Wedding Photography – An insiders view by Steve Shipman

Photographic Styles

Years ago, before digital photography was around, photographers used stuff called film to record images. The film held a limited number of images, usually 12, 24 or 36 frames on one roll. After the film was used up, it was taken to a processor to be developed, then the images were transferred to paper in a process using wet chemicals. Very messy. And very expensive.

I tell you this because wedding photography comes from this processing legacy, and it’s the reason why wedding photography used to be so slow, and laborious, and arranged. The poor photographer only had a few frames to get his images perfect – expensive film, and no Photoshop to sort out any mistakes. This was the era of Traditional wedding photography, and it’s the slow and time-consuming style that everyone dreads at a wedding today.

Luckily we don’t have to endure that now. Things have swung to the other end of the scale, where the buzz-word is now reportage, or photojournalism. These terms have a history too, and come from the noble profession of news and human interest photographers, who, amazingly, are not all Paparazzi. There is a great skill in capturing a moment as it occurs, without intervention, recording an event as it unfolds. Incidentally it is unacceptable for a newspaper to alter an image in Photoshop.

When looking for a wedding photographer, many couples say they want a reportage style photographer. They want unintrusive coverage and don’t want endless group shots. However, they also want beautifully framed, stunningly lit images with the moment caught perfectly as they walk into a shaft of light and turn to each other and tenderly kiss just as the photographer, coincidentally standing nearby, raises his camera with the right lens on at the right setting. Phew. And then it should happen again and again so they will have 500 perfectly caught natural moments taken throughout the day. It’s a big ask, and that’s why styles are changing.

So how do we find wedding photography today?  In good health, stylistically, but difficult to define.

Some couples who booked a reportage style photographer have been disappointed with the results. We can shoot thousands of digital frames at little cost – surely some will come out right? Not always. It takes great skill and experience to be present in every moment of the day, while at the same time not being intrusive. Reportage photography does not make it acceptable to have poor composition, poor lighting or distracting backgrounds. From the other perspective, many photographers have realised that, actually, couples do want creative and stylish photography, some of which will need a bit of time and collaboration to achieve, but need to be talked through the process plenty of time before the wedding day. This style is becoming known as Contemporary, and is influenced by fashion and trends from outside the wedding industry, such as fashion lifestyle magazines and films.

There is a growing number of photographers who now shoot according to the character of the couple (Hooray!) and according to the atmosphere of the day. Speaking for myself, as the day unfolds, I will shoot in styles that  change according to the photographic possibilities presented. I will shoot getting ready pictures in a reportage way, but I suggest that the bridesmaids get dressed first, then they look better helping the bride to dress. When they are completely ready I’ll take the bride (or groom) to the best light in the room and do a beautiful portrait, in a traditional way.

Almost everything in the ceremony will be reportage, including the signing of the register. Then I will gently orchestrate the couple walking down the aisle (as in Slooowwwly), then a lovely traditional shot of them kissing in the doorway of the church.

At the reception I will do a mixture of reportage shots of guests talking and laughing, and some quickly set-up ones of couples and guests. I will also do some traditional family groups. At some suitable point during the afternoon, I will take the couple for a walk, and this is the time I do all the set-up contemporary style shots. Gently though. I will have found the locations I want to use when I did the recce a month ago, and now the couple are expecting to be directed – where to stand, how to stand, what to do, and then how to feel comfortable and look natural. The shots done here are the big ones for the album, the Wow shots, the ones that go on the wall. And the ones I get remembered for. Depending on the couple, we may have several opportunities throughout the day for these shots, depending on venues, light, weather and time.

There is one other style, and that is the photographer’s own. How he sees the world, and how he chooses to present it in a photograph. Some photographers have a very idiosyncratic look all their own, and create signature works much admired by their peers as well as their clients. For a couple looking to choose a photographer it would be wise, if drawn to heavily stylised work, to make sure they get the family groups and the guests, if that’s what they want.

So there we are, a quick gallop through the styles of wedding photography today, which I hope will help you to choose the right style for you.

(words and images by Steve Shipman Photography)

Follow Steve on Twitter @steveship

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