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…