1st, WHAT ARE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY STYLES?


Wedding photography styles are the consistent, distinctive appearance seen in a photographer's finished work - their photographs. A great way to check out a photographer's style is to look at their Instagram feed. Can you see similarity in the overall look and feel of their images? If not, your photos might not turn out like you expect (the photographer may not have defined their own style yet), so be sure to choose a photographer that has a uniform look so you know what the end product will be.


2nd - WHY ARE PHOTOGRAPHY STYLES IMPORTANT FOR COUPLES TO KNOW?


Every wedding photographer has their own unique shooting style and editing style, but there are three main wedding photography style categories that most photographs fit into. This can help you determine what style of photography you are drawn to and narrow down your search for your photographer. After you decide what style you like, only contact photographers that fit with in that style, that way you know you will love your wedding photos! Makes sense, right?


3rd - WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHY STYLES?


The three main wedding photography styles are Light & Airy, Dark & Moody and Classic & True to Life. There are more variations within these, but these are three main styles you should easily be able to recognize. I will walk you through how to easily identify and recognize each style and provide example images so you can see the differences in styles on real wedding photographs. I will cover the feeling, saturation and tones to look for in each style. Let's get started!


LIGHT & AIRY


• Romantic feeling bright images

• Bright whites and soft pastel colors

• Creamy and cool tones


Light & Airy photography is a style that is bright and light - just like the name sounds! Images have an over exposed look and some details are often lost or unseen as the brightness increases in the lighter areas of the image. Most of the time, the color saturation of light and airy photos is softer and muted to give an airy and romantic feel and looks pastel. The color of usually has a cool and creamy feeling (bringing out more blue tones), but can also be warm depending on editing. Skin tones can look too cool (blueish), washed out or too bright if this style is not done tastefully.

STYLE EX. 1 - NATURAL LIGHT INSIDE

LIGHT & AIRY

DARK & MOODY

CLASSIC & TRUE TO LIFE

STYLE EX. 2 - SUNSET SHOT (NATURAL LIGHT + FLASH)

LIGHT & AIRY

DARK & MOODY

CLASSIC & TRUE TO LIFE

DARK & MOODY


• Moody feeling dark images

• Saturated, dark deeper colors

• Warm and strong orange or brown tones


Dark & Moody is Light & Airy's polar opposite! Think dramatic, emotional and moody photographs. Images have an under exposed look where details are more emphasized because they are darker, but some detail can be lost completely if certain areas are too dark. Sometimes photographers also add a grainy look (AKA noise) as a variation to this style. Most of the time, the color saturation of Dark & Moody photographs is deep, warm and has orange or brown tones. Skin tones can look too warm (orange), muddy or too dark if this style is not done tastefully.


STYLE EX. 3 - NATURAL LIGHT OUTSIDE

LIGHT & AIRY

DARK & MOODY

CLASSIC & TRUE TO LIFE

STYLE EX. 4 - FLASH INSIDE (RECEPTION)

LIGHT & AIRY

DARK & MOODY

CLASSIC & TRUE TO LIFE

CLASSIC & TRUE TO LIFE


• Genuine feeling, relatable images

• True to life, colorful and easy on the eyes

• Warm and natural tones


Classic & True to life photography is somewhere in between Light & Airy and Dark & Moody. Think classic, traditional and stands the test of time. You will love your photos as much today as you do in 30 years when you show your grandkids!


Classic photos are all about showcasing your genuine self. Oxford Languages defines classic as 1. judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. 2. remarkably and instructively typical. 3. a work of art of recognized and established value.


Sometimes when we think of art, traditional can sound boring. Traditional doesn't mean the artist or photographer lacks creativity, but that they use what has worked in the past time and time again as a foundation to produce amazing results. Traditional customs, beliefs, or methods are ones that have existed for a long time without changing (Collins English Dictionary on traditional meaning). Why change what is proven to work?


With Classic & True to Life wedding photography, images are properly exposed and do not appear too light or too dark. That means white will be truly white, black will be truly black and all the colors in between will appear close to what your eye normally sees (true to life). Using this traditional photography method will show detail where needed and hide detail where it is not desired. In other words, classic wedding photography will show the beading on the bride's dress, the detail on her veil, the color and texture of her flowers and the expression on the groom's face when he sees her for the first time. Classic & True to Life wedding photography will help hide what you don't want showcased - blemishes, wrinkles, stray hairs, dark circles, etc. Proper lighting techniques also play a huge part here (but that is another subject).


Color saturation of Classic & True to Life wedding photography is medium - not too deep and not too light (not pastel looking). The tricky part here is color tones or temperature can vary depending on the photographers taste. If they are actually true to life though, skin tones should look very close to what your eyes see naturally - not too cool or washed out and not too warm or dark.


You can probably guess which style I'm most passionate about. Finding your preferred style is a great starting point when you narrow down who to hire to photograph your wedding. Now that you have the styles down, what's next? My next blog will focus on 3 Key Things to Look for When Searching for your Wedding Photographer. I'll give you a hint, style is one!


Subscribe below to make sure you don't miss the next post.


YES, SIGN ME UP!

DISCLAIMER - All of the image examples above are my take on each style. I am not an expert in every style as I am a Classic & True to Life Wedding Photographer. Wedding photographers who are experts in Light & Airy and Dark & Moody will have better examples of their style (they all vary somewhat), but these are my images and my opinion on how those styles look differently on the same image for comparison purposes. The point is to find the style that you are consistently drawn to, there is no right or wrong style, ultimately go with what you love!