When ‘shopping’ for your photographer it will be much easier if you know what style you are looking for and what it’s called. The best wedding photographers have a technique of their own and while most can offer a mixture of photographs they will specialise in a particular style as their trademark.

Reportage

As the name suggests this is quite literally ‘to report’. A photographer takes photographs as the day unfolds capturing moments as they happen rather than taking posed shots. Not to be confused with natural shots, reportage will not show and specific group or have any kind of structure. Natural shots can be slightly posed with out being forced and will mean that certain photographs can be requested such as one of the flower girl and page boy or one of the groom with his best man and ushers. With reportage, the photographer will blend in to the crowd and you won’t even realise photos are being taken, but a good photographer should be practically invisible no matter what style is chosen so don’t settle for this just because you are afraid of the camera being intrusive. To capture a moment as it happens is difficult and requires a keen eye, a fast finger and years of experience. Often if you choose to have a lot of this style of photographs two photographers with several cameras will be capturing events as they unfold, a photographer only gets an instant to capture a pose so if they’ve got the wrong shutter speed or are fiddling with the focus, the moment is lost forever a double act have less chance of missing any opportunities for the perfect photo. To have a little reportage in your album is a good way to reflect the atmosphere of the whole day but too many will result in an unstructured album with no focal point. You may also be disappointed if key photos are missing such as one of you and your mum, or that there aren’t enough romantic shots of you and your husband together. Reportage looks great in an album but most people like some slightly more posed shots that they can frame and send to granny for her mantelpiece.

Formal

Images of old-fashioned wedding albums showing uncomfortable families standing in a line have given formal photographs a bad reputation. Thankfully wedding photography has moved on considerably from this and the true definition of a formal photograph is one where the family members can be clearly seen and depicted. A good photographer will put the group at ease and ensure the pose is natural and without being forced. Often treasured in years to come, these images are a great family record of the wedding. Romantic.

These photographs are usually taken after the ceremony when the bride and groom are alone with the photographer. Some will be posed portraits whilst others will be candid pictures of the happy couple. Posed portraits don’t always have to be cheesy though most albums will have at least one of the bride and groom kissing under a tree or by a lake or while sitting on a bench or all of the above! The common denominator in all romantic photographs is that they show the love and affection the couple feel for each other on their wedding day. Often special effects during processing can add touches such as soft edge focus and tinting to add to the mood.

Avant Garde

This style is best used sparingly to really add something special to the album. Angles and lines are used frequently as a backdrop with the bride and groom being the main focal point. Perspective can be used to add interest and the overall effect is usually very dramatic. This style is also known as Modern or Theatrical.

Black and White

This type of photograph is increasingly popular and can look very artistic. It is also very flattering as it shows shades and contours beautifully and can be much more atmospheric than colour shots. Bear in mind that it is possible to change colour shots to black and white but it doesn’t work the other way around. Therefore it is not advisable to ask your photographer to shoot in entirely black and white film as details such as the flowers, table decorations and bridesmaids dresses will be remembered more clearly when shot in colour.

Tinting

This is done using a special dye which is added to the fluid when processing the photograph, giving it a colour tint which adds to the mood of the photograph. The most popular tints are sepia and light blue, sepia can add warmth to a plain photograph making it more atmospheric therefore changing its overall mood.

Spot or Hand Tinting

Before the introduction of computer technology and digital cameras photographers would paint on to the negative to highlight a particular object. Nowadays a similar effect is created on screen. This technique is frequently used on the brides bouquet where the flowers have colour but the rest of the photograph is black and white.

Wedding Photography.

Once you have decided on what styles you like and you have found the perfect photographer you need to know that there are 3 more very important factors that must be carefully considered. Without doing so you won’t achieve the best possible album for your wedding and after spending a lot of time and money on finding the perfect photographer, this would be a disaster. So what are the all important factors?

First of all you’ll need to think about the location. Most venues are able to provide what they think is a good backdrop for your photographs but your photographer is the best judge of whether the location would be effective or not. Its helpful if natural shade is provided for strong sunlight or if there is an undercover alternative such as a conservatory or a summerhouse. If your venue doesn’t offer the perfect location then your photographer should be able to advise you on the best local spots for wedding photography. It is important to trust your photographer as they are trained and experienced professionals and only they can visualise the end product realistically. An image may look great to you in real life but the lighting conditions could make it an impossible scene to photograph.

Next you’ll need to think about the timing of your day. If you are being married at 3pm for instance most of your posed photographs will be taken around 4pm. This is fine if you are having a summer wedding but if you are being married in the middle of November the photographer will have problems trying to take pictures in semi darkness. Speak to your photographer about this before hand and a solution might be to have your ceremony earlier in the day or you could arrange to have your photographs taken inside where the time will be less relevant. Remember that if you choose to do this then you will have to sacrifice some shots such as the obligatory kissing under a tree. Fear not there will no doubt be a fire place to act as a substitute!

The third and most important factor is you – the Bride and Groom. Without a good relationship between you and the photographer your photographs will suffer. You will need to listen and trust their advice before and during the day. A good wedding album is the result of a couple having taken on board some advice from their chosen photographer. A great wedding album involves listening to the advice and acting on it. The best wedding pictures aren’t simply about money they’re about getting involved in the photography process and most importantly having a great time on the day. Easier said than done? If you are one of many people who dread the prospect of having their photo taken don’t panic! Professional photographers are experts at getting people to relax in front of the camera, speak to them about it and they will find a way that works for you both. Some will arrange an informal studio shoot a week or so before the wedding in order to make you relax and feel more comfortable in front of a camera. You never know you might even get to like it, the difference will be seen plainly in the photographs.

The number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash’s range. Why
is this a mistake? Because pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be
too dark. For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than fifteen
feet—about five steps away.

What is your camera’s flash range? Look it up in your camera manual. Can’t find it?
Then don’t take a chance. Position yourself so subjects are no farther than ten feet
away.