Understanding Your Wedding Photography Styles
Picking a wedding photographer for your big day can be hard enough as it is. We’ve been there. If you don’t have an understanding of what you like or what you’re looking for, it can get pretty overwhelming. There are so many wedding photographer phrases out there, it’s hard to keep track of it all and fully understand what they all mean.
Think, what comes to mind when you think of your dream wedding photos? Not sure? That’s why we’ve made a list of different styles from local photographers here in Middle Georgia to help you navigate the world of wedding photography.
Every photographer’s work can be drastically different from one anothers as we mix different styles together to create something that helps us stand out and sets us apart from everyone else. But oftentimes, the wide variety of choices can leave you feeling like you don’t know what you want. There are just so many adjectives to describe how one’s style looks or feels.
Let’s break it down to the basics. There are two different types of “Style”. There’s editing style, meaning which colors the photos turn out to be, and capturing style, which is more about what goes into taking the photo. A photographer can draw inspiration from many of these different styles and mix them to create their own unique style. We would say our style is Artistic/Creative photojournalism (capturing style) with bold & vibrant, true to life colors (editing style). That’s four of the styles touched on below.
If you like more than one style listed below, great! Try and find a photographer that embodies all or most of those characteristics. I’ve made it easy for you and listed my favorite local photographers of each style blow in hopes to help you find the perfect photographer for you!
Here they are!
WARM
A photographer who describes their style as “warm” tend’s to edit their photos to feel that way. Think of a nice warm summer day where the sun is shining and a you feel so much joy. What color comes to mind? Most would say, yellow or orange. Photographers with a “warm” style, edit their photos with a more orange or yellow hue to them to give off that exact feeling of warmth and joy. Cool huh? Their photos tend to be full of emotion and joy, to show just how magical life can be.
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “Warm” Style.
MOODY
This is the style that gives you all the feels. Photographers who label their style as moody, tend to have a darker editing style, but that’s not always the case. They really just want to achieve making you feel something when viewing their work. Like really feel something. Provoking emotion and really creating a connection with their clients, to be able to capture their most true and vulnerable selfs. This style is one of my favorite styles! “Moody” is a mix of both darker editing, and capturing the photo with intention of documenting emotion and how the subjects/day really felt.
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “Moody” Style.
TRUE TO LIFE
This style is exactly as it sounds. When viewing the image, it feels like you were actually there. All the colors and overall feel of the photo are on point to what you’d see in person. This style of editing is timeless and helps your wedding photos stand the test of time, and won’t go “off trend”. To me, true to life color will always be on trend. Everything from skin tone, to the color of the grass is exactly as it is meant to be. Nothing is altered drastically and is a great way to relive your photos and remember what it was like to actually be there. Something I strive to achieve in my work!
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “True To life” Style.
VIBRANT
This style of editing and the last, go hand in hand. Vibrant photos are almost always true to life, but true to life doesn’t have to be vibrant. To qualify as “vibrant” the colors are more punchy and bold, and the overall feel of the photos have joy and life to them. This style tends to have more contrast and saturation to the colors than true to life, which gives the photos that factor that sets it apart.
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “Vibrant” Style.
LIGHT & AIRY
This style is like a breath of fresh air. It’s soft, dreamy, crisp and overall leaves you wanting more. When done right, your photos should be clean, clear and not be over exposed. This style is very elegant and refined and definitely has a high end feel to it. The color pallet is soft, and more often than not true to life. Light and Airy editing is absolutely breathtaking and I for one, am a huge fan.
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “Light & Airy” Style.
EDITORIAL / FINE ART
To me, Editorial and Fine Art go hand in hand because this is the style I think of when I look through a magazine. Fine art photography has a wide spectrum of what is labeled as “fine art”. Every moment and every photo taken is thought out carefully and is turned into a piece of art that you’d be proud to hang on your wall. Every detail of the day is documented so beautifully it seems so effortless. Fine Art can also include a lot of photoshopping to create a stand alone image, but that’s not always the case for fine art photography. Fine Art can be “light & Airy” “Bold & dramatic” “moody” “true to life” but what makes it stand out, is its ability to wow you enough to make you want to frame it and put it on your wall. Even the photos of the details.
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “Editorial / Fine Art” Style.
PHOTOJOURNALISM / CANDID
This is the style that got me all excited about starting wedding photography. There’s no BS, no fuss, no stress. Just authentically capturing the day as it unfolds. Finding all the quirky moments that make your day so unique and you. To be able to document the day photojournalisticly takes more skill than you think. Having that creative edge and artistic eye, the photographer will be able to get different and artistic angels to help tell the story differently than in you were just taking snapshots. The majority of the photos you will get are candid, and a true representation of what when down on your wedding day.
Some of my favorite local photographers who have this “Photojournalism” Style.