If you’ve started planning your wedding, you’ve probably noticed that there are a LOT of wedding photographers out there. And once you find a few that you really like, that are all available and within your budget, it can be difficult to know which one you should book. So with this page of my website, I want to tell you all about my style and approach. Hopefully I can paint a picture of what your experience would be like if you booked me for your wedding day, so you can get a good idea as to whether I’d be a good fit for you and the special day that you are planning.
Let’s start with style!
There are many different styles of wedding photography and I’m going to run through some of the usual genres with you and quickly explain what they all mean:
Traditional/Classic Wedding Photography -
When I think of this style of wedding photography, I think of my Grandparent’s wedding photos from 1953. The photos are formal, posed and often the photographer will offer a lot of direction to the couple and the wedding guests. It’s not a very popular style of wedding photography these days but it’s a method of shooting that 90% of wedding photographers still use, even if it’s just during the posed group photos. This style of wedding photography often involves incorporating some time-honoured traditions to the wedding such as cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet and having a first dance.
Reportage/Documentary Wedding Photography -
This style of photography means the photographer is capturing natural moments, otherwise known as candids. It is a very popular genre of wedding photography and most photographer’s seem to describe their work as reportage, even though technically speaking their work and approach may not perfectly fit into this category…
There are only a few true reportage photographer’s out there - a true reportage photographer should not offer direction or interfere with the scene at all. If there’s a bright orange Sainsbury’s plastic bag in the scene, they won’t move it or edit it out of the photo later, they’ll see it as part of the wedding story. Some people argue that you can’t be a true reportage photographer if you affect the scene in any way at all - so that means not changing the environment by adding flash or other lighting but shooting with only the natural light available. Some hardcore reportage photographers may not want to do portraits of the two of you around your venue. And group photos may be off the cards too, because group photos are not natural moments either.
Fine Art/Editorial Wedding Photography -
Fine art photography and editorial photography are not the same at all, but I have grouped them together here because they both involve similar approaches and they are both considered to be very creative and artistic. The photos could aesthetically be vintage or modern, depending on the artist taking the photos. This style of wedding photography often involves incorporating some recent trends to the wedding. The photographer will often be skilled with various off camera lighting techniques or direct flash photography, which they will incorporate into your wedding. You know a fine art or editorial photo by how it looks - whether it’s a posed or candid moment, it will make a creative statement and would not look out of place in a fashion magazine.
So, where do I feel I fit within these styles?
A little of this, a little of that - I feel like I don’t fit completely into any of the above categories, but I do incorporate elements of all of the above styles within my photography and approach. I’m traditional/classic because I will move that Sainsbury’s carrier bag out of the way and ask you to stand by the window while you’re getting your dress buttoned up. I won’t shy away from offering gentle direction if it is needed and I am happy to do posed group photos for you and your loved ones. Most couples do want some time-honoured traditions in their wedding so I’m often photographing very traditional things like the first dance and wedding speeches. But then I do also fit into the reportage/documentary category because the majority of the photos I deliver are natural candids, which involved no direction from me at all. I want my photos to tell the story of your wedding day and those documentary style photos are the ones that have a story to tell.
I’m certain that every traditional wedding photographer takes loads of candid natural photos and 95% of photographers who claim to be reportage wedding photographers do offer direction, they do impact the environment by tidying up or adding light and they do take posed photos.
In my eyes wedding photography requires a mix of both of these styles!
I also feel there are elements of my work that fit into the fine art/editorial style because I will creatively impact the environment with flash or video lights to bring my artistic visions to life. I will also often use creative editing techniques to achieve unique imagery for my clients.
From a marketing perspective, it would be so much easier for me to keep it simple and say I am a reportage/documentary photographer. It’s probably the category I fit into the most as I’ll photograph the majority of a wedding in a documentary way. But in truth I feel there should be a category just called ‘wedding photography’ because weddings are a genre all of their own. Wedding photography is family photography, product photography, fashion photography, landscape, nightlife - the list goes on and on. Wedding photography is essentially all other types of photography rolled into one. You need to be able to direct big crowds of people, you need to know what to do in super bright direct sunlight and really low light venues. You work with children, animals, food, heirloom jewellery, sparklers, disco lights. It’s such a broad event to specialise in, and in order to specialise in weddings you have to be able to do a bit of everything. This is why I don’t feel I can put my style into one rigid box - I’m a wedding photographer and so naturally I will do a bit of everything.
Style isn’t all about what category you fit into, it’s also about how your work looks. And I assume, as you’re here on my website, you like the look of my photos.
If I had to describe my photography style I’d say…
Romantic wedding photography
Creative wedding photography
Dark and moody wedding photography
Warm toned wedding photography
Emotive wedding photography
I edit with slightly warmer tones which helps to give a romantic feel to my work, but I am careful not to affect the colours of your wedding day. I’m sure you’ve put a lot of thought into the colour schemes and you’ve fallen in love with the natural colour pallet that your venue offers up, so I want to reflect the true colours of your wedding day in my photography. I regard my style as ‘dark and moody’ because that is known as being the opposite of the bright and airy style. Bright and airy can often be a little over-exposed and personally I prefer to under expose slightly as it helps to accentuate the details. For example, if you have a gorgeous lace wedding dress, the bright and airy style will sometimes be so bright that you can’t see the detail of the lace. Whereas my dark and moody style emphasises detail.
Now to discuss my approach…
My approach is to adapt to the wedding I am photographing. I like to think I can read a room and I know what’s needed of me in that moment. If you’re camera shy, I’ll adapt to that. If you’re a wild crowd on the dance floor, I’ll dance with you while I’m working. But if sophistication is your thing, I’ll tone my crazy down for you. If you’re super organised, I can match that but if you’re more laid back and want to go with the flow that’s great too. I can get along with anyone and I enjoy getting to know people that I may not have met ordinarily.
Due to the amount of clients I work with each year, I am not able to offer in person meet ups, phone calls or video calls to discuss and plan details of the wedding with you. I know that I just wouldn’t be able to remember and retain important information if it was given to me verbally. So I heavily rely on having written communication to read back and remind me of everything we’ve talked about. I am often booked a few years before the wedding actually happens but it’s only around one month before the wedding when I will be in touch to discuss fine details at length with you. If we plan everything to perfection too early we’ll probably find that some things will change before the wedding takes place, but one month before the wedding is usually a good time for us to delve into the details.
As I’ve said already, I rely on having written communication with my clients and it’s also handy for me to have all the information I’ll need from you in one place. So I will send you a word document questionnaire via email that I will ask you to fill out and email back to me one month before the wedding. Using the questionnaire every time, ensures that I don’t miss anything out. It is a very thorough document, which will likely ask about things you hadn’t even considered you needed to plan for. This is because I have over 11 years worth of experience in the wedding industry and my questionnaire document has been added to and improved upon as my knowledge of weddings has grown over the years. If there’s any part of the questionnaire that you feel is irrelevant to your wedding then an N/A will let me know. And if you really hate paperwork and the thought of an in depth questionnaire is concerning you, please don’t worry. All I ask is that you fill in what you want me to know about your day. The document is laid out in a way that is relatively easy to skim through, which means you can focus on telling me about the areas of the day that are most important to you.
By sending the questionnaire to you, I know I have done my job in asking you about every detail that may impact your photos or the service I provide to you on the day. I don’t mind if you send me back a super detailed reply or the bare basics, I will work with the information I have from you - as I’ve said already, I will adapt to you. But bear in mind that if we both put in the effort to communicate before the wedding, we’ll reduce the chances of you looking through your photos after the wedding and feeling like something important wasn’t captured. You’re not really hiring me to take photos, you’re hiring me to think and make decisions about which moments I should focus on capturing and how I capture them. So the more you tell me before the wedding, the better I can be at making the right decisions on the day for you.
I get to know you and what you want from me on the day
What to expect from me…
Above in the ‘Style’ section of this page, I’ve already talked a bit about my approach to photographing a wedding - I consider myself to be a mixture of classic/traditional, reportage/documentary and fine art/editorial. The majority of the work I deliver is reportage/documentary, so I’ll naturally capture a lot of candids for you. I know that posed stuff/group photos really isn’t that fun for anyone but they are so important to make time for. The group photos of all your friends and family together are often the photos that are treasured the most, for lifetimes to come. They’re the ones that you and your guests are most likely to have printed for your walls at home in fact 90% of my print sales are group shots or posed photos. We all say we want our wedding days captured as naturally as possible but in over 12 of working in this job, I have never met a couple who don’t want any group photos at all. No-one really wants to do them, but everyone does want to have them. So I will help you to plan these group shots well, meaning they don’t take up too much time of your day. I’ll be as quick and efficient as I can be but I will I won’t rush them because they are important - when taking the group photos, I do my best to make sure that every person is seen well in the photo, ensuring that these are good photos for you and your guests to treasure for generations to come. Check out my blog all about group photos, why they’re important and how to plan for them here.
A big part of my job is also to manage your expectations for the day. For example, if you’re only booking me for 3 hours coverage (which is my minimum coverage) I’ll probably only be capturing:
The ceremony
Group photos
Portraits of just the two of you alone
Perhaps speeches too (if you plan this for before the food comes out)
Most of those parts of the day are formal so this doesn’t leave me as much time or opportunity to capture candid moments. There will be some candids, but not as many true reportage moments as there would be for a couple who have booked me for the full day. In these circumstances my usual mix of traditional, reportage and fine art may not be possible and your photos could potentially look more traditional in style, simply because the parts of the day I’ve been booked to capture are quite formal in nature. Shooting mainly traditional/posed for the whole time I’m with you would not be my preference, as I do prefer to capture natural, unplanned moments. But I have my tricks for making even the formal parts of the day look as natural as possible.
But essentially I can only photograph what I am given the opportunity to photograph and I will adapt my approach based on the wedding you’ve planned. Booking me for just three hours coverage may also mean that we struggle to find the time for fine art, creative imagery. Because these photos can sometimes require a bit more time to set up, often with off camera lighting or flash. So when we’re discussing the fine details, I’ll be honest with you in letting you know what I feel I can achieve with the time, weather, venue, space and light that I am given.
The way I shoot, makes even the formal parts of the day look like they are natural candid moments…
I believe that every couple deserves a wedding photographer who wants to be there and loves their job.
I’m often approached by wedding guests who tell me that they can see how much I love my job, because I am smiling, dancing and laughing as I work. The excitement and enthusiasm I have for my job has not worn off over the 11 and a half years that I have been photographing wedding days. I feel sure that I would want to continue working even if I won the lottery because I get so much enjoyment from what I do.
There are a lot of wedding photographers these days who are working with a team of people. Someone will do the admin, replying to your emails and sending you your contract, another will shoot the wedding day and someone else will do the editing. It’s a way of easing that workload, so that you can take on more weddings but not overload yourself with too much work. But I want to be the one who’s talking to you in the emails, I want to be at your wedding day and I want to do the editing, putting my creative touch into your photos. It’s not smart on my behalf, because I give myself a lot of work to do but I believe in offering a personal service to my clients.