16 Most Popular Wedding Photography Styles

An Introduction to Wedding Photography Styles Every Couple Should Know

Wedding photography styles refer to the various approaches, techniques, and creative methods used by professional photographers to capture the special moments, beauty, and emotions that surround weddings.

Communication between you and your wedding photographer will be crucial so that you can perfectly achieve your desired wedding photography style. You would want to capture the moments of your wedding ceremony that you may have missed and reminisce or you just want a gorgeous wedding photo you can hang on your wall. Either way, the perfect wedding photography style for you shall be communicated with your photographer.

What are the different types of wedding photography?

This article will provide you with a list of the most common types of wedding photoshoot. You may use just one style all through the wedding. Although, it may be more interesting if you show your creative side and do a mix-and-match of the different styles to cater to the different emotions displayed on your big day.

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Artistic or Fine Art Wedding Photography

This style is all about creating beautiful, artistic images. The photographer will use creative lighting, framing, and composition to create stunning images that look like they belong in an art gallery. This style is perfect for couples who want to capture the beauty of their wedding day uniquely and artistically. The artistic photos produced from this photography style will look like fine pieces of art displayed in galleries.

This style showcases the creativity, expertise, and artistry of the photographer in their use of light, composition, and other elements to capture unique and artistic images that go beyond traditional wedding photos.

Natural Wedding Photography

This style is characterized by soft, glowing images with a dreamy and romantic feel, often featuring natural and outdoor settings. Thus, this is a perfect match for those couples who wish to have outdoor weddings as the main star, aside from the couple, is nature. The balance between the light and shadows would be an important aspect that highlights the skill of the photographer.

Often, wedding photographers choose to shoot during the "Golden Hour" to create more aesthetic photos using the soft and warm colors produced by the sky. This lighting could also make it easier for them to produce high-quality images that are worth your money.

Vintage Style Wedding Photography

This style focuses on using film and old-school techniques to create a timeless, vintage look and feel to the images. Hence, a rustic themed-wedding will surely be a great fit for this photography style.

A mix of the lighting, set, and costume design, as well as several photo filters will create this nostalgic feel whenever you look at the wedding photos.

Additionally, a reddish-brown tint for the photos is sometimes used to create a retro feel. This is called the sepia or aged photography style which can make your photos look like they have been shot a long long time ago.

Documentary Wedding Photography

This style is similar to the photojournalistic style, but with a focus on telling a story. The photographer will capture every detail of the day, from the smallest moments to the biggest events. This style is perfect for couples who want a comprehensive record of their wedding day that they can look back on and relive.

Candid photos showing the different emotions showcased in the wedding ceremony are the highlight of this wedding style. A vast amount of skills would be needed for this type of wedding photography since you have to keep up in real-time with the events and adjust your camera settings or angles accordingly.

Black and White Wedding Photography

As the name implies, this is usually in black and white with no color. Of course, during the photo session, normal lighting and colors are used but certain editing techniques will be used post-production to create stunning black-and-white photos.

The simplicity of this photography style is what interests couples who chose this. Additionally, an added benefit of this is to hide lighting flaws. Sometimes, images shot feel wrong because of bad or too much lighting creating a chaotic feel. A simple remedy for this is to remove the color and do plain and simple black-and-white photography.

Traditional Wedding Photography

This style of wedding photography is the classic, posed approach. The photographer will direct the couple and their families in various poses for portraits. These photos are typically more formal and staged but can be beautiful and timeless. Traditional photography produces images that are sharp, well-lit, and have a timeless, elegant quality.

This wedding photography style boasts the discipline needed to pose for formal shots, therefore, being ideal for family portraits. The classic images formed could be something you hang on the walls of your ancestral homes to commemorate this momentous occasion you have shared with your family.

Film Wedding Photography

In this day and age, you would think that the modern style would be the only one used in photography. But alas, many photographers still choose to be old-school and choose film photography. The soft, muted tones admixed with grain bring out, yet again, a nostalgic feel. It also brings out the originality of your wedding photos.

Some disadvantages may include, a higher cost for the production of images. If a film camera is used, the additional cost to buy the film is imperative. Second, fewer photos may be printed due to the limited film. Lastly, your photos may take longer to arrive since the printing process of film cameras is more delicate and detailed.

Destination Wedding Photography

Oh to have a majestic view behind your photos. Destination weddings are becoming popular nowadays. It involves holding the wedding shoot far away from the residence of the couple, often to secluded places boasting their wonderful forests, beaches, or culture.

A lot of skills would be involved here such as landscape photography, editorial skills, and even scouting for places to produce high-quality images. With this, the couple is not the only focus but also the scenery and/or the culture. So, a perfect balance should be attained so that nothing will be overpowered by one. Not to mention, a higher cost too since you would need to travel from one place to another. Although, you may think of this as a bonding experience with your significant other.