So what is a documentary wedding photographer? This style of wedding photography is where the photographer takes a journalistic approach to your wedding. Capturing moments and the feel of the day is prioritised over styled posed shots.
Why documentary wedding photographer is so special? When you look back at your wedding photographs 10 - 20 - 30 years from down would you rather be reminded what it looked like or what it felt like? That's the beauty of photographer - that you get to seal a moment in time - like a time capsule.
Does choosing a documentary wedding photographer mean we won't get any posed photographs? Definitely not - these are still taken. We still get beautiful bridal portraits and family photographs after the ceremony. It just means our goal is to tell the story of your day through unscripted, raw photographs.
Wedding documentary photography is way more than just pointing the camera and pressing the shutter button. As a photographer you have to anticipate moments, strategically place yourself in the best position to capture the moment all within a matter of seconds. My 10 years experience with wedding photography has allowed me to grow this skill to what it is today.
An example of this is seeing the father of the bride walking up the passage to see his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time - you need to act quickly to set your camera correctly and position yourself where you can capture his first reaction.
Why I am still passionate about wedding photography. Having a photojournalist approach to wedding photography is why all these years later I am still so in love with capturing love stories. They are never the same. Having this approach allows me to be creative with the composition.
Here are two good examples of what capturing a moment looks like. The first is of a close up so although you can't see a lot of what is going on in the moment it speaks volumes. It shows what a close relationship Claudia has with her bridesmaid, it shows trust and friendship.
The second image is one where I fit more of what was going on. Nikita's dad is giving her a hug after walking her down the isle, I chose to focus on her friends and family for this frame and all the smiles and happiness is incredibly special.
