Documentary Wedding Photography: it’s the style you need if…

October 5, 2018

I believe that on their wedding day, the couple should not do anything for the sole purpose of the photos. Or anything for me. I am the one that has to do something , for them and their story. I have to witness and record.

All they have to do is live their love and the day. Let their emotions flow, talk naturally and interact naturally, live for one another at the highest in this special day. My duty and privilege is to capture all those real moments into images. And is this belief and vision I live by is what documentary wedding photography can do.

Documentary wedding photography | Wedding photojournalist

If you found me from following one of my photos or from here you’ll take a look at the Wedding Stories I post, you’ll understand the visual representation of my philosophy and this photojournalistic style. Context is everything, and every wedding day has more than one perfect frame, it has a story and I don’t have to choose different photos for a Portfolio, I put there, on my pages and in the couple’s hands, the whole story. And every couple has one, you’ll see, written in words inspired by the photography.

Wedding photography – documentary style (moment caught during the religious ceremony)

This is wedding photojournalism: candid moments, real feelings and tears, a witness perspective, intruder look, close up and personal to the moment, even if the eyes in the photo are not looking at the camera. And so the story unfolds and I’m there with you for every moment framed as natural and heartfelt, to make the story last.

Wedding photography – documentary style (moment caught during the wedding party)

Advantages: You’ll always find your true selves in the truth of the images that give form to the day and to the life you live. For yourselves, with only love and no directed poses and no masks that look uncomfortable on you. The documentary photography makes the line of a story go further with every new frame and bring again the feeling of the day for those looking at them.

The images are taken quickly, with a moment’s inspiration and perfect synchronization and for that you need experience. Serendipity and a little sense of the future moment, a good knowledge of the location and of the couple, to anticipate and prepare the best positioning, without being intrusive. Because the photos are taken using natural light and flash light, so the photographer works with that too.

Documentary wedding photography – it’s the style for you if…

…you expect originality and natural feel – because the photos in this style insert the subject into context. The frame and the details matter for the story. And in the Wedding Stories section on my website you’ll see photo reportages, not selections. This style documents the day, as if from a secret angle, always surprizing and emotional.

… you love the cinematic look – like in most movies where the characters interact with each other and ignore the camera, in my documentary photography the subject lives the moment and all I do is capture it and frame it into the best light.

…you can trust – from the first interaction and talk, usually we can create a connection. You have expectations after reading my words and seeing my Portfolio.And you feel you can resonate with my style. One of the most important steps for me before a wedding day is to know the story you share. The wedding photography will become much more personal, delicate and intimate, intuitive and you can trust that I’ll be there to capture the moments and people that matter to you and make your story justice.

…you live, but don’t pose – I love happiness tears, ear to ear smiles, the emotion in the bride before the groom arrives, the look in the father’s eyes and the tears of the mother, the hugs, the silence encompassing the couple when they meet finally…Moments when even the most aware and present couples loose themselves and the world is just them and their love.

…you have your own style – If you don’t want to remember, some years from that day, poses and images imagined by the photographer, distant from your own feelings and sense of comfort, then my photography style is the one for you. You’ll be you, then, there, unfiltered and present in the day and you’ll recognize yourself in pictures years and years from now, the same reality as if looking into a mirror.

…you have a world of your own – For those living an intimate and fierce love story that separates them from the reality the others live, this style is the one. Unobtrusive, but ready to capture things and details you could otherwise miss, lost in each other and the feel of the day. Unexpected moments and reaction to add context to the story. You’ll only have eyes for each other, but the album will grow and happen in frames only made to describe the perfect day, your day.

…you are camera shy – I love to work with couples who don’t pose for the camera. If you are shy or you always told yourself the camera is not your friend, then I can help you in…you can forget I am there. Feel the moment, I’ll be in the shadows. Share the feelings you have only with each other and I’ll be there, quietly and discreetly capturing them on camera.

…if you envision your wedding in a certain way – And the image you have doesn’t include a photographer all over the place, stopping guests and arranging them for picture or taking them or you here and there. All just so the images he/she wants to take will be present in the album.

…you want to see the people, not the masks – And I say this because there are some who can find the reality of documentary photography to…impactful. And they chose a style that can mask moments of a greater degree of candour and intimacy.

People change when they pose for the camera. It’s common. Personally, I thing a wedding should be about the love, the story and the couple. Love, sincerity, emotions, all words to be integrated with friends and fun and captured with a documentary style. Because if they are photographed the way they are and they are felt, and not rehearsed or posed, then the future will hold a part of the feelings involved in that day and will be able to move souls forever.

…you communicate, even if you don’t act – Not one part of the things I described above means a photographer using one style is better than the other. And all of them can take pictures in all the styles described. If you’ll trust me with your story and your wedding day, it does not mean you’ll have no classic portrait with the family or none of the contemporary group photos. And the fashion style we can discover together in an After wedding photo session or a Love story.

The style of a wedding photographer is what he most shoots and his zone of comfort. To that, we can communicate and get to the list of things or the general principles of the things you want and don’t want. Communication is essential to the couple-wedding photographer relationship. And if we start with this wish list, then the story will have the best of all the photography worlds and styles.

Documentary wedding photography – how appreciated is it?

It’s a style inspired, as the name suggests, by the media and storytelling. But that does not mean it’s cold or distant or distorts things. It means that the wedding photographer’s intervention is minimum and all the moments, faces, feelings and happenings are real, in context and often frame after frame they tell a true story about true people feeling true happiness in their special day.

A recent study on a bride forum asks the question: What kind og photography would you prefer?

The results show that realistic photography or documentary style is preferred by 61,62% of respondents. And the staged, stylised ones (fashion style) by only 38,38%.

To give this article a closing, and in hope it can give some direction and useful information, I recommend you ask yourself a few questions to decide if the documentary wedding photography style is for you, and answer sincerely:
– What do I want from my wedding photography
– Do I want to see the reality of the day or an interpreted version
– Can I trust that 10 years of experience will provide quality for me
– Do I wish for a story or individual lovely

-Is Andrei worth 5 minutes for a conversation about my story and how he can help?