thing about this period is you are able to indulge in an immersion of imagery and style. Inevitably you will start to find yourself attracted to a ‘type’ of photography you like and then narrow your search to this type of Photographer.
Here is a short list of the types of Photography that you may come across during search for the ideal shooter of your Wedding day.
Traditional
Though not as popular these days the main feature of this type of Photography is the posed and formal nature of the images. The shots tend to work to a shot list and are very static in nature. It is all about finding the ‘perfect’ shot. They often lack the sense of spontaneity that is so common these days.
Photojournalism
Think of news media and shots that capture a moment as it happens. The approach of this type of photography is that the photographer is present but not part of the action. The shots are not posed they are candid and often the photographer is seemingly ‘invisible’ to the event they are working. A photojournalists’ objective is to create images from nothing. They work hard to show the emotion of the day without ‘setting’ things up. I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in Malta (as a guest) where the photographer shot in this style. It was fascinating to watch him in action especially as he still had the same pressures we all have i.e. capturing all the essential moments of a day in his own unique style.
Illustrative or photojournalistic
This category is often a blend of both the Traditional & Photojournalism. It is ideal for couples who are after a mix of image styles. The point of this style is to capture the best of both worlds and create images that show the couple at there best and in a relaxed manner. This style is also favoured for engagement and pre-wedding shoots. These shoots are often planned in advance and have had consideration made towards the look of the shoot, lighting, clothing worn as well as the location and types of poses. The idea is to create a planned shoot that appears relaxed and spontaneous.
Portraiture
This style is often favoured by photographers who specialise in studio and family photography and characterised by pictures which focus on one or more groups of people. Dependant on the required usage the shots will either be formal in nature or they can be fun in nature and play off the interaction of the subject/s with the photographer or the group in the shots.
High Fashion
Whilst not normally associated when discussing weddings a person with fashion experience will be able to contribute interesting lighting and these guys certainly know how to light a dress and working with a good feel for creating shots that have a glamorous feel to them.
These are just some of the common styles of photography you will see in the wedding industry. Trends in photography and weddings in particular come and go so the key is to choose the style you like the most and best reflect what you want from the shots.
What type of photographer am I? I like to think of myself as fitting within the Illustrative/Photojournalistic style. I treat shooting for weddings as a partnership and find that creating images for a couples wedding tends to be a response to the information you are given by the couple. This style of photography offers me the ability to exercise some creative license whilst also ensuring I get the shot couple are after.
Tell me what style you prefer and why?
What do you think is an upcoming trend in Wedding Photography?
