Photography Styles and How to Choose One for Your Wedding Day

Choosing a wedding photographer is a big deal! There are a few things you need to consider before picking someone to capture your big day, and style is one of them. There are so many wonderful photographers to choose from, and gorgeous photos come from every style out there. It’s all about your vision for your big day. Hopefully this post helps you to figure out which styles resonates with you and which one will tell your story the best.

August’s bridal portrait on top of Aspen Mountain

I’m going to go over different post-processing (editing) and shooting styles below. There are no right or wrong answers to this. It’s all about how a photographer works and how they like to process their images. I will also show with one of my own photos what some of these editing styles look like!

Types of editing styles include:

Dark and moody - this style is the more muted, dark, shadowy photos. Typically greens are muted down or not there at all, colors may be muted across the board, and there might be a cool or warm temperature to the photo. This is a super popular style that we’re seeing a lot more of in the photography community! Dark and moody photos often feel emotional and stoic.
Light and airy - this is on the complete other side of the spectrum. These photos are bright, often pastel, with light highlights and almost no shadows. This style doesn’t typically mute colors and frequently have pinkish or yellow tones in the photos with bright greens. Skies will be blown out, and the photos have a whimsical, almost fairy tale like feeling to them.
True to color - this is the most classic photography style. This style doesn’t rely on changing much in terms of tones, but instead processing to make sure light is balanced exactly as it was shot. Photos might be enhanced to make colors pop, but otherwise stay pretty true to straight out of camera.
Bold and vibrant - this branches off of the true to color style. Colors are not made dark or bright, but rather vibrant and colorful. These photos will be saturated and more contrast-y than true to color.
Light and moody - this is a blend of styles with heavier shadows without muting the colors. The photos feel deep and earthy without being really dark and shadowy. Highlights stay a little brighter rather faded, and colors tend pop just a bit.
Monochromatic or black and white - this isn’t as common with digital photography nowadays, but some photographers do solely shoot in black and white/monochromatic.

Different editing styles. This is by no means a strict guide, just a general idea of what different styles look like on one image. There are so many other factors to consider from lighting to composition to tones, it differs for every photographer and every image.
My typical processing/editing style is light and moody (bottom left).

Shooting styles:

Documentary, candid, or photojournalistic - this, as stated, is a more documentary approach to weddings. These photographers typically don’t want to do a lot of posing and instead will act as a fly on the wall on your wedding day. They do not interfere with any moments, and capture the day as it unfolds. While most photographers will tend to do this throughout your wedding day, this is a very specific style in which they photograph almost as if they were a reporter sent to document your day.
Fine art and editorial - these photographers are typically producing photos that end up in fashion magazines and wedding publications. There is a vogue look to the photos with specific styling, light, and backgrounds. The photos have a high-end luxurious feel to them. This style relies heavily on posing and more stoic and planned shots.
Traditional - as it says, this is the most traditional. A traditional wedding photographer will take all the expected photos, help pose everyone, and plan out shot lists. While it may not be all basic stand-here-and-smile poses, the photos will have a more classic look to them.
Lifestyle - this is photojournalistic photography redefined. The photographer will capture candid moments, but sometimes with the help of prompting moments, posing, directing, or moving clients in a way that produces natural moments. Lifestyle photographers search for candid moments but aren’t afraid of setting the scene to elevate the photo to their liking.

A lot of the time photographers don’t fit just in one of these categories. Some can be a blend of these styles, while some might specifically shoot in one way. Ask yourself which of these works best for you and your partner on your wedding day!

Darci and Chris in front of the Redstone Castle on their wedding day

My style

As I stated above, my editing/post-processing style falls into the light and moody category. I didn’t even know light and moody was a thing until a photographer of mine friend told me that this is my style. I was telling her, “You know I feel like I’m somewhere in between all of these!” Her reply was, “Well, duh, you’re light and moody.” Ever since then, I’ve felt like this describes my style very well.

My shooting style is lifestyle photography. I work with couples to see what works best for them and what expresses their love in the most authentic way. If my clients need help with posing, I give specific and direct instructions to pose them in flattering and beautiful ways. If my clients just want to have fun and play around then I prompt them into activities and poses that get them to have more fun in front of the camera. If they just want candids then I follow around like a fly on the wall, and I might sometimes prompt a moment if needed.

So there you have it! I am a lifestyle photographer with a light and moody style.