Documentary Wedding Photography | Contemporary Wedding Photography | Style

I am often asked about my style. What style of wedding photographer are you? It’s a hard one to answer – my style is all my own, and fitting it into a box is tricky. So I think, as a contemporary wedding photographer, I am a mixture of two, or even three styles, that all become me. I do Documentary wedding photography, Traditional wedding photography, and Contemporary wedding portraits.

I am a documentary wedding photographer, I document your wedding, and I provide an artistic but true record of the day’s events. I do much of this without intervention or direction, although I am present and involved in the day’s activities. I start the day with you, having coffee, getting thoughts in order, high anticipation, make-up, hair, dress, stuff to remember, family and close friends around you. I’ll photograph your dress, flowers, perfume and jewellery. Something old, new, borrowed, blue…

When you are ready, before the ceremony, and only if you like, I’ll take some portrait shots of you,  your mum and dad, bridesmaids, whoever is close and special to you. It’s the moment you’ll look most perfect, and I want to record that for you.

My associate photographer can be with the boys, doing much the same, documenting ties, buttonholes, speeches being written, a last beer – you get the idea. And then some portraits of the groom with his mum, dad, best man, brother…

So, documentary wedding photography is a big part of my style but not all of it. Yes, throughout the day I will photograph the key moments in an unobtrusive way, documenting the special parts of the day for you and posterity. And of course, I’ll photograph spontaneous moments as I see them happen.

But between documenting the crucial and ceremonial elements of the day, I will also take some Traditional style family portraits for you, usually about eight groups, and we’ll have fun with you as we quickly photograph you both with your closest family and friends. And throughout the day I’ll take some gently organized portraits of your guests.

Later, during the drinks reception, I’ll take you both for a wander around your venue, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, and create some beautiful contemporary wedding portraits of just the two of you, gently directing you to help you look your absolute best together. You don’t have to be directed, you can just be, and I’ll take some gentle portraits of you just being. Sometimes I might say “Tilt your head a little more”, or “Keep doing that, but do it over here”. Don’t get me wrong, my role is to document, but for your portraits I have a little more “hands-on” approach. Creating wedding portraits is sometimes called Contemporary Wedding Photography, and is part of the mix, for me, in how I photograph you on your wedding day.

So I suppose my style is not only about the photos I take, but also the way I am with you – gentle, encouraging, enthusiastic, observant, caring. I smile a lot. It matters enormously that you are comfortable with me, can sometimes forget I am in the room with you, look to me for guidance if you need it (I’ve done this wedding thing before, once or twice) and know that you will receive a beautiful document of your wedding day in your photographs. You will also have enjoyed the experience hugely.

That’s four.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss the kind of photography I can do for you on your wedding day.