If you're a couple who is looking for a wedding photographer, then one thing you need to figure out to help you in your wedding photography search is what photography style you like best. There are so many different styles of photography so figuring out what style you like best will help you narrow down your photographer search. Some photographers will do a mix of photography styles and some will just focus on one style. All photography styles can be gorgeous and beautiful but you just want to make sure you reach out to a photographer who produces images in a style that you love!
First, let's start with the image style! There are three main types of styles when it comes to this and those are light and airy, dark and moody, and true to color. Now, there are lots of sub styles that go along with each of these and some photographers will mix two of these, but this will give you a starting point. I'll explain each of these styles below.
Light & Airy
Light and airy photography style produces images that are bright and do not have any dark areas. They are soft with a glow. You will see lighter colors and a brighter sky.
Dark & Moody
Dark and moody photography style produces images that are darker with prominent shadows. They are more dramatic. There is more contrast and darker colors.
True to Color
True to color photography style produces images that, well, are true to color. This is more on the lighter side of photography but not as light as the light and airy style and instead of muted colors the colors here are bold and bright.
Most photographers will fit into being either light and airy, dark and moody, true to color, or a mixture of light and airy and true to color.
Now that you have an idea of the different image styles, now let's talk about the main shooting styles! Shooting style has to do with how the images are composed, people are posed, and how the photographer approaches photographing the wedding day. There are three main types here as well, photojournalistic, traditional, and fine art, and most photographers fit into one of these styles and some may have a mix of these styles.
Photojournalistic
Photojournalistic photographers want to tell the true, authentic story of your wedding day. There is less posing and direction with this style and the photographer more-so acts like a fly on the wall capturing all of the events as they occur sort of like a news reporter covering an event. An example would be during the cake cutting, the photographer will just capture that moment as it comes naturally.
Traditional
Traditional photographers tend to do more posing throughout the wedding day and take more of a hands-on approach. There is more focus on the classic traditional poses and the photographer will usually work off of a shot list and poses each photo. An example would be during the cake cutting, the photographer would pose the couple and have then hold the knife a certain way and look at the camera a certain way.
Fine Art
Fine art photographers focus on creating each image. There is more focus on setting up the shot, background, lighting, and subject perfectly before each image is taken. An example would be during the cake cutting, the photographer would tell the couple where to stand, set up lighting in a specific way, and remove any distracting elements from the area.
Most photographers will gravitate more towards one style but will also mix in other styles as well. Each of these styles are great, it's just a different approach and can affect how the image is styled, composed, and what your final gallery will look like.
What style is best for you?
Whew! I know that's a lot to take in and you may be wondering what style is best for you. The best way to figure this out is to start looking at wedding photographers and images of weddings online. Open up several different internet tabs with images that you really love and that you would love to have after your wedding day. Look back on those tabs and you will more than likely start to see a trend. Are the bulk of the images more on the lighter side or darker side? Are the colors muted or bright? Is the wedding couple always looking at the camera or are there lots of images of natural moments like laughing and walking? Once you start looking at images and answering these questions then your style preference will start to evolve and you can start reaching out to photographers who offer this style!
How do you know what style a photographer is?
The easiest way is to just ask them! However, when you start looking at their images online you will now be able to start to put them into one of the different image styles and then can ask them what shooting style fits them best.
What is Jasmine Norris Photography's style?
I do have a blend of styles! I am more on the light and airy photography side but I do try to keep my colors as true to color as possible as well. I am also a blend of photojournalistic, traditional, and fine art shooting styles depending on the part of the day! I love capturing those natural, authentic moments, styling the images so they look amazing, and getting those traditional images as well. Going off of the cake cutting example: I will photography what comes naturally but may tweak where my couples stand so I can see them better and I will make sure my background isn't distracting.
