Are you bamboozled by wedding photographers discussing their photography styles? Are you embarking on your wedding planning process? Feeling overwhelmed by all the photography jargon floating around? Professional wedding photographers often talk about the style of photography they work. This helps to give you an idea of how your final wedding album will look. I’m sure, by now, in your search for a Hertfordshire wedding photographer, you’ve probably come across the terms “documentary”, “traditional” and “fine art”. However, these might have left you feeling anything but fine! Never fear, betrothed and bewildered, for I’m here to guide you through the subtle differences. I’ll help you find the style that’s right for you.

Traditional Wedding Photography

Classic and traditional wedding photographers are generally focused on giving you straightforward images. Often these aren’t very creative and can include a lot of posed shots. As a result, these often lead to photos that look a little stiff. This is especially evident if you or your guests aren’t at ease in front of the camera.

To be fair, most photographers will incorporate some traditional photography on your wedding day. This is particularly evident when it comes to group photos (family and friends) and photos of the two of you. However, a traditional photographer will place heavier emphasis on these types of arrangements.

Documentary Wedding Photography

Alternatively, documentary wedding photographers like to let your wedding day unfold before them. They diarise things as they happen, with images. This style is all about capturing your magical moments spontaneously, with little or no intervention.

Generally speaking, true documentary wedding photographers will have a minimal appetite for posed shots – perfect for couples (and guests) who are less comfortable being photographed. This style can produce beautifully candid and romantic images. Likewise, they often take funny images from your wedding because often the subjects aren’t really aware they’re being photographed.

Therefore, this photography style gives a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ view of your wedding day. If you want your wedding album to tell a story from beginning to end, this is the style for you.

Natural Wedding Photography 

Natural wedding photographers have a similar approach to documentary photographers. They capture the story of your wedding day. This style is very observational. A natural wedding photographer also lets your day unfold and photographs things as they happen, with minimal intervention or posing.

Although their craft is similar to the documentary style, there are subtle differences in terms of technique. For example, a documentary wedding photographer will be comfortable working with artificial light sources. This method is particularly great for capturing dramatic images from your dance floor, for example. By contrast, a natural wedding photographer will be more inclined to work with the natural light that’s available.

If you’re looking for plenty of outdoorsy shots or planning a beautiful al fresco ceremony, then this may be the style for you.

Fine Art Wedding Photography

Fine art wedding photography is closely associated with traditional film photography. Primarily this style incorporates light, bright, and airy editing techniques, with very low levels of contrast.  This gives a softer and more delicate finish to the images.

Fine art photographers often include a set of images taken with a traditional film camera. This supports and enhances the bulk of their digital shots.

Black and White Images

Black and white wedding images are more about how your wedding photographer likes to edit their work, as opposed to being a photography style. Nevertheless, some photographers do provide solely black and white images. Of course, most wedding photographers will provide you with a number of images in black and white – particularly if the image appears more emotionally powerful in this genre.

If this is the style that you want, then enjoy your marvellously monochromatic photographs – I’m sure they’ll be stunning. However, if you so much as suspect that you might want some colour then this style is best avoided. You can always edit the shots yourself later!

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is an established and popular photography style. However, it is now becoming more common with some wedding photographers. This is particularly evident with photographers lucky enough to work in beautifully scenic locations. Let’s face it, Hertfordshire, and the surrounding counties, have an amazing array of beautiful landscapesand venures to choose from.

In these scenarios, the wedding photographer will capture a stunning natural scene. For example, there may be a mountain view or stunning beach. They then use the two of you to reflect the scale and beauty of the scene.  This style can also make the most of negative, or empty space to create images that capture moments of your day in a unique way, giving a sense of artistic proportion to the image.

Consider your venue (whether it be in Hertfordshire or beyond): open fields, seascapes, castles or other historical buildings all lend themselves well to this dramatic style.

So, Tim… What Is Your Style?

You can read more about my approach to photographing your wedding here (https://timpaynephotography.com/experience/), but I like to capture elements from each of the photography styles.

From my experience, it’s usual for couples to ask for a selection of posed group shots, couple shots, and candid or documentary-style images as their wedding day progresses. Likewise, some couples will include a venue that has special meaning for them to have their couple shots taken. This is often between the ceremony and the celebration. For example, Melissa and Barry (pictured above) went from their church to an ancient castle. We shot some fantastic couple shots there before they joined the rest of their guests for the wedding breakfast and evening reception. I worked with them closely, beforehand, to understand exactly what type of shots they were looking for.

It is imperative that I meet every couple’s individual photography needs. The results? I create for them a breathtaking wedding album, full of beautiful memories.

Photography Styles – Conclusion

So, if you’re excited by the prospect of mixing various photography styles and would like to cherry pick the best of each, I might just be the wedding photographer for you!

Check out my wedding portfolio here. If you’ve fallen in love with my professional wedding photography, or you just want a bit more guidance, then please get in touch. With my vast wedding photography experience, we can discuss the photography styles together. Let’s make your dream wedding album a reality together.

Happy wedding planning, and hope to hear from you soon!

Tim