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Wedding photography styles trends and myths

Natural style wedding photography, where the photographer documents the day, by taking ‘natural’ photographs and nothing is posed is very popular. There is also a trend for wedding photographs to have a washed out look or have instagram filters applied. Trends have their place, so the question is, do you actually want this?

I don’t do group shots… really?

Some photographers say they don’t do group shots. I have never known a client who didn’t want a few group shots of immediate family. So I always take time to talk to my clients and ask them what they want from their wedding photography. In almost every case, they want some natural wedding photographs and some group shots of close family. Interestingly

Group shots are the most downloaded

when I present the wedding photographs online, the most popular shots are the group shots. This is because traditionally, we all like to have these type of pictures displayed in frames to remind us of that special day. So would you be happy to for your son or daughter to get married and you don’t have a picture where you are all together?

Group Shots are important

Professional wedding photography is all about finding the best places within and around venues. Then using them to get great pictures. This is because rapport with the photographer is also very important so the couple can be relaxed in front of the camera. The question is, would you consider this picture below as natural or posed? My intention here was to set the scene up, the rest was natural.

Atmospheric pictures

Liverpool wedding photographer Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool

This picture was taken at the Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool. It was impossible to take pictures outside because the hotel is in the middle of a busy city. So the skill was to use the setting to get some nice atmospheric shots.

Natural Style pictures

The picture below is an unposed picture of the Bride just before she goes in for the wedding breakfast, with her bridesmaid faithfully taking care of the dress.

Southport Wedding Photographer Abbey House Hotel

This was taken in natural light. Not only does it capture the scene perfectly, it also shows detail in the two dresses.

Candid Style pictures

I think the preparation by the parents of the flower girl was truly amazing even down to the headphones!

Liverpool Wedding Photography

This is the flower girl who had more of in interest in taking a quick break during the ceremony for a sandwich and playing on my iPad’ Nobody else saw this, but I think it is a nice addition to the wedding pictures, and injects a bit of humour.

Black and white is great at focussing attention on the moment, because taking colour away it creates a much more atmospheric picture.

Documentary Style Pictures

Liverpool wedding photographer Hard Days Night Hotel

This was taken at the Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool. The bride has just arrived with her father. The best man and registrar are in the background. This brings back all of the memories and anticipation just before the wedding ceremony.

Natural style Pictures

Natural style photography is all about being in the right place at the right time.

St Chads Poulton Le Fylde Wedding Photographer

As the official wedding photographer, I get access to exclusive areas of the church which enables me to capture this moment where the bride has just reached the alter and you can see the emotions between the groom, the bride and the brides father.

Stylised pictures

This picture below has had different filters applied during processing. The original picture on the left is the natural colours. Another point is the removal of confetti from the brides face. The picture in the middle has had an instagram style filter applied and the picture on the right has been converted to black and white. The styles are limitless this is why it is important to see the previous work of a wedding photographer. It is also a good illustration of how the end product is heavily influenced by the skill of the photographer.

Same picture different processing style

Hopefully from these examples you have a better understanding of photography styles. This is why it is so important to discuss your requirements with a professional photographer. It is about the whole package, which you can read about in the section called 6 top tips to choosing a good wedding photographer which goes into more detail.

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