Wedding Photography : About Wedding Photography

What is wedding photography? The answer is obvious on one level, of course. Wedding photography is, well, wedding photography: it’s the recording or documentation of a wedding using a camera (usually an expensive and advanced camera).

Historically, wedding photography dates back to the mid to late 1800s. As cameras and photography became more commonplace, it became important to capture and record one of the biggest events in most people’s lives. However, wedding photos were likely singular and not plural at the time. Most couples simply posed for a singe wedding portrait as opposed to many different poses and photos. One of the reasons for this is the fact that cameras, compared to cameras in the modern area, were quite limited and taking even one exposure took a lot of time and effort.

In the mid to late 20th century, wedding photography, largely due to the progress of camera technology, grew to be more widespread and involve many more photos of the wedding. In this sense, it became much more documentary; recording the events of the wedding day from start to finish.

Over the years, wedding photography has evolved into an essential, de facto component of nearly all weddings. The wedding photography industry as a whole is enormous and international; certainly grossing tens of millions if not hundreds of millions in annual revenue.

Pricing for wedding photography varies greatly; ranging from a couple thousand dollars to well over ten thousand for a single wedding.

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Wedding Photography Styles

Wedding photography styles can probably be summed up in three general styles: traditional, photojournalist or documentary and contemporary or fusion photography.

Traditional

Traditional is just how it sounds. Traditional photography largely involves more formal portraits; posed photos of the bride and groom, the wedding party; bride’s immediate family; extended family, and so on. Traditional wedding photography has fallen out of favor for many couples as a preference for photojournalistic and contemporary photography has grown.

Photojournalistic / Reportage

Photojournalistic wedding photography (or wedding photojournalism) emphasizes natural and organic photography. That is, the wedding photojournalist is primarily interested in “reporting” or documenting the wedding as it unfolds naturally. There is minimal direction as the key is to capture the candid emotion, humor, love and quirkiness of a given wedding with little intrusion or intervention. Wedding photojournalists will pose and capture the more traditional elements of a wedding but their key focus is documentary and candid.

Contemporary / Fusion

A more recent trend in wedding photography can be called “contemporary” or even fusion photography. This sort of photography leans heavily on fashion influences, non traditional posing and digital processing and manipulation of images. While these sorts of photographers also capture photojournalistic images; they are primarily focused on creating highly stylized and manipulated photographs. Photo processing software “actions” and settings in the post production phase are key components of fusion photography.

Find wedding photographers in your area.

Photos by Julie Harris

Check out some of our elite wedding photographer profiles

Chad Morgan Photography Chad Morgan is known for his authentic and emotional style. His approach to photography provides his clients with photos that match their personalities, giving them timeless, elegant works of art. Chad Morgan serves Denver, Boulder, Longmont, Vail, Aspen, as well as other areas of Colorado... Starting at: $4,250 Will Work: The Planet Tele: 303.619.6744

Juxtapose Photography Whimsically stylish and heartfelt...all in the same instance. Kate Mefford's photography will simultaneously put a spring in your step and send your heart a-flutter! Starting at: $3100 Will Work: The Planet Tele: 2146842136

Luckie Wedding Photography  Luckie Photography is a  destination wedding Professional Photographer based in Mexico and working mainly in TheRiviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, cancun  and any international location. Specializes in weddings with a... Starting at: $1500 Will Work: The Planet Tele: +521.9848069807

Two Sparrows Photography Who Is Ben? What happens when you take a self-described animal lover, ex-tattoo artist, surfer dude and roll them into a hot rod building, guitar-playing, tech-savvy, self-taught photographer? Well, you get Ben. Ben has been taking pictures of everything from body parts (no comment) to big... Starting at: $2200 Will Work: The Planet Tele: 323 497 5577

Zenobia Studios Not your average studio.  Starting at: $4,000 Will Work: The Planet Tele: 401.855.4856

Brewer Photography & Videography Brewer Photography and Videography focuses on creating emotional images with natural light and crisp colors.  We also create videos for our clients with a photographic style and modern storytelling. Starting at: $2,500 Will Work: The Planet Tele: 407-383-5746