Structured shots or snap-happy? We help you find your perfect wedding photography style…
Your wedding photography style is probably not something you have thought about before planning your own wedding. Some brides will know exactly what they want and others are not even sure what the different styles are. Either way, it is important to think about what moves and compels you when you look at images to help you decide. We’ve teamed up with Scottish-based photo-booth company, Carousel Photo Booth Hire, to bring you these top tips for choosing wedding photography that suits you and your groom…
Hayley Pettit Photography
There are two main types of wedding photography: traditional and contemporary. It is vital to choose the right style to fit in with your wedding and your taste. It is something you should absolutely discuss with your wedding photographer before booking to ensure your preference is made clear, and that you have chosen the correct person for the job – they should be ‘on board’ with your vision and be able to show you examples of their work that match your ideas.
Traditional Wedding Photography
This style stems from the days when not many people owned a camera; therefore it was up to the official photographer to take all of the proper pictures. It is generally much more carefully considered, carefully arranged and formal photography.
Sara Lincoln
The photos are highly posed and usually contain a shot list a more and formal feel. It comes from the days when photography was shot with film and you didn’t have much leeway to experiment, so the goal was to get the shot right the first time. The expected outcome would be classic images that stand the test of time. The photos reflect reality but are infused with the photographer’s artistic posing. This type of photography will require a lot of direction from the photographer and a lot of time from the wedding party. These will give you some classic, timeless and beautiful shots to keep forever.
Contemporary Wedding Photography
Weddings are now becoming more style-orientated, which means wedding photography is becoming more style-conscious. With the growth of digital cameras, Pinterest and wedding websites, this has brought an increase in hazy backlit scenes, lens flare and for some reason, lots of jumping!
If done correctly, this style of photography can be vibrant, fun colourful and easy going, but if done wrong, it can look cheesy. The types of portraits used in this style are ones where the couple are not looking at the camera or an emotion is captured unexpectedly.
Luke Holroyd Photography
Contemporary wedding photography can deliver unique and artistic moments that are only for a couple and are very special. For example, capturing the emotion of joyful crying mid-speech or fits of laughter during an unexpected moment. There are always new trends and fashions emerging in contemporary wedding photography.
BH13 Photography
It can be common for a little direction from the photographer in this wedding photography style. For example, during the ‘couple photos’ the photographer may ask the groom to whisper ten things he loves about the bride in her ear, and then stand back and capture the emotions with the camera…
However, it’s not direction with posing or props, it’s about capturing realistic moments and is more like a documentary-style of photography. This style can allow a couple to have more fun and enjoy the moment. An aspect of contemporary wedding photography that is becoming more popular is hiring photo booths like Carousel Photo Booth in Scotland and using them to provide amazingly funny and high quality photos – unconventional, certainly, but increasingly popular and with some spectacular results!
Jessica Hayman Photography
Which should I choose?
There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to choosing a wedding photography style. It all boils down to your personal taste and how you want to remember your day. The best advice is to choose carefully because your wedding photos are important. If you want great portraiture then opt for traditional wedding photography. If you’re looking for natural images that tell the story of your day, your choice is more towards contemporary.
For more fabulous ideas and wedding photography top tips check out photobooths-scotland.co.uk
