Wedding Photography – what’s in a style?
Everything! So much in fact that I’ve come back to this page to update, after it sat here for the last eight years relatively untouched. It’s been an epic journey of self discovery as a person, along with my organically growing in creative direction.
Eight years maturing has led to new levels of understanding and attunement to others behaviours. Being more considered and mindful in my approach, seamlessly blending the right place and right time with finger on the shutter button!
All the personal experiences that have come my way, have all shaped the unique way I see the world. My unique perspective on how I chose to capture individuals, showing their humanity within fleeting moments – these very moments are things that others simply won’t get!
This is the value that I bring to others and it’s what I hold as being my creative direction.
Documentary Wedding Photography
Often referred to as Documentary wedding photography, reportage wedding photography or wedding photojournalism, the subtle differences do not need elaborating here. More important is to exploit their combined virtues of being natural, observational story telling.
Documenting a wedding through a strong observational approach is the only real way of telling the story of your wedding day, the way you planned it, the way you visualised it and the way it really was. Any other way would simply the photographers interpretation of what they thought your day should be.
Documentary wedding photographers approach a wedding with the intent of capturing the connection, the energy and the passion of the day. Through experience comes intuition, being able to see and anticipate moments as photographic opportunities to create images of timeless beauty.
Natural storytelling is something I have always done as a professional photographer. My years of working on Fleet Street titles honed my skills producing both features, – a process of telling a story through a series of photographs to single, stand alone images. Each image capable of telling the story, providing context and clearly projecting the story behind the moment.
Five Documentary Images that I love
This first shot I initially overlooked during the edit. Only later did I appreciate how much it conveyed about a wedding. Colin and Alex having just walked down the aisle after their wedding ceremony at Stockbridge Farm Barn. Their expressions saying so much about their range of emotions from relief to happiness & success. Alex clasping the box holding their wedding document and Colin almost gasping for air. It was one crazy hot day! The rustic pallet with the timings for the day giving it that final bit of context – sometime around 2.30pm to be precise!
One of the most tender hug pictures I’ve ever captured… Two bridesmaids upon seeing their friend, ready to go standing in her wedding dress. Such a strong image to capture so early on it the story of the wedding day. Perfectly illustrating why each aspect of a wedding day needs to be captured by a documentary wedding photographer.
Capturing heightened emotion is amazingly rewarding, some people just keep giving. Seldom do you get presented with two people simultaneously giving, both mirroring each other. Covering their faces, wiping away tears with their outermost hands. Mike and Kelly showing so much about themselves and their relationship. On hell of a couple and such a pleasure to work with. Their day was one that provided so many naturally simple, yet powerful documentary wedding photos.
Strong documentary wedding photography involves keeping the mind open to opportunities. Anticipating where one can, but also recognising something fresh when it is presented and capturing it in that all important stand alone image. Humour, if you haven’t already noticed being a big part in the images I try to capture. Reversing and maybe questioning social expectations in this image. When it’s more often the case that younger members are lost from ‘the moment’ looking down, when they should be looking up and engaging with others – this gift came together nicely. Split seconds, fleeting moments – but capturing them well is what I set my creative sights upon.
An unscripted moment, that came and went within seconds. These are the moments that keep us alert, the chance of capturing such things.
I had decided to move to the back of the ceremony room, hoping to get another angle, another opportunity to compose and to tell the wedding ceremony story for this couple.
Unknown to me from this perspective, a member of the family was shedding a few tears and looking for a tissue. Their need was met when a bridesmaid offered one forward across the aisle and across my line of vision – I took the frame and caught the moment.
The perspective and the instance caught, says so much to a viewer in its strength and poignancy. A unique perspective that encapsulates everything that wedding photography should have – context, emotion and timing.
Great documentary wedding photography speaks volumes. I love the sound of its voice…
Ready to book?
Book your wedding with us. Check our availability and get our full pricing for wedding photography & videography.
Wedding dates can be booked up to 2 years in advance so please contact us as soon as you have a confirmed date to avoid disappointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few things you might be wondering
Smiling Tiger Studios is based in Weymouth, Dorset, and we photograph weddings across Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and throughout the UK.
Travel within the UK is included in our full-day wedding collections. For weddings further afield, we’ll simply let you know if accommodation or additional travel is needed.
Send us your wedding date and a few details through the enquiry form.
We’ll check availability across the Smiling Tiger team and come back to you personally, usually within 24 hours.
If we’re available, we can then arrange a short Zoom call to hear what you’re planning, answer your questions and see whether we’re the right fit.
Smiling Tiger Studios is led by Linus, with a carefully selected team of photographers working to the same creative approach and standards.
Depending on your collection, date and coverage, your wedding may be photographed by Linus, Will or another STS photographer.
Different photographers. Different personalities.
One recognisable Smiling Tiger eye.
You’ll always know who is covering your wedding well before the day itself.
Very little.
We’ll give you direction when it helps – particularly for couple portraits and family photographs – but we’re not interested in turning your wedding into a photoshoot.
For most of the day, we want you concentrating on each other and the people around you.
Your photographs fit around your wedding. Not the other way around.
Absolutely.
Those photographs matter, so we’ll organise them efficiently and keep the list focused on the people who are genuinely important to you.
Around 6-8 essential groups usually works well without taking you away from your guests for too long.
Then we get everyone back to the wedding.
Yes. You can book photography, film, or both.
When we cover both, our photographers and filmmakers work with the same documentary philosophy, so you don’t have two separate teams competing for your attention.
Photography lets you stop and return to individual moments.
Film brings back voices, movement, laughter and atmosphere.
Different ways of remembering the same wedding.
We usually send a small photography preview within 48-72 hours, with the full gallery normally following within around two weeks.
For film collections, we aim to send a short preview within around three weeks, with the full highlight film usually delivered within around six weeks.
We deliberately let the photographs arrive first and have their own moment before film brings the wedding back in a completely different way.
This is one of the advantages of booking a studio rather than relying entirely on one person.
If the photographer assigned to your wedding became genuinely unable to attend, our first priority would be arranging suitable replacement cover from within the STS team.
Whatever happens behind the scenes, the aim is simple:
your wedding photography remains properly looked after.
YOUR WEDDING IS FOR LIVING, NOT PERFORMING
Be with your people. Get caught up in it. Laugh, cry, dance, disappear for five minutes when you need to.
We’ll concentrate on everything happening around you – the moments you experience, the ones you miss, and all the little things that make the day unmistakably yours.
Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll take it from there.
CHECK YOUR DATE & VIEW PRICING
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱. 😂🤍
All the way from Panama to the English countryside, Javier had something rather special planned for Anthony.
A surprise proposal at Stourhead. One of England`s most romantic landscapes, and a place made even more meaningful by Anthony`s love of British period dramas and Pride & Prejudice.
The planning began over a month earlier. Secret WhatsApp messages, carefully worked-out timings, a little logistical juggling and some help from Stourhead`s wonderful events team.
Everything was in place.
Well, almost everything.
Monday morning arrived with Stourhead completely shrouded in fog. Beautifully atmospheric, admittedly, but not exactly ideal for seeing what was happening more than a few metres away! 😂
Still, it gave me rather good cover.
Then, almost on cue, the fog began to lift.
I spotted the boys making their way around the lake before they disappeared from view. Turns out the path I`d suggested was closed, so they`d decided to scramble up the steep bank instead!
The things we do for love. 😂
Eventually, there they were. Right place, right moment.
Javier quietly set the scene. A little music playing from his phone, a camera recording, and then down onto one knee.
And suddenly, all those weeks of secret planning came down to a few extraordinary seconds.
The surprise. The expressions. The embrace.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳.
My job was simply to be there, anticipate it and preserve those moments without interrupting them.
Afterwards, we wandered through the grounds for a few relaxed portraits, with two newly engaged men and a rather wonderful story to take home to Panama. 🤍
This was my third proposal at Stourhead this year, and every single one has been completely different.
Different people. Different stories. Different reasons for choosing this extraordinary place.
And that`s precisely what makes documenting them such a pleasure.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. 𝗪𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Planning a surprise proposal of your own?
Oct 16
Sometimes the best moments are the ones nobody saw coming. 🌈
A little glimpse into Clare & Mat’s wonderful wedding at @tuffonhallvineyard in Essex.
A day that had just about everything. Beautiful people, incredible food, plenty of laughter, a little unpredictable weather and a love story that deserved one hell of a celebration.
After a summer of endless sunshine, the rain finally decided to make an appearance. Not quite what we’d ordered, but as it turned out, Mother Nature had something rather special up her sleeve.
That rainbow. Those vines. Those few precious minutes when everything seemed to fall into place.
But beyond the beautiful setting, what I loved most was the warmth of it all. The familiar faces, the connections, the laughter and those little exchanges that often say far more than words ever could.
Having photographed Clare’s sister Karen’s wedding eight years earlier, being welcomed back to document another chapter in this family’s story made it all the more special.
And that’s what I love about film.
The photographs freeze those fleeting moments, but film brings back the movement, the voices, the laughter and all the wonderful energy that made the day what it was.
Clare & Mat, here’s a little taste of your day. Turn the sound up, sit back and enjoy! 🤍
Observed, not staged. Felt, not forced.
#TuffonHallWedding #EssexWeddingVideographer #DocumentaryWeddingFilm #VineyardWedding #WeddingVideography
Oct 12
Some families have a lovely way of making you feel like you’re picking up right where you left off. 🤍
Seven years ago, I photographed Fiona’s wedding in Newcastle. Last weekend, we headed back up north to capture her sister Fliss marrying Ryan at the beautiful @thebarnonthebay in Northumberland.
To be welcomed back into the same family, seeing familiar faces alongside a whole new generation, is one of those lovely reminders of why I enjoy this job so much.
And what a celebration they gave us!
So many tender moments, proper belly laughs, the family dog making an appearance during the ceremony, and Fliss & Ryan’s gorgeous twins providing some priceless entertainment.
Particularly their little girl, who absolutely owned the dance floor! Watching her throw some outrageous moves, surrounded by a crowd of kilt-wearing gentlemen cheering her on, was pure gold. 😂
We even stole a few quiet minutes with Fliss & Ryan amongst the wild grasses and sand dunes of the Northumberland coastline. Big skies, beautiful light and a stunning setting.
But as ever, it’s the people, their connections and those fleeting, unguarded moments that make the photographs mean something.
Two sisters, seven years apart, and the privilege of documenting another chapter in a family’s story.
Northumberland, we’d happily make that journey again in a heartbeat! 🤍
#NorthumberlandWeddingPhotographer #BarnOnTheBay #DocumentaryWeddingPhotography #WeddingPhotojournalism #NorthumberlandWedding
Oct 10
A trembling voice, a little yellow lion and a barn full of Britpop. Some weddings could only belong to the two people getting married. 💛
Ellie & Ross at Gorwell Barn was one of them.
Such a welcome return to this lovely corner of Abbotsbury, Dorset—and with two people who were absolutely my kind of people. Expressive, full of humour, and happy to let the feelings show. Ross welling up as he exchanged his vows said more than any photograph we could ever arrange.
Their outdoor ceremony had connections woven right through it. A cousin singing. A celebrant who last met Ellie when she was just a couple of weeks old, having worked alongside her dad in teaching many years ago.
And that little yellow lion? A nod to the toy the celebrant gave Ellie when she was born. A small thing carrying a whole lot of history.
Then Ellie’s dad and his friends supplied the evening’s soundtrack, playing the big Britpop tunes and keeping the celebrations very much in the family. 🎸
Ellie & Ross, capturing your story was a complete joy. The laughter, the tears, the people and those wonderfully personal details. So much to see. So much to feel.
Subtle, Emotive & Raw.
#GorwellBarn #DorsetWedding #DorsetWeddingPhotographer #DocumentaryWeddingPhotography #smilingtigerstudiosuk
Oct 2
Some photographs become more important with time.
Earlier this year, at Rhiannon & Andy`s wedding at North Cadbury Court, Will captured this.
Rhiannon had just walked down the aisle. Andy was waiting for her. And for the briefest moment, there was nothing else.
Just that face.
Utter, unfiltered joy.
It`s since been recognised with awards from both Fearless Photographers and Masters of Wedding Photography — two brilliant acknowledgements of Will Bazlinton`s instinct for seeing a moment, anticipating it and being exactly where he needs to be when it happens.
We`re immensely proud of him.
But this photograph means considerably more to us now.
Andy is sadly no longer with us, and that makes sharing it something we do with care.
When we photograph a wedding, none of us knows where life will take the people in front of our cameras. We enter their world for a while — sometimes only for the months around a wedding, sometimes our paths cross again through other chapters of their lives.
Some joyful. Some unimaginably difficult.
That`s why photographs like this matter.
This isn`t really a photograph of someone walking down an aisle.
It`s a photograph of how Rhiannon felt when she saw Andy waiting for her.
Their connection. Their excitement. Their love.
A fraction of a second that happened once — and now exists forever.
And perhaps that`s the greatest recognition Will`s photograph could ever receive.
The awards are richly deserved. But the moment is everything.
#NorthCadburyCourt #FearlessPhotographers #DocumentaryWeddingPhotography #SmilingTigerStudios
Sep 18
**NO SPARKLERS. SO THE SKY STEPPED IN. 🌈**
Last week took us over to Essex and the beautiful @tuffonhallvineyard for Clare & Mat’s wedding - a day built around two people with a shared love of good wine, good food and the people closest to them.
It was also a rather special one for me.
Eight years ago I photographed Clare’s sister Karen marrying Graham at the Matara Centre in Wiltshire. Being invited back into a family to photograph another chapter all these years later is something I’ll never take for granted.
After one of the driest, hottest summers we’ve had, naturally the forecast decided **this** was the week to change. Showers. Sunshine. More showers. ☀️🌧️
And with the ground officially in drought, the sparkler dash Clare & Mat had planned had to be cancelled.
Disappointing? Absolutely.
But weddings have a habit of reminding you that the unplanned stuff can be far better than anything on the schedule.
Because somewhere between the rain and sunshine, the sky delivered something we couldn’t have ordered if we’d tried.
**A huge rainbow, right across the vineyard.**
So we grabbed Clare & Mat, headed into the vines and had a few glorious minutes to play.
No Photoshop. No AI. No elaborate setup.
Just two newlyweds, an Essex vineyard and Mother Nature showing off at precisely the right moment.
I think we’ll take that over the sparklers. 🌈
#TuffonHallWedding #EssexWeddingPhotographer #VineyardWedding #DocumentaryWeddingPhotography #UKWeddingPhotographer
Aug 24
