What is your Wedding Photography Style?
One of the most common questions I get asked from new couples when they’re first contacting me for their wedding is what my photography “style” is. If you’ve found yourself scrolling through endless instagram hashtags trying to pinpoint what it is you like or dislike about certain wedding photos, this might help you put a language to it, so you might narrow it down easier. First, I should mention that this question is really best broken into two parts: What is your coloring/editing style? And what is your personality/documenting style?
Coloring and Editing Styles
Over the past few years as digital photography and the powers of Lightroom and Photoshop have evolved, three different coloring/editing styles have emerged. To help you distinguish between them, consider the following characteristics:
| Style Name | Visual Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Light and Airy | Predominantly whites and other lighter colors, lower contrast and often desaturated colors. Often called “Whimsical” or “Pastel.” |
| Dark and Moody | Predominantly blacks and darker colors, heavy contrast, and an effort to mimic the look of film. Often called “romantic” or “film style.” |
| True to Life | Falls in between the former two. You might hear it called “Bright and Bold” or “Natural.” |
Personality and Documenting Style
Next we have something a little harder to pinpoint as every photographer will interpret the style differently. For the most part, every photographer does a little bit of all four styles:
- Classic/Traditional: These are going to be photos you would expect to see at every wedding. They are standard bridal portraits, the couple looking at the camera, formal wedding party, family formals, the bouquet, the cake, and the exit.
- Photojournalistic: These are going to tell the story a bit more. These will be full of laughter and/or tears. All the emotions of the day, the moving parts. They may not be “perfect” images, but they are the moments you remember the most.
- Editorial/Fashion: These are what you’re going to find in a magazine. They are often from “styled shoots” that have been set up in advance with all the details fashioned just right, and all the lighting perfect.
- Creative/Artistic: This is completely open to interpretation, as is all art. These are the shots often taken from a different angle, or during a portion of the day that is not on a time crunch, where you have more freedom to play and do things a little different.
The Importance of Connection
At the end of the day, more important than price, style or other preferences, I would say your connection to your photographer’s personality will make or break your photography experience on the wedding day. If you’re looking for someone carefree and relaxed and they end up being strict to schedule and demanding of specific poses, it’s going to stress you out, no matter how beautiful the images are. Similarly, if you’re looking for someone to keep you on a tight schedule and pose your every move and they end up joking around with the wedding party and not telling you exactly what to do and when, you’re going to be just as frustrated.