What are the pros and cons of the different types of wedding photography?
Your wedding photographs will be the longest lasting reminder of your wedding day. Long after the frozen top tier of wedding cake has been eaten, and as the anniversaries tick by, your wedding photographs will remain in frames and albums as constant reminders of the happy day that you got married. It is no wonder then, that your wedding photography is one of the most important aspects of your wedding.
Photographs can be formal, posed shots, or candid images documenting your day. You should spend time thinking about the style of photographs that you want, and try to find a photographer who you trust to capture the overall feel of your wedding. You should also choose a photographer who you get along well with, as they will be sharing some of the most intimate moments of your wedding day, and mingling amongst all of your guests.
Over the past few decades, wedding photography has evolved to adapt to new trends and technology. There are several different types of wedding photography, and it is important to choose the best one to suit the style of your wedding.
When weighing up the pros and cons of wedding photography styles, think about the type of wedding you are having. Is it large? Is it fancy? Is it formal? Or are you having an intimate wedding with close friends and family, and the reception in the privacy and comfort of your own home? Are you having a wedding based on a theme such as The 40’s, or a weird and wacky hippy wedding? Maybe you are opting for an informal, outdoor wedding in a local park or beach?
You will want to choose a photographer that is comfortable shooting weddings similar to yours. Some photographers specialize in capturing the emotion of key moments, while others focus on making their subjects look glamorous.
Here are the pros and cons of some styles of wedding photography:
Traditional
Pros: this style is formal, and will capture everyone looking well groomed and neat. The photographer will arrange people so that the overall grouping looks nice. You will have a record of everyone who was at your wedding.
Cons: poses can be stiff and unemotional, and smiles can look unnatural. Your photographer may miss spontaneous and fun moments.
Reportage or photo-journalism
Pros: this style of wedding photography captures the event as it unfolds, in a series of candid shots. The photographer will mingle amongst the wedding guests and take mostly un-posed shots, although he may offer some direction to improve the composition or lighting. Photographs are genuine, and capture the emotion and excitement of the wedding.
Cons: images may not show people with ‘perfect’ smiles or expressions. Images are not engineered to make sure everyone in the shot has their eyes open or their head turned the right way. The photographer’s focus is on capturing everyone looking natural, not necessarily looking their best.
Artistic
Pros: Your wedding photographs will be unique, and stylish. They will portray a sense of emotional and atmosphere about your wedding.
Cons: You will most likely not get the standard wedding photos that you see in albums and on websites. You may not have lots of images of your family and wedding guests that show faces clearly, in groups that are suitable for framing.
Many photographers will employ a mixture of all styles to get a good variety of shots of your wedding, but may specialise in a particular style. Some photographers have their own key signature depending on their own artistic background or inspiration. One photographer may take photographs that show unusual or striking lighting, for example, sunlight glinting off the diamond of the new bride’s ring as she reaches out to toast her glass, or the warm glow of a sunset silhouetting a couple as they kiss, or the way that the colored light filters through the stained glass windows of the church.
Another photographer with a background in fashion photography may take detailed images showing the effort that people have gone to to look their best for the wedding day, or capture the way the bride moves gracefully in her gown, and use their skills to take each photograph from an angle that will be most flattering to the subject.
Look at a wide range of portfolios, and ask yourself what type of photographs of your wedding you would like to look at again and again for years to come.
Websites:
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