Wedding Photography Styles And Genres

During the first meeting with your client, the first question, which is always discussed, is the choosing of wedding photography style. You should not be surprised to get know that, as a rule, the clients have no idea about the differences between various types of wedding photography. So, that is the reason, why photographer has to explain all details, advantages and disadvantages of different wedding photography styles.

Sometimes the couple knows perfectly well how their wedding photo session should look like. They have even decided which photography styles and techniques will be used during the procedure of photo session. However, some brides and grooms need your help to understand all the details of various kinds of wedding photography styles. Thus, the main aim of wedding photographer is to find the style of wedding photos, which will satisfy all the wishes of his/her customers. 

Here you can discover the photography styles list, which will be especially useful during the organizing of wedding photo session. 

Styles of wedding photography

Wedding photography styles are the techniques and options, which are applied by the photographer during the process of photo shooting. They show all special aspects with the help of which the images get the proper effect. 

Traditional & classic wedding photography style

This is one of the most popular types of photography amount all the couples of previous centuries all over the world. As a rule, such pictures are intended for the parents and grandparents of a just married couple. The main features of this wedding photography style are formal and sometimes pretty boring poses of grooms, traditional decorations and even the special list with the preferable shots, which the clients want to get. 

Moreover, the main peculiarity of the classic wedding photography style is creating of a wedding album. In this way, the photographer should make use of the list, which consists of all the poses, details about the costumes, decorations and the background which must be used during the photo session. 

Documentary style wedding photography

Speaking about documentary style wedding photography, it is another fashionable style of modern photography. Documentary style wedding photography presupposes making spontaneous photos, which will tell a story of the relations between people in love. 

In other words it is photo-journalism. The task of documentary style wedding photographer is observing the wedding ceremony, following the newly wedded couple and the guests, and making photos without warning. In such a way the photographer achieves the effect of candid pictures. The models do not need to pose, they have to enjoy the wedding ceremony and party. The most essential point here is to impress real emotions and do not be afraid to show feelings. The photographer should be a professional; he/she must catch all important moments and at the same time not distract the clients. 

Lifestyle wedding photography

This genre of wedding photography is about an artistic describing of couple’s everyday life. Lifestyle wedding photography stays for making images, which tell you about the daily routine of the people. 

The photo session can be organized everywhere, at the work, at home or in the park, where they usually have a rest. The complexity of this type is that such photo session can unite other styles of wedding photography and the specialist should be ready for it.

Fine-Art Wedding 

In comparison with other types of wedding photography, a fine art style always means a creative way of taking photos. It includes using creative posing, artistic lighting, different angles for photographing, and special digital photography techniques and options, which are used during the process of image editing.

The good work of a professional photo retoucher is extremely important for the fine-art wedding photography. The great number of filters, special effects and masks are normally applied during the procedure of photo retouching. They change the usual photo into a creative masterpiece. 

Fashion Wedding Photography

This photography style is dedicated for fashion magazines and modern wedding catalogs. As a rule, clients who order the photo session in this style, live in the big city, because fashion photography presuppose the usage of advanced photography techniques, like special lighting, unusual bright and outstanding clothes, fashion posing and even the background should be unique.

The wedding photographers work with a great team of make-up artists, second shooters, fashion designers and professional retouchers, who deals with fashion photography editing. 

Thus, this type of photo shooting is intended for advertising, photographers make a special emphasis on the clothes, accessories and make-up of the model. However, if the customers desire, it is also possible to use this style for a real wedding ceremony and make fashion wedding pictures. 

Illustrative Photography

This style combines the traditional and documentary styles of wedding photography. The idea of illustrative photography is to gather the members of the photo session in an interesting place, where they can relax and just enjoy the time. Meanwhile the photographer makes the pictures. The main difference of the illustrative photography style is candid wedding photography meaning, which is achieved with the help of calm atmosphere during the photo session.

Portraiture

Portrait photos are an important part of each wedding photo session. People get used that thr portraiture is a formal, serious photo of a person or group of people, which pose together. Wedding portrait photos are the images of bride and groom separately and together with parents and guests. Moreover, all the portraits should be obligatory improved by professional portrait retouching services.  

Natural light

For more natural and attractive pictures the photographers apply natural daylighting. In this case, the photographer must be good at image retouching, because there is a lot of work with shadows and lighting correction.

Editorial wedding photography style

This style is for those, who want to make the wedding photos look like from the cover of the modern magazine like Vogue and Vanity Fair. Editorial style combines different wedding photography styles and represents special artistic wedding photography as itself. Moreover, editorial photographers can apply both film and digital camera. In this way, the photographers have a chance to show their creativity and skills to work with various types of equipment. 

Similar to the fashion wedding photography posing and clothes play a vital role and that is why the images are always spectacular and full of emotion. 

Particular features of editorial style are brightness and mood of the shots and the retoucher has to underline it. By the way, if the customers desire, they can be engaged in the process of photo session organization and offer their ideas. So, this type of wedding photography styles gives the chance to look at the usual wedding photography from the creative point of view.

Adventurous wedding photography style

Extreme and full of emotions are the most typical characteristics of adventurous wedding photography style. This is a quite new type of professional photography, however, it is very popular nowadays. 

If your clients are going to arrange the photo session in the faraway exotic place or to spent their honey moon at the word’s faraway destination, the photographer goes with them and makes the outstanding photos through the whole traveling. The adventures style promises always breathtaking photos. 

Epic Wedding Photography

More and more people use this definition for describing the wedding photos with perfect lighting, scenic backdrop, and a big number of decoration. Epic photography gives a lot of attention to the composition and posing. The location, which is chosen for the photo session, usually stays at the first place. The wedding photographers are demanded to be proficient in the usage of lighting techniques.

Themed wedding

Among different wedding photography styles, this one is one of the most creative and unbelievable. Themed wedding photography is connected with the definite movie, cartoon or event. In the following articles Halloween themed wedding – photography and environment and The mainstream thematic Game of Thrones wedding you will find fantastic themed wedding photography styles examples. The main difficulty here is to choose the idea of the photo session and prepare the costumes. The permanent communication between the photographer and the customer is of a great significance. 

Mixed wedding photography style 

On the one hand, it is the easiest wedding photography style because it allows the combination of all styles you like. But on the other hand, it is one of the most complicated types of wedding photography, because the photographer must be well skilled at all styles he/she applies. If the wedding photographer copes with it, the images will impress the bride and groom and become the best memories of the happiest day of their life. 

It is quite difficult to organize the perfect photo session in the mixed style. The list with useful steps of the mixed style includes the many tips and tricks, which help the photographers to manage all possible troubles. This list consists of:

Preparation

The documentary style is of importance here.

First sight

It is planning of photo session, finding a proper place for it, discussing the posing of all models, thinking about the composition. When everything is discussed, the just married couple and guests can get ready for the wedding ceremony.

Ceremony

It is the process of shooting as itself, documentary style wedding photography is used here, and the photographer must do his /her best and not miss the moment for taking as many good photos as possible. 

Fly under the rules

Make classical wedding portraits, which are posed for your clients’ wedding album which they will show the friends and relatives. 

Creative step

Offer the married couple, its family and guests to change the location for fashion or editorial wedding photo session.

Reception

It is the final stage, when all models can relax and do not think about the emotions and poses. The photographer comes back to the documentary wedding photography to catch all details of the last hours of this romantic holiday.

It is not a secret that almost all professional photographers do not use only one style. They mix various styles of wedding photography. It is fascinating for photographers and even more interesting for their clients. The portrait photographer can easily add some fashion details to make the wedding photo session brighter. And in the same way the traditional photographer can also experiment with the fine-art photography style to achieve spectacular effect.

All in all if you still do not know exactly, which photography style is right for you, a wedding photography style quiz can help you to figure it out. Be creative and experiment!