Keeping traditional wedding photography in the mix

So why wouldn’t you want traditional wedding photography or formal shots – and what are the other options, anyway?

Weddings are stacked with tradition, with only a small percentage of couples straying incredibly far from the norm.

Well, sometimes. Of course you want to capture the candid moments of your day, but often, a more formalized picture still has a rightful place in a photographer’s repertoire. There are a few reasons for this.

There’s a good chance you want a record of who was actually attended your day – granny Mildred, for example – but you want more than just her signature in your guest book. There’s a possibility that if Granny Mildred isn’t on the dance floor with the rest of the guests, she might not make it into those crazy candid photos. Posed photos ensure that there’s a photographic record for you to look back on and remember who shared in your special day.

With this coverage it means that you’ll get photos in which you look your best. Photojournalism captures real moments during weddings, but sometimes real moments are messy. There are double chins involved, stained dresses, slipping bra strips – not things you want showing in every picture. Whereas, formally setting up the photos with the right lighting, the right poses and just enough time for the couple to flash their pearly whites in a gorgeous manner, are timeless.

It can be done wrong, that’s for sure. An untalented or unskilled photographer can mess up the easiest of shots, and a pushy photographer can ruin a reception for a bride. But with the right photographer, this way of photographing weddings can be the basis of a treasured family heirloom, passed down for years to come.

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