The different styles of wedding photography

Your wedding day is one of the most important milestones in your life. With all the money you spend on that perfect dress, its beautiful flowers, its romantic setting and many other things that come together to create your perfect day, you want your engraved memories to reflect your personality and style. Different photographers shoot in different styles and it's important to cut the sales pitch and fancy lingo to find one that can help you match the vision of your wedding photos. I have outlined the 3 main styles of wedding photography available today, although in many cases it is possible for a photographer to film in more than one style. Traditional wedding photography Traditional, or sometimes called a classic, wedding photography captures traditional wedding day images, including unforgettable moments on your wedding day, including exchanging rings, signing the marriage registration, walking down the aisle as a husband and woman, family groups and cutting the cake to name a few.


Your wedding day is one of the most important milestones in your life. With all the money you spend on that perfect dress, its beautiful flowers, its romantic setting and many other things that come together to create your perfect day, you want your engraved memories to reflect your personality and style.

Different photographers shoot in different styles and it's important to cut the sales pitch and fancy lingo to find one that can help you match the vision of your wedding photos.

I have outlined the 3 main styles of wedding photography available today, although in many cases it is possible for a photographer to film in more than one style.

Traditional wedding photography

Traditional, or sometimes called a classic, wedding photography captures traditional wedding day images, including unforgettable moments on your wedding day, including exchanging rings, signing the marriage registration, walking down the aisle as a husband and woman, family groups and cutting the cake to name a few.

Weddings are still considered formal occasions and this type of wedding photography has stood the test of time. With careful lighting and expert presentation, traditional wedding photography creates a perfect record of your family gathering. A good Wedding photography San Diego will be able to work quickly and reassure people to ensure that the presentation does not seem awkward.

These are the kinds of shots mom and granny expect to see in wedding photos and can often be seen in houses on the wall or on the mantelpiece.

Traditional wedding photography has sometimes had a bad rap caused by bossy or grumpy photographers or photographers who take years to complete endless group photos with the bride and groom who end up spending more time in front of a camera and less time with their guests enjoying themselves his wedding day.

Wedding photography report

Reporting, sometimes called photojournalist wedding photography, literally means "report." The photographer mixes with background events and photos as they happen, and often you don't even realize photos are being taken.

This style of photography is really the most difficult to perfect. Many years of experience and quick reactions are required to expertly capture a wedding in this style.

This style should not be confused with well-executed traditional photography where the photographer's skill makes the photograph look natural and not posed.

The growth of Reportage wedding photography seems to have coincided with the growth of digital photography due to the low cost per photography in which the style of reportage photography is developed. Unfortunately, many new or inexperienced wedding photographers use the "trigger gun" approach to take thousands of photos on the wedding day in hopes of capturing some good photos.

A word of warning: if you choose a photographer who shoots exclusively in this style, many couples regret not having some traditional photographs in their album. With reportage wedding photography, trust the photographers interpretation of your day. Parents of couples are often the first to complain about the lack of traditional images in their album.

Contemporary Wedding Photography

Contemporary wedding photography, sometimes called Avant Garde, can mean many different things to different people. By definition, to be contemporary, the style is constantly changing, which could mean that the images date very quickly.

Contemporary wedding photography can involve unusual or "quirky" ideas and use strange camera angles. This style of photography brings more of the photographer's personality to photography along with the photographer's artistic vision or individual style. Although this style of photography may be less popular, when done correctly the results can be fantastic and your wedding album will be unique.

Many wedding photographers use contemporary style images at professional photography awards and you will often see this style in brilliant wedding magazines.

The downside to this style of wedding photography is that it doesn't really provide an actual record of your wedding day. You may be disappointed if your albums end up as an art exhibition.

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