Here at FAB HQ, we firmly believe that wedding photographers are one of the most, if not the most important wedding vendor that a couple will invest in and next week, we will be sharing our top tips for choosing the photographer that is right for you. Today, though, we wanted to take a step back and give you a very quick, high level guide to wedding photography styles because guess what, there is more than one. You certainly don't need to be an expert on the topic and at the end of the day, what's most important is that you choose a photographer who has a portfolio of work that really resonates with you... but, it helps to at least be aware of what each style has to offer so that you have somewhere to start when your own search begins.

Traditional Wedding Photography

One of the oldest styles of wedding photography, traditional or classic wedding style photography is very clean, neat and staged and will often produce an album of perfectly posed wedding portraits. The photographer is usually very hands on and will focus on carefully arranging groups of people to capture very formal and posed portraits of the couple, their families and bridal party. They will generally work from a list of shots given to them by the bride and groom and adjust everything from background objects to their own lighting equipment to ensure a perfect setting each time. This style of photography suits couples that would rather take their time getting well-composed and flattering images, where everybody is instructed to look directly at the camera and smile. A traditional wedding photography album will invariably include a conservative set of images, many of them group shots, all posed and carefully edited.

Image by Elizabeth Messina via SMP

Photojournalistic / Reportage / Documentary Style

Photojournalistic, reportage or documentary style photography more or less refers to the same informal style when referenced in terms of wedding photography. This edgy, creative style of photography can be charaterised by its "real time" approach to your wedding day and a photographer that specialises in this style will typically observe and capture moments throughout the day as they happen, without giving any direction to their subjects. Most photojournalists will also capture more formal family portraits for the sake of the wedding album but the majority of their photos will be off the cuff and leave you with a very realistic set of images from your wedding day. Weddings captured in this style will generally be edited afterwards and feature more black and white imagery with coloured frames made look slightly more dramatic. This style suits couples who hate posing for photographs and who would like a set of creative photographs that will not only capture the mood of your wedding day but the little moments that you might otherwise miss.

Image by Aspect Photography

Natural

Natural wedding style photographers take a similar approach to their photojournalistic peers in that they will aim to capture moments of the wedding as they occur. The main difference is that they will do their best to work under natural lighting conditions and will edit as little as possible in their postproduction process. Natural wedding photographers will also shoot posed group shots but will consider locations that are well lit, avoiding using flash if at all possible. Resulting images are relaxed and capture the wedding day as it unfolds and will suit couples that want a timeless set of images that are less posed and more creative than the traditional style, but not as dramatic as photojournalism.

Image by Brosnan Photographic via Fly Away Bride

Creative

Creative wedding photography is probably the hardest to define as it generally depicts a playful style of photography where the photographer has his or her own unique style. This could be anything from how they like to colour their images in postproduction to how they pose their couples for their wedding portraits. Their images are generally quite artsy and edgy and suit couples who love something completely unique and untraditional.

Image by Poppies and Me via Fly Away Bride

Fine Art

Fine art wedding photography is a style of photography focuses on the natural composition of photographs. The style is traditionally captured using a medium format camera, ie; on film and in the world of weddings, you will usually find that fine art wedding photographers have a very ethereal style with a strong bias towards natural beauty. Images normally undergo little if no postproduction and photographers prefer to shoot in natural light. In terms of approach, fine art photographers tend to both allocate time towards beautiful portrait sessions but also capture moments as they unfold. Because this style generally is captured with film as opposed to digital, fine art photographers tend to be more expensive but because they shoot on film, their images are more carefully composed. Fine art wedding photography suits couples looking for a timeless set of photographs that are soft and full of depth, who don't mind the extra time it takes to compose the perfect image.

Image by Jen Huang