So… you got engaged (huge congrats!) and you are planning your wedding. You’ve booked your venue – first things first. The next thing you are likely looking at is booking your photographer. At least I’m hoping that you are. But where do you even start? Hitched? Instagram? Google? Chat GPT (for those of you who are tech savvy and have embraced AI)? Ask friends and family? Go to a wedding show?

The choice seems endless. There are over 1,000 wedding photographers in London alone and around 12,000 in the country. And what style? Editorial? Documentary? What do these words even mean?

Let me simplify it for you.

I like to divide wedding photography in two categories for simplicity – observational and directional. Observational photographers document what is happening without interfering. Fellow colleagues from the second category – directional, get involved more with directing the scene and setting things up. 

Observational photographers are often referred to as documentary, reportage, natural, candid. Directional photographers are often referred to as editorial. Traditional wedding photography is considered to be more directional than observational, for example.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to photography approaches and styles. The variety of photographers and their styles is huge, and the choice – sometimes overwhelming.

I’ll try to explain the documentary approach and the alternatives, so you can make an informed decision about your wedding photography without second-guessing yourself.

Documentary has become a buzz-word that, in my opinion, is ever so slightly overused these days. And probably not in a malicious way but more so because there are nuances or shades of documentary wedding photography and the term itself seems to be understood differently within the industry.

What Actually Matters to You?

I started photographing weddings because I decided there wasn’t anything more meaningful to photograph than what most people describe as the best day of their lives. So when you are looking for a wedding photographer there is one question to ask yourself which will point you in the right direction – what actually matters to you?

Do you love glam, elegant portraits or do you prefer natural images that feel like you? Do you want a cookie-cutter set of photos, or do you want a gallery you can relive the day through? Do you want to spend (sometimes) hours in lining up people for endless group photos or do you want them done in 15 minutes so you can go back to enjoying your day? Do you want a day about the photos or photos about the day?

You get where I’m going with this. The answers to those questions will very quickly determine what’s the right style of photography for you. When you are thinking about those, remember that your day is about you. It’s not about the parents, siblings or anybody else. It’s all about what matters to you as a couple, what you value and what you want from your wedding day.

To some their wedding is all about creating beautiful, glamorous and elegant portraits and they’ll spend a good chunk of the day involved in those. To others, it’s all about celebrating their love and relationship with their nearest and dearest, without turning the day into a photoshoot. There is no right or wrong. It’s about what feels right for you.

Enjoying Your Day VS Waiting for Permission

Documentary is definitely the style for those who want to truly enjoy their day. And don’t get me wrong. The fact that you don’t want to turn your day into a photoshoot doesn’t mean you won’t have great photos. Paradoxically, the less you worry about the photos, the better they turn out.

Documentary photographers won’t expect you to perform. You can simply be yourself and invest all your energy into enjoying the day and being present, without being asked to do something or be somewhere all the time.

Weddings are the best kind of celebrations and even though most follow a similar plan or schedule, they are always different and unique. I’m biased, I know, but this is exactly why I think documentary photography is fantastic for weddings. No shot list in mind means you are open to capturing whatever is infront of you, allowing you to focus on telling the story of the wedding as it happened, and not as it was pre-told in your mind as a photographer.

The alternative to all of this is that you wait for permission to have a breather before the next set of posed photographs. When too much direction is given from either a photographer or a videographer what happens is people naturally look at them thinking or even saying “what’s next?” – heartbreaking from the perspective of a documentary photographer.

Real Beats Perfect, Every Time

I don’t like the word perfect. I think it’s an imaginary concept. It induces stress and a false sense of incompleteness with everything you attach it to. 

Weddings are never perfect. The quicker you stop chasing perfection, the quicker that huge relief is going to hit you. Real beats perfect, every time. And true documentary photography reflects that. You will be able to relive your wedding how it felt – true, authentic, real to what it was like.

Documentary photography isn’t about perfect photos either. It’s about the story, emotion, feeling, connection. It’s about the moment. It’s the kind of photos that are in your family albums. The ones you just never lose interest in and love flicking through. It’s always the photos that aren’t staged, forced, posed. The natural photos.

Afraid of Awkwardness?

Unless you are a model you probably aren’t used to being photographed. You don’t like posing. You aren’t good with photos – I mean, who is, right?! I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a couple that has said to me – we are great in front of the camera and we love having our photo taken. It’s seldom the case.

The documentary approach works great to defeat awkwardness. Awkwardness often comes from not knowing what to do, or feeling like you’re not doing the right thing, in this case in front of the camera. Documentary photographers simply don’t need you to do anything. You don’t need to perform. There is no need to look at the camera. In fact the one simple thing you need to do is to forget about the camera. Trust the process.

What’s My Approach?

Even if you aren’t a numbers’ person, this will make sense. My approach is 95% documentary, and 5% non-documentary. And the 5% that is non-documentary isn’t necessarily overly directed either. 

From the start until the end of the day I capture events as they unfold – I don’t set up or stage anything. I always look out for moments – heartfelt hugs, belly laughs, happy tears, connection, affection, comedy. In true reportage fashion, I don’t interfere with things. I observe and capture. I love getting creative with it too. I look out for interesting ways to capture each moment. And I love colour. Weddings to me mean celebration, fun, energy, vibrance. To some, weddings might mean romance, elegance, muted colours. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to wedding photography.

The 5% I mentioned earlier.

Group photos? Absolutely, only if you want any of those. They aren’t a must on my shotlist, because I have no shotlist. I do these as quickly and as stress-free as possible, taking no longer than 10-15 minutes.

Couple time portraits? I love these! It gives you a breather from the fast-paced day and I capture you naturally, as you are. I might ask you to have a moment in a certain place if it looks awesome and if you want to get funky and experiment with some cool photo ideas – I’ve also got plenty of those. And you’ll be back in 10 – 15 minutes to continue enjoying your day.

I’m not a volume shooter either. I don’t shoot more than 30 weddings a year. I love investing time in my couples, getting to know them and I try to meet each and every couple in person before their wedding, so they feel more comfortable around me on the day.

How Does This Help You?

If by now you have a better idea about what documentary photography actually is and whether it’s the right choice for your wedding photography, I’ll consider that a win.

It all comes down to what actually matters to you. Whatever photography style you decide to go with, make sure you choose a photographer who gets you and you’ll feel comfortable around on the day.

In a nutshell, most documentary photographers –

• Won’t set up or stage things during your day
• Won’t ask you to pose or look at the camera
• Will capture the day as it unfolds
• Will focus on telling the story of your day
• Won’t boss you or your guests around
• Still do group photos
• Still do couple portraits

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you found this article helpful in some way. I enjoy writing as much as I enjoy food. And it’s all hand-crafted.

OR… let’s get to know each other