When you start looking for a wedding photographer, you’ll probably come across a ridiculous number of words being used to describe different photography styles. Documentary, editorial, candid, fine art, traditional, reportage... And if you’re not a photographer yourself, you might understandably be sitting there wondering what the fuck any of it actually means and, more importantly, which one you’re supposed to want for your wedding.
The truth is, wedding photography doesn’t always fit neatly into one box, and personally, I don’t think it should have to.
My own approach sits somewhere between documentary and editorial wedding photography because while I want to capture your wedding exactly as it felt, including all of the chaos, emotion and wonderfully weird little moments that happen throughout the day, I also love creating the dark, atmospheric and cinematic portraits that you’ll see throughout my work.
For me, you shouldn’t have to choose between photographs that feel real and photographs that look like art, because there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t have both.
What Is Documentary Wedding Photography?
Documentary wedding photography is all about capturing moments as they naturally happen rather than constantly directing you, repositioning people or asking you to recreate something purely for the camera. It’s the nervous glances before the ceremony, your best friend absolutely losing it on the dance floor, the way your partner looks at you when they think nobody else is watching, the flower girl hiding underneath a table or your nan laughing so hard that she nearly spills her drink all over herself. These are the photographs you couldn’t necessarily plan for because, until they happened, you didn’t even know they were going to exist, and they’re genuinely some of my favourite moments to photograph.
I spend a huge amount of your wedding day watching what’s happening around me, not just looking for the obvious moments that everyone expects to be photographed, but paying attention to the people around you, the relationships between them and all of the tiny things happening in the background that you might not even notice yourselves. Because your wedding isn’t just made up of the moments written on your timeline. It’s also made up of everything that happens in between them.
What Is Editorial Wedding Photography?
Editorial wedding photography is a little different because it takes inspiration from fashion photography, magazines and cinema, with more consideration given to things like composition, lighting, posing and atmosphere.
This is where I become a little more involved in the process rather than simply waiting for a moment to happen in front of me.
I might guide you towards beautiful light, suggest where to stand, adjust the way you’re positioned or give you a prompt that creates movement and connection between you, and yes, occasionally I might tell you to stand dramatically in the middle of an incredible building looking like you’ve just inherited a haunted Victorian estate because, quite frankly, it would be rude not to.
These are often the dark, dramatic and cinematic photographs that initially draw couples towards my work, whether that’s sweeping dresses, incredible architecture, atmospheric lighting or the kind of portraits that look like they belong on the cover of a gothic romance novel.
Although these photographs might look effortless, there is usually a little more intention and guidance happening behind the scenes to create them.
Does Editorial Photography Mean Awkward Posing?
Absolutely not, or at least it doesn’t when I’m the one doing it.
One of the biggest misconceptions about editorial wedding photography is that you need to be naturally confident in front of a camera, know exactly how to pose or have spent weeks practising your facial expressions in the mirror before your wedding. You don’t, and you definitely don’t need to spend your couple portraits wondering what the hell you’re supposed to do with your hands because guiding you through that process is quite literally part of my job.
When I create editorial portraits, the amount of guidance I give will depend entirely on the people standing in front of me. Sometimes that means giving you clear direction, sometimes it means giving you a prompt that creates natural movement or interaction between you, and sometimes it simply means putting you in the right place, finding the right light and giving you enough space to be yourselves.
My approach changes depending on the couple because there is no single formula that magically works for everyone, and trying to photograph every person in exactly the same way would completely defeat the point of creating photographs that actually feel like you.
So, Which Is Better?
Neither, because documentary and editorial photography do completely different things and I think they’re at their strongest when they’re allowed to exist alongside one another.
Documentary photography preserves how your wedding genuinely felt, while editorial photography gives us the opportunity to take the atmosphere, location and connection between you and create something extraordinary from it.
Personally, I don’t want to choose between the two. I want to photograph your mum crying during the ceremony without interrupting the moment, capture your friends causing absolute chaos on the dance floor and document all of the laughter, nerves, strange conversations and completely unexpected moments that nobody could have planned for. But if we have an incredible location, dramatic architecture or five minutes of ridiculous golden light, you better believe I’m dragging you outside to make the most of it.
Why I Photograph Weddings Using Both
A wedding day is never just one thing because it can be emotional and chaotic, quiet and overwhelming, deeply romantic and completely fucking ridiculous, sometimes within the space of about ten minutes. There are moments that need to be left completely untouched and allowed to unfold naturally, while there are other moments where a little guidance and creativity can turn an already incredible setting or interaction into something you’ll want hanging on your wall for years.
Knowing the difference between those moments is an incredibly important part of my job.
I’m not going to interrupt an emotional moment because I think moving you three feet to the left would create a slightly better composition, but equally, I’m not going to stand silently while you feel awkward, uncomfortable and wonder what the hell you’re supposed to be doing during your couple portraits.
Sometimes my job is to disappear into the background and allow you to completely forget that I’m there, while at other points in the day my job is to step in, take control and guide you through the process. The important part is knowing when to do each.
Your Wedding Shouldn’t Feel Like A Photoshoot
No matter how much you love photography or how important your wedding photographs are to you, I don’t believe you should spend your entire wedding day performing for a camera instead of actually experiencing it.
You should be able to talk to your guests, eat the food you spent months choosing, dance terribly, disappear outside for five minutes when everything gets a bit overwhelming and, most importantly, actually spend time with the person you’ve just married.
Your photographs are incredibly important, but they shouldn’t come at the expense of experiencing the thing they’re supposed to document, which is why I don’t believe in spending hours dragging you away from your guests for endless photographs or turning every part of your day into an opportunity to stage something for the camera.
Instead, we create space for incredible photography without allowing the photography to completely take over your wedding.
Photographs That Feel Like You And Look Like Art
Ultimately, I want you to receive a wedding gallery that tells the whole story of your day rather than only showing the beautiful parts, the emotional parts or the perfectly composed portraits.
I want you to have the photographs that make you look at each other and say, “Holy shit, is that actually us?” alongside the ones that make you laugh because you’d completely forgotten that moment happened or had absolutely no idea what your guests were getting up to while you were somewhere else.
It’s about the huge moments and the tiny ones, the chaos and the atmosphere, the people you love and all of the strange little interactions happening in the background that make your wedding completely different from anyone else’s.
Because I don’t believe you should have to choose between photographs that feel authentic and photographs that feel like art.
Your wedding deserves both.
Ready to chat?
If you’re looking for an alternative wedding photographer who gets what you want and delivers photos you can be proud of, I’d love to hear from you.
Fill out the contact form, send me an email, or let’s chat over a coffee if you’re nearby. I’m here to help make your day feel effortless, so you can focus on what matters.
