What are the styles of wedding photography, and what does documentary mean?

The short answer

Most wedding photography falls into a few styles: documentary, traditional, fine art and editorial. Many photographers blend them. Documentary is the one that watches what really happens and photographs it as it happens, without staging it.

Documentary is how we work. We photograph and film in a calm, unscripted way, with a short portrait walk and gentle direction only when it helps. The rest of this guide explains each style so you can choose the one that feels like you.

Documentary: what really happens

A documentary photograph is a moment nobody arranged: a parent wiping away a tear, a child running down the aisle, friends laughing at the speeches. The photographer’s job is to notice and be in the right place, rather than to direct.

This is how we work. We watch what is really happening rather than staging it, and we give gentle direction only when it helps. It suits couples who want the day to feel like theirs when they look back.

Traditional and classic

Traditional photography is posed and planned: formal groups, a structured list and portraits arranged to a classic pattern. It is reliable and familiar, and many families treasure the formal groups most.

Even a documentary day usually includes some. We take group photographs from a list you write, and our guide to how long wedding group photographs take explains why around 15 groups, taking about 20 minutes, is a comfortable number.

Fine art and editorial

Fine art and editorial styles are more directed. The photographer shapes the light, the setting and the pose, often spending longer with the couple, to create images with the look of a magazine page or a painting.

We take a lighter version of this in the portrait walk, which is about 15 minutes with photography and film together. Direction is gentle and only when it helps, with no stiff poses. If the evening light suits, there is an optional second walk, and it fits inside your booked hours at no extra cost.

Style is also about editing

Two photographers can photograph the same moment and deliver very different galleries, because editing decides the colour, contrast and mood. Some editing looks light and airy, some dark and moody, some warm and natural.

Everything is edited in-house to one shared look, so a complete gallery feels consistent from the first photograph to the last. A gallery holds 600 to 800+ photographs, with no hard cap, and you receive sneak peeks first.

Film has styles too

Wedding films also come in more than one style. Our highlight film is a 7 to 10 minute cinematic retelling of your day from start to finish, with speech audio, vows and laughter. Our documentary film is typically 40+ minutes, with the full ceremony and speeches in order.

Our guide to highlight and documentary films explains the difference, and you can watch two of our highlight films further down this page.

How to choose a style

Look at complete galleries rather than only favourite photographs, because a full gallery shows how a photographer handles every part of the day. Notice whether the pictures feel calm and natural, and whether they look like the day you want.

If being photographed makes you nervous, a documentary approach is often the most comfortable, and our guide to what to do if you hate having your photo taken goes further. When you are ready, send an enquiry with your date and venue and we will reply within a few hours.

Questions couples ask