Most wedding photography styles come down to four approaches: documentary (also called reportage), traditional, editorial and fine art. The difference that matters most isn’t how the photographs look. It’s how your day feels while they’re being taken: how often you’re asked to pose, and how much you’re left alone. Most photographers mix two or more, so a full gallery will tell you more than the label on their website.
The four main styles, in plain English
- Documentary or reportage. The photographer watches and photographs what happens without setting it up. Documentary, reportage and photojournalistic are three names for the same thing, so don’t spend time comparing them.
- Traditional. Posed photographs of the two of you and your guests, arranged and directed. It’s strongest on formal groups and family photographs.
- Editorial. Borrowed from fashion magazines. The photographs are styled, composed and heavily directed, and they can look striking.
- Fine art. Led by light and composition, often soft and painterly. The photographer will move you into the right light and take time over each frame.
You’ll also see lifestyle, cinematic and hybrids like docu-editorial. These are mostly blends of the four above, and the names vary from one photographer to the next.
What each style means for your day
A useful rule: the more directed the style, the more of your day it takes.
- Documentary: you mostly get on with your wedding. There are still family groups and some time for photographs of the two of you, but most of the day nobody asks you to do anything.
- Traditional: more time set aside for groups and couple portraits. A good fit if the family photographs matter most to you, as long as you plan them. My wedding photo list post covers how to keep that part short.
- Editorial and fine art: dedicated portrait time, sometimes timed for the light, with direction throughout. You’ll need to be comfortable being told where to stand and how to hold each other.
None of these is better than the others. The question is whether you’d rather spend the time in front of the camera or with your guests, and how you feel about being directed.
Editing is a separate choice
Light and airy, dark and moody, warm, film-like: these describe how the photographs are edited, not how they’re taken. A documentary photographer can edit bright and soft, and a traditional one can edit dark and dramatic.
So look at the two things separately. First, are the moments the kind you want? Then, do you like the colour? Check that skin looks like skin, and that the photographs still work in grey weather and indoor light, not only in sunshine.
Black and white is worth asking about too. Some photographers use it for a handful of images, others use it throughout. I use it a lot, because it often suits a moment better than colour does.
How to tell what a photographer really shoots
A portfolio shows the best few dozen photographs from many days. It tells you what a photographer can do, not what you’ll get back.
- Ask to see a full gallery from one wedding, start to finish.
- Count the posed photographs against the unposed ones. That ratio is the real style.
- Look at the ceremony and the groups, not just the couple portraits in good light.
- Ask what they’d do between the ceremony and the meal, and how long they’d want you for.
There are more questions worth asking in my post on questions to ask a wedding photographer.
Where I sit
Mostly documentary. Most of the time I’d rather photograph something real than set something up for the camera, and most of the day doesn’t need directing.
I do give direction when it helps. At the start of the photographs of the two of you, so you’re comfortable. When the light needs you in a particular spot. And with family groups, where someone has to organise everyone so you can get back to your guests.
I’ve photographed three weddings so far: a ceremony at Beaconsfield Old Town Registration Office, one at the High Wycombe register office with portraits at The Rye, and a full summer day. You can see all three in my wedding stories.
You can read more about how I work on the day, or if you’d like to check whether I’m free for your date, get in touch here.