Wedding Photography Styles

Wedding Photojournalism Style:

To truly understand the art of Wedding Photojournalism, it is important to have a good idea of what Photojournalism really is.

Photojournalism is a process in which the photographer collects edits and publishes images that tell a story. There are a number of distinctive characteristics which set this style apart from others. First, the pictures are laid out in a chronological timeline; secondly they are an objective representation of what really transpired capturing the heartbeat of the story and finally the photos come together to provide a narrative that tells the viewers what actually transpired. Rather than asking the subjects to pose for photographs, a photojournalist is always ready to spring into action. This creates a more vivid representation of the story where subjects are seen in a more natural light providing for a much more lively result.

Wedding Photojournalism's Strength

While flipping through a typical photojournalistic wedding album, the newly weds will never feel like they are seeing similar photos from their friends' albums. Their day is captured as it unfolds. The story of their wedding is laid out before their eyes in an artistic and documentary fashion. Wedding photojournalism provides all the great benefits while being less time consuming, and accomplishes capturing without disturbing the flow of the wedding.

Wedding Photojournalism's Weakness

While wedding photojournalism certainly has more variety than Traditional wedding photography, there are certain weaknesses to this approach. One of the major drawback is lack of control. In addition, wedding couples may want a specific lighting or a series of poses they want photographed. The quality of photojournalistic photos are commonly lower due to the absence of professional environment setup and lighting preparation.

Traditional Wedding Photography Style:

Traditional wedding photography remains one of the most popular styles of wedding photography. This is precisely because through this tested technique the photographer can achieve not only the immaculate quality of each and every image, but the best positioning and lighting effects available in the industry.

A controlled environment allows for creating the ideal set up, where the subjects are positioned, photographed and coached in such a way as to achieve the best results possible. Further, there is a multitude of classic traditional poses that can only be achieved in a controlled environment. From the group photo with the bridesmaids to the classic image of the bride and the groom on their wedding day, Tradition wedding photography amazes with precision, beauty and feel of timelessness.

Traditional Wedding Photography's Strength

The results are often astonishing. The pictures look flawless, and the subjects are shown in the best possible light. The quality of the photographs is top notch, and while the time it takes to set up often interferes with the wedding the results are worth it for some. After all, even the best photojournalist can not boast being able to position every part of their photo in a favourable light. From hand gestures, to facial expressions, being able to tell your subjects what you are looking for yields results.

Traditional Wedding Photography's Weakness

Unfortunately the traditional photography approach often becomes a hassle and halts the flow of the wedding; further the mood of the event is often lost in the pictures that do not really tell the story of the day. Many Traditional photographers counter this problem by mixing in some photojournalistic techniques to achiever a symphony of both styles.

Illustrative Wedding Photography Style:

This style of photography allows for a certain measure of photographer control while also enabling the bride and groom to be themselves. By placing the subjects in a carefully balanced and planed space; where the lighting and the scene match the mood desired by the photographer, the newlyweds are allowed to interact freely. This results in great natural quality images with fine lighting effects and beautiful scenery while at the same time keeping a certain measure of spontaneity and freedom.

The most important aspect of illustrative wedding photography is picking and setting the right background (scene). The photographer carefully arranges the lighting, shadows objects in the set. Once the scene is ready, the subjects interact with each other. Thus the desired effect is achieved. The quality of illustrative photography is combined with the natural feel of photojournalism resulting in wonderful image quality with a relaxed and unscripted theme.

A good artistic photographer will not only use the mood of the wedding, but the very environment the ceremony is in. Shadows, lighting and even focus is manipulated to achieve the desired effect.