Many photography students have an erroneous concept of wedding photography, considering that it is not very creative.
That misconception changes completely when we photograph a wedding.
Capture the ideal moments, know where to stand to take our photos, not to interrupt or interfere in the development of the event, know how to reflect the romanticism of that day are things that nobody tells us and that we are discovering little by little at each wedding we photographed.
I will not make a poetic description of the wedding photographer. In this article I will only focus on defining the different styles that exist when immortalising the most special moment of a couple, to explain that wedding photography is much more creative than people imagine.
1. Traditional photography
The image that opens the post belongs to conventional photography, the one that everyone relates to the typical posed: the couple posing with parents, with friends, with other relatives, etc. However, this style of photography is not limited to just prefixed images, but also covers the ceremony and the banquet.
It is an arduous task for the photographer as long as he has to control and direct all the events of the event. That is, you will have active participation in the wedding organisation to be able to follow the list of shots needed to cover the wedding. Therefore, it will also have one or two assistants who will help you assemble the necessary lighting equipment and manage the schedule of photographs to take.
2. Photoperiodism or Documentary style
We could say that in this style of photographs the photographer is limited to observe and document the events that occur, without interfering at all with them, without having control over the wedding. That is why it is necessary that the catches be fast so as not to lose any significant detail of everything happens.
However, to create this photographic style, it is necessary that family members, friends and the bride and groom themselves be aware of the photographer so as not to block their work, an event that is increasingly complex due to the multiple cameras that may be present at a wedding.
3. Fashion wedding photography
As the name indicates, this style of photography is based on and inspired by fashion magazines. That is to say, there are poses, but they are not the typical poses that we would find in a traditional reportage, but they are somewhat dramatised and are very studied. In this style of wedding, scenes and small details of the wedding are crucial, as well as the game with lighting and focus, the angle of the shots and the framing when making the images.
In the fashion style, the photographer can interfere during the event to guide the couple's poses. However, you will not have the freedom of the traditional photographer, so on many occasions, as in the ceremony itself, you will have to make a more documentary style.
This style of wedding photography is used at the request of the couple because it usually involves the work of a large team of assistants and photographers.
On the other hand, it is pertinent to mention that this style of photography allows you to work both outdoors and in a study when making the poses of the couple. So taking into account this aspect of fashion photography in weddings I would dare to say that it is the ideal to make the pre and post wedding images, and thus complete the photography report.
4. Artistic photography
In this style of images, the importance lies in the way the photographer sees the wedding. That is, creativity is not so much in the events or the poses of the couple but lies in how the photographer makes use of artistic angle, focus, originality when framing and the creative use that it gives to lighting. Also, when you make this style of photography, you should take into account the post-production since the use of image retouching software is one of the leading characteristics of this style of photography.
In summary
I hope that the article gives a more concrete idea of everything that wedding photography implies, and you can see it, not as a minor or inferior to other photographic works, but as a more open and creative work. The wedding photographer has a complex task, where besides being a photographer, he has to be creative, artist and have social skills.