Choosing a Wedding Photography Style

There are many styles of wedding photography. Paying attention to how the photographer plans to shoot will determine the feel of your wedding, from classic and traditional to a more modern and fun. Most photographers will offer you a mix of styles, such as traditional for the standard family pictures yet photojournalistic for the more adventurous and fun pictures you and your wife or husband may want. Let me explain two of the more popular styles below.

Traditional Style / Portraiture
This style is usually reserved for the more traditional wedding and has been popular in the past. This is usually used for the formal pictures where everyone poses for the camera and is told what to do by the photographer. The photographer may use a checklist you fill out ahead of time to ensure all the photos you want are taken.

Photojournalistic Style
The best way to describe this style is telling a story with pictures. A wedding shot mainly in this style could tell a story from getting ready in the morning to leaving the reception. These photos are becoming very popular. One thing to keep in mind, the photos may be more fun, but also keep in mind you may want the typical combination traditional shots such as parents, families and so on taken that will be put on the wall or given to friends and family.

My recommendation is to look at as many wedding photographer’s portfolios as you can. Take notes of what you like and what you don’t like. Share those notes with your photographer and explain how you want your photos to portray you wedding day.