5 Wedding Photography Styles To Choose From For Your Wedding

Every person living in this society wonders what their wedding day would be like and what they want for their wedding day. To make sure that you have an extraordinary wedding that you have always dreamed of, there are many aspects of a wedding to consider.  Choosing an appropriate photographer as well as the theme and style of the wedding photos and videos is a significant part of a wedding. The memories of that special day are remembered through photographs and you need to figure out what kind of style you would want. To do so, you can go through some of the photography styles that fits you and your fiance’s preferences.  Grand Lens Photography broke down popular wedding photography styles and included examples of each. It is important to note that numerous photographers consider themselves to hold a mix of multiple styles, but this guide will provide you with a solid idea of what you prefer.

Grand Lens Photography

Traditional

Most wedding photographs tend to follow the conventional style of photography. With this style, photographers are typically required to get involved in guiding, directing and asking the wedding party to pose for photos, so it’s essential that the photographer has experience beforehand and is comfortable with taking charge. 

The wedding photographer appears almost as a type of coordinator and are typically required to get involved in guiding, directing, and asking the wedding party to pose for photos, so it is essential that the photographer has experience beforehand and is comfortable with taking charge.  If you and your partner simply love the photos in your parents or grandparents' photo albums, traditional wedding photography style may suit you best. This style is on the formal side and while most photographers today utilizing the style, aim to capture moments in a documentary-like fashion; they do apply creativity as well. The main advantage of the classic approach is that you can rest assured that your photos will withstand the test of time.

Expect plenty of posing, a detailed shot list, and a very timeline oriented process. 
Pros: You will receive all the photographs that make your parents and grandparents happy.
Cons: You will miss all the magical moments that happen in between the formals.

Grand Lens Photography

Photographic Artist

A photographic artist rarely takes traditional shots and prefers an artistic approach to photograph the elements, people, and the events that occur. The photographic artist is capable of photographing in mediums of black and white and at producing beautifully composed photos. The photographs you would receive are likely to be less candid than full of drama and artistic beauty. Poses are generally similar to what you would see in magazines and if done properly the photos achieve a very high-end feel to them. The point is, with this style, you can receive the traditional moments you want, yet have them captured with originality so that they do not appear too conventional.

Expect bold, dramatic images, with high contrast and creative lighting.
Pros: Your images will have you feeling like you were on the cover of a magazine 
Cons: You might miss out on images of your friends and family.

Grand Lens Photography

Photojournalistic

Massive amounts of creativity and thinking outside the box for this kind of wedding photography. This approach is one that records events and does not stage them. There's a lot of candid moments and spontaneous couple and group photos. The photographer will capture many close-ups, real reactions to events, and sensory impressions of a wedding that are led by events and the emotions surrounding them that are not orchestrated by the photographer. A photojournalistic style is often mixed with traditional wedding photography, and it resembles reportage and documentary shooting. A lot of creativity is required for this wedding photography style, not to mention some serious skills requires to quickly aim, adjust camera settings, frame, and shoot as moments unfold around the photographer. Aside from that, photographers will have to blend in, sometimes with a telephoto camera to quickly capture candid moments from afar. The results of this kind of photography are real and natural that evokes a flood of emotions.

Expect a ninja-like photographer you will hardly notice.
Pros: You will get candids and beautiful moments you may not have noticed.
Cons: You may miss creative shots of just the two of you posted artfully in a beautiful location.

Grand Lens Photography

Editorial

A commercial photography style may be more formulaic, planned and less spontaneous than a journalistic photographer. These type of photographers are professional and capable of taking magazine-quality images.  It is also considered a genre in itself because this wedding photography style focuses on showing off bridal fashion for commercial purposes. We have seen this style of wedding photography in magazines, the media, and the news. A commercial style photographer makes use of lighting setups, cool poses and expressions, and beautiful backgrounds, which gives photographers a chance to be creative with their posed shots and gives an opportunity to couples to be “models” for a day. It makes you feel glamorous and beautiful when you look back at your special day.ring quickly if it is the only tool in the photographer’s arsenal.

Expect a Pinterest wedding feel.
Pros: Super romantic and will probably get you a lot of likes on Facebook
Cons: Becomes dated and boring quickly if it is the only tool in the photographer’s arsenal.

Grand Lens Photography

GLP's  Style

Our style is a blend of unobtrusive documentary photography with a few amazing portrait and group photos on the side.  Our approach to wedding photography is fun, romantic, open, and relaxed.  This distinctive approach allows for better variety of imagery throughout your wedding photos. 

Here is how a wedding day with Grand Lens Photography usually goes:

Getting ready - We focus on documentary style shooting, with some rearrangements of wedding details.
First Look - Heavily planned, we travel to the perfect location, let the bride and groom know where we expect them to be, and once the scene is set, we ask the groom to turn around and let the rest unfold naturally. 
Ceremony - With the documentary style, we will stay out of the way, quickly moving in and out of the aisle to get the shots we need with a long lens so we are not disturbing the guests or the officiant.
Formals - We will briefly transform to the classics to capture photographs the couple's parents and grandparents require. 
Creatives - We sweep the bride, groom, and the wedding party away to a different location for a few modern & editorial photos that will blow everyone away.
Reception - Back to the documentary style, we let everyone relax and they have mostly forgotten that we exist. Here we capture those beautiful little moments during the evening that go largely unnoticed by everyone else.

When planning your wedding day, choosing the right wedding photographer will be one of the most important decisions you will have to make.  After all the planning and attention to detail you put into making your day memorable, you will want to be sure you capture all your special moments.  

Make sure you get along with your photographer.  Do not underestimate the importance of liking and bonding with your photographer.  Remember they will be shadowing your every move throughout the day and the more comfortable both you and your partner are with your photographer, the better your wedding photographs will turn out.  Likewise, you do not want the photographer to offend or annoy any guests, but to shoot them in their best light in an inconspicuous way.

Now, as you can understand, there are several alternatives in terms of the photographic style you can choose from for your wedding, all of which present certain advantages and disadvantages. While your decision should depend on your and your partner’s personalities, preferences, your wedding theme, etc., you have a real advantage of having a firm understanding of each style before making any declarations. Remember, your wedding photography is one of the elements of your special day that will last you a lifetime. Unlike the food or floral arrangements, your photos need to be able to have an impact long after your wedding day is over. So make sure you choose the right style for your celebration.

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