Wedding photography has come a long way. While wedding photos once revolved around staged shots where the photographer took on the role of director, we’re now seeing a preference for more natural imagery. Alongside this, many couples of today want their wedding photography to tell the story of the big day, which is how we arrived at the trend of documentary-style photography. In this article, we explore the trend of documentary-style wedding photography. Where has it come from? Why does it work? And most importantly, what does the future hold?
What Documentary-Style Photography Actually Means
Documentary-style photography is where the photographer acts as an observer, capturing natural shots of the day without guests even noticing. The end result is more candid imagery that showcases the day as it naturally unfolds.
By contrast, traditional wedding photographers interfere with the day by asking guests to gather in certain positions, pose in a certain way and so on. While these shots are high quality and professional, the main criticism is that they are somewhat artificial, possibly even overly disruptive.
Why Modern Couples Prefer Authenticity
The trend for documentary-style photography has been driven by the times. The social media-obsessed nature of society demands that big events are documented, and it doesn’t get bigger than your wedding day. But the battle for attention is fierce, and traditional photography doesn’t always cut through the noise of modern-day social media. That’s where documentary-style photography comes in.
Many couples are now ensuring their wedding photography is on trend with current social trends, where there is a preference for natural, even unpolished content. Documentary-style photography that tells a story is perfect for this and often throws up truly unique shots, unlike traditional photography. It also lends itself perfectly to platforms like TikTok where there is a tendency to share more genuine content over filtered imagery.
The Emotional Power of Unscripted Moments
The most crucial aspect of documentary-style coverage is having a photographer who seamlessly blends into the background. This allows you and your guests to go about their day as normal without worrying about the camera being on them. That’s why it’s important to hire a photographer who has experience in capturing documentary-like shots before; you need an undercover agent rather than a director, and that’s a skill in itself!
Documentary Photography and Storytelling
The beauty of documentary-style photography lies in storytelling. Where traditional photos are a collection of individual images, documentary photographs act like a timeline of the day. One shot follows on from the previous, and the next adds another layer to the story.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a traditional shot here and there. Many photographers will choose to combine both approaches, offering both spontaneous shots and classic group shots, so couples get the best of both worlds.
Showcasing Wedding Photography
Once your big day has come and gone, your attention will probably turn to displaying your wedding pictures. Another great thing about documentary-style photography is that it offers more options when it comes to this.
Photo albums are the most common way to display your wedding day images, but many online platforms allow you to turn your albums into personalised coffee table books or even transform them into wallpaper for a feature wall.
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that there is a demand currently for authentic, emotional storytelling through photography. And the trend of capturing wedding day shots in a documentary style is the best example of this. Going forward, we can expect to see more of this, with couples preferring candid shots over staged photo opportunities. But as mentioned in this article, photography trends are dictated by social media trends, so newlyweds-to-be should also keep an eye on the social media world.
If you enjoyed this article, why not check out our article about turning wedding images into film-like stills