When I asked a bride and groom recently what they envisioned about their wedding photos once the wedding as over, they said that they wanted to have relaxed images with some great portraits. The groom then said that I must hear that from every couple. To be honest, he is right. The majority of couples that book me are looking for a mix of photos from their day. Lots of natural images along with some family portraits and a few great shots of the two of them on their own. The reason why I do get asked for this a lot is because it has become my style over the last 300 plus weddings. I combine a range of wedding photography styles to produce a collection of wedding images that I hope will be timeless.
So what are these wedding photography styles?
20 or 30 years ago, the majority of wedding photographers did a sterling job of creating classical images on your wedding day. Lots of them would go away in the afternoon, process the film and deliver your album to your reception in the evening! However, with the advent of more portable cameras, lighting and of course the advent of digital format cameras, everyone's creativity has exploded! Whether it's in their shooting or editing style, there are many photographers that shoot to just one style. If you are new to looking for a wedding photographer, it may take a little while to spot the differences at times. Popular phrases like reportage, vintage, classic and editorial can all get very confusing to those outside the industry.
So, What is my style of wedding photography?
Among the many amazing 'purist' wedding photographers that create amazing images in their chosen style, there are many like myself that purely aim to create great memories for you and your guests of your day. This involves incorporating many different styles at the appropriate time to give you a great collection of images. For a vast majority of the day, I take a natural reportage approach. I love recording the scenes as they happen naturally.
From the chaos of hairspray and champagne while the bride gets ready in the morning through to the ceremony, speeches and of course the dancing in the evening. There are of course times when I will set up a few images. For instance, when the bride looks fantastic with hair and make up done as well as in her amazing dress, it would be wrong not to put her in great light and with a little instruction capture some amazing portraits that she can look back on in years to come.
As I mentioned earlier, I will also organise some family formal images. It's rare that I photograph more than 8-10 different groups and they are over as quickly as the ushers can get hold of everyone. No one really looks forward to having these taken and the ushers can struggle from time to time but I know how these can be cherished not only by the bride and groom but by the family as well.
I also look to incorporate a little editorial style into my portraits of the bride and groom. If nothing else, if we didn't take them away for a little while, they wouldn't get to spend much time together on the actual day! Normally done towards the end of the reception drinks so as not to steal the 'main act' away, I look for great light and aim to get natural responses from my couples with little instructions that will hopefully elicit a natural response.
Overall, I am very non-intrusive, happy to talk to you and your guests, photograph those little details as well as family and guests and hopefully give you amazing memories from your wedding day.
