Photojournalistic vs. Traditional Photography

Who else would like to know the difference between photojournalistic and traditional style wedding photography?

There is a much confusion surrounding the different styles of wedding photography that professionals are shooting today. Most couples want the style and glamour that they see in magazines. They often don’t know exactly what that style is called and how a skilled photographer can make them look as good as the bride and groom in the latest trend-setting celebrity wedding. Other couples are looking for a more traditional style of wedding photography.

These are the two most common types of wedding photography; traditional and photojournalistic. While similar equipment is used in both, there are significant differences in technique and approach.

Traditional photographers concentrate most of their efforts on posed portraits, and rarely capture candid moments. The quality of traditional photography is usually judged by sharpness, lighting, correct skin tones, and the use of the background. Most traditional photos are instantly recognizable, as many poses are standard for all weddings.

The more glamorous, or modern style of photography is called Photojournalistic. It is also called documentary photography. While similarities exist between traditional and photojournalistic approaches, the main expectations of each style are very different. Traditional style is portrait oriented. Photojournalism is candid oriented. The photojournalist's goal is to take pictures while people are not aware they are being photographed. By blending with the crowd, a photojournalist is able to capture the action as it unfolds - the true emotions, the real expressions, the happiness and joy. Instead of the traditional formal portraits and posed photos, this approach produces a more intimate, artistic take on a wedding. Photos will reflect a fleeting, unposed moment that conveys the emotions of the day.

Photojournalism means to capture the real, true thing. Visual perception of an experienced photojournalist will add a unique charm to your pictures and you will end with up emotional and artistic photos capturing the very essence of your wedding day. The Album will resemble a storybook, rather than just be a series of posed portraits.

If you are a bride that loves wedding photojournalism, it is still a good idea to choose a photographer who recognizes the value of certain aspects of traditional photography and will work aspects of that style into their wide variety of shots. The photographer will gently coax a situation, and with a little guidance and interaction with their subject, get the shot that has the look and feel of a candid, photojournalistic shot, but the compositional beauty of a traditional one. A few familiar wedding poses, mixed in with the glamorous photojournalism, can also satisfy the desire for traditional portrait style poses that many people grew up with without taking away from the overall photojournalist style.