Documentary-style wedding photography is a unique style of wedding photography that gives couples the freedom to pose themselves, while the documentary-style wedding photographer shoots and creates a set of pictures that tell the story of the event.
Documentary-style wedding photography can be challenging for anyone. In this article, you will learn 10 best tips for shooting documentary-style wedding portraits as a wedding photographer.
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These tips, if properly obeyed, can help you capture and create brilliant documentary-style wedding portraits of your clients, even if you are not a professional wedding photographer. So, keep reading.
1. Try to understand your clients (the brides and grooms):
You must understand your clients if you want to capture stunning documentary-style wedding photos. Having high-quality photo-journalistic or documentary-style wedding portraits means you must record the moments as they unfold without posing or setting up anything or anyone.
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Thus, it is very crucial to communicate with the bride and groom to find out their expectations. Discuss with the couples to know what is important to them, some details of their relationship, their VIP guests, and to get a few other valuable intricate information.
This will help you scout for appropriate locations and plan the shots accordingly. You may also ask about their desired weather effects and photo temperature.
2. Be discreet:
As a documentary-style wedding photographer, it is important to blend in and not draw attention to yourself. Try to wear simple dresses and ensure your pieces of equipment are not desired to entice the guests.
Being discreet at the event can help you capture authentic moments. Furthermore, ensure you do not restrict yourself to a corner. Move to get the best shots of the bride and groom, and keep moving as you shoot.
3. Be patient and anticipate unexpected moments:
Wedding events are generally characterized by unpredictable moments. So you be patient and prepared to capture unique or special actions as they happen. Anticipate intricate moves involving the bride and groom and shoot as they happen.
Generally, this implies that you must stay focused throughout the wedding session if you want to capture extraordinary documentary or photojournalistic-style wedding pictures or portraits.
4. Be prepared for any lighting situation:
Additionally, prepare yourself for different lighting situations at the wedding. The wedding lights can mar or beautify your images. So, I suggest you have a variety of lenses and equipment.
As you start and dive deeper into wedding photojournalism, you will understand what lens and equipment are best for any particular lighting situation.
5. Use the right lens:
Generally, longer lenses are best for documentary-style wedding photography. With such a lens, you can capture the scene from a distance and keep people from noticing you.
Aside from longer lenses, you may use any other lens to capture the subjects. But I recommend using at least two different lenses to cover the event.
6. Look for intricate details:
As the wedding photographer, it is your job to create a compelling story. Thus, look for tiny details that may add or say something meaningful or unique about the wedding or the couple.
It may be the bride’s shoes or the groom’s glittering wristwatch. It might also be the wedding rings placed in a book waiting to be collected and worn or the groom trying to whisper a few words in the ears of his bride.
Pay attention and look for something your client will not expect to see but is capable of adding a unique touch and meaning to their final deliverables.
7. Tell a story with each shot:
The best documentary-style wedding portraits are those that tell stories or reveal the characters (personalities) of the bride, groom, and guests. So, ensure each shot you take adds something significant to the story you are creating about the couple.
Save yourself some unnecessary stress by capturing only the moments that can tell the story of your couple and their special day. To achieve maximum results, I advise you seek with the couple earlier to understand the kind of story they want about themselves on their wedding day.
8. Take advantage of natural light to create compelling portraits:
The beauty of documentary-style wedding portraits clicked with natural light cannot be compared to those captured with flash or artificial light settings.
Hence, try to avoid using flash as much as possible and use natural light, especially if the occasion is happening during the day. This will help you create more natural and flattering photojournalistic wedding portraits.
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9. Capture emotions:
Emotions are powerful and key in documentary-style photography. Try to capture the emotions of the couple, family, and guests to create a compelling story. I will suggest you place a little more emphasis on capturing the emotions and reactions of the bride.
10. Do not forget to retouch the portraits:
Finally, edit the documentary-style wedding portraits with professional editing tools before delivering them to the couple. Ensure the pictures still look natural and beautiful after retouching them.
What are some of your favorite tricks for taking beautiful documentary-style wedding portraits? You can tell us in the comment section below-