Welcome back to another week in the series of planning your wedding!! I hope last week’s budgeting tips were helpful!  This week we are focusing on hiring your wedding photographer! Aside from booking your venue and a day of coordinator, your photographer is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make.  When it comes to choosing your wedding photographer, before you even begin searching, you will want to know just how you want your wedding to be photographed. Each photographer will specialize in a specific style so knowing what style you prefer can make finding a photographer a little easier. Most wedding photography will fall into one of these 5 styles.

• Classic

When you choose a classic style the results are images that stand the test of time. Images are edited in a way that colors are true to life, include black and white images, carefully posed and meticulously planned out. Most often the photographer specializes in capturing ordinary moments in a beautiful and elegant way. This style tends to be a bit more formal but can always be given a modern twist.

• Artistic

If you want something that is more personal for you then an artistic style may be your ideal choice. These style of images tend to capture unique, special moments and tend to utilize a lot more of the space around the couple instead of just capturing the couple full frame and up close. If you are open and willing to have a bit of fun with your photographer you will be amazed by the results.

• Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a type of photojournalism photography with a bit of a twist. Most images will appear to be candid, and most often they are. This style is a mix of candid, natural shots and images with some direction and staging provided to get the perfect shot.

• Dramatic

While all styles will use different types of lighting, dramatic images make it a key component. This style will showcase a variety of different lighting techniques that the photographer has mastered to create truly breathtaking portraits.

• Documentary

If you are not into the traditional posing or styling of shots, then a documentary wedding photographer is probably one you will want to consider. The documentary style focuses on candid and spontaneous images that truly capture the entire essence of you wedding day.

In general, most photographers will specialize in one of these 5 areas, but are also capable of doing a mixture of different styles. It is best to let your photographer know which style you prefer most and ask if that is a style they enjoy shooting.

Are you recently engaged? I would love to talk with you about your wedding day plans! Please send me a note and I’ll be in touch soon!