Everything You Need to Know About Documentary Style Wedding Photography
Your wedding is an incredibly special day in your lives together and you want to make sure that the photos that you get are ones that you are going to love looking back on for years to come. A major part of making sure you get photos you love is picking a photography style that matches what you are looking for.
As a wedding photographer myself, I understand that these aren’t just any photos. You want something that looks amazing, but you also want to enjoy your wedding day without spending all your time taking photos.
That is where documentary style wedding photography comes in. This is the perfect style for couples who really want to enjoy their day and have photos that really capture what it was like to be there in that moment.
So, if this sounds like exactly what you and your partner are looking for, let’s dive into all of the details about documentary style wedding photography.
What is Documentary Style Wedding Photography?
Now, before we talk about if this is actually the right style for you, let’s break down what documentary style photography actually is. If you haven’t guessed by the name, this style of photography is really focused on capturing the day as it naturally unfolds.
With this style, I’m not going to give you a ton of direction or posing. Some documentary style wedding photographers may not even do posed photos at all (but we will talk about that later).
Instead, I am more like a fly on the wall, blending into the background and letting you just enjoy the day, have all of the emotions, smile, cry, and dance all while documenting all of these little moments for you.
The real focus of documentary style wedding photography is not constantly stepping in or manipulating what happens. The best smiles, the best moments, and the best photos happen when you are being present in the moment and soaking in all of the amazing things going on around you. That right there is exactly what this style aims to capture.
Who is it Right For?
Okay, so we know a bit about what this style actually is now, but who is it right for? After all, not every style is going to be a fit for every couple so how do you know if this is what you and your partner want?
Well, there are two big questions that you can ask yourself to help decide if this is the right style for you. First, what do you want your final wedding gallery to look like?
Like I said earlier, these are the photos that you are going to be looking back on for years to come so you want to think about how you want to remember your day. Do you want those cinematic and more editorial portraits for your entire gallery or do you want something that feels a bit more representative of everything that happened throughout the day?
Now, I do want to clarify one thing: photography style and editing style are two different things. You can have documentary photographers who have a really bold and colorful editing style and others that have more of a muted or classic editing style. What you want to think about here is the actual photos themselves and what you want to see in them.
The second question you can ask yourself is what do you want your actual wedding day to be like? Do you want to be involved in every part of it, like maybe actually getting to go to your cocktail hour, or are you okay with missing out on some parts to spend more time taking photos?
The great thing about documentary style is that for most couples, this means being able to enjoy more parts of your wedding day. Since you aren’t focused on getting a ton of those more posed couples portraits, you get to spend that time with your friends and family instead, celebrating this new chapter you are taking on together.
Again, there is no right or wrong answer to this. Your wedding day is about you and you get to decide how you spend it.
Can I Still Get Posed Pictures with Documentary Style?
One question that you may have as you read through this is “Can I still get some posed pictures?” This is a great question and one that you should absolutely ask your photographer as you are finding the perfect fit.
But, in general, you may find that most documentary style wedding photographers will still do some posed photos for you throughout the day, but they are most likely going to be way more minimal than something like an editorial style photographer would do.
For example, with my couples, I talk with them before their wedding day to decide what they want to do and we base our portraits on that. We can do as many or as few as they want to make sure they have all of the photos they want to see in their gallery, but there is also still a big focus on documenting and telling the story of the day.
You may also find that a lot of these portraits can actually be done before your ceremony actually happens. If you are doing a first look before you walk down the aisle, we can actually do all of your posed portraits before the wedding so that one you have officially tied the knot, you can just focus on celebrating with your friends and family for the rest of the night!
When it comes to my personal style, I love doing a mix of documentary style and posed. This means that we can spend as much or as little time doing posed photos as you want. They also don’t always have to be at the same time.
I know oftentimes couples feel like they have to miss out on the entire cocktail hour to take portraits, but we can totally split these up into smaller bursts throughout the day. Plus, it gives us a chance to still get a few big, beautiful cinematic portraits!
This way, you still get all of the amazing photos that you want, but you are also able to enjoy all of the little details for the wedding that you have been planning for months.
How Do I Get the Best Documentary Wedding Photos?
If you do think this is the right style for you, I have one major tip for making sure that you get the best documentary style wedding photography: just relax and have fun.
Your wedding day is most likely going to be a bit stressful (no matter how hard you try), but, the best moments and the best photos come when you just take a breath, let loose, and really focus on being in the moment.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime day and you should be able to enjoy every moment of it and have fun. If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, that can start to come through in the photos so, as much as you can, just take a step back, remember that this day is all about you and is to celebrate your love, and just enjoy every moment.
I promise, the photos you are going to love the most are the ones where you are just being yourself and being present.
Final Thoughts on Documentary Style Wedding Photos
So, hopefully, this gives you a better idea of what documentary style wedding photography is and if it is the right fit for you and your partner. At the end of the day, you want wedding photos that you can look back on and smile at. Ones that spark memories and bring up emotions that make you feel like you are right back in that moment.
Documentary style wedding photos can do just that and give you a day that you can truly enjoy and be present in.
Now all you need is the perfect photographer to capture these moments for you. If you are still looking for that person, I would love to chat with you. Telling the story of your wedding day is one of the best things about being a photographer and I would love to be a part of telling yours. You can click here to learn more about my wedding photography experience or you can head over here to get in touch and start planning out your perfect wedding day!
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