Looking for a Wedding Photographer? Trendy or Timeless?

In this next installment to the series: Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Looking for a Wedding Photographer, we’ll look at your style. Not the photographer’s style. But yours. Planning a wedding entails a lot of following current trends. The popular colors. The popular favors. The popular drink. Is the same true of your wedding photos?

You really need to ask yourself… do I want my wedding photos to look trendy or timeless in 20 years? It’s more than the content of the photos. Of course your dress will look so 2011… it’s strapless, isn’t it? This is about the style of the photography.

Group Photos

Here’s a classic example where trends are seen. Below is a traditional photo taken by Hudson Valley Wedding Photographer Rose Schaller.

Image by Rose Schaller Photo

It’s a gorgeous photo. Well lit. You can clearly see every member of the wedding party. But, the photo below is what you’d likely see in a popular wedding blog:

Image by Rose Schaller Photo

Same photographer. Same wedding party. Same location. Awesome fun.

The Portrait

Rose was kind enough to also provide an example of a traditional wedding portrait.

Image by Rose Schaller Photo

Note the well lit faces of the bride and groom. And the fact that the entire scene is in focus.

Here is an example of a more on-trend wedding portrait from Tampa Bay wedding photographer Booray Perry:

Super fun! Notice the colors are a bit muted. This is a different look, more artsy than realistic. And this is when you have to think about your style.

Do you want props?

The guy look

A day at the races

What’s Your Style?

So, again, this is when you need to ask yourself “How do I want to view my photos in 20 years? Do I want artsy or realistic? Do I want action shots or candids?” This is not a matter of photojournalism versus traditional photography. The scenes above didn’t just happen. You want to look for a wedding photographer who works in the style of photography that matches your style. In the next post of the series we’ll delve a little deeper into the various styles and what they actually mean.