Editorial-style wedding photography can be challenging yet rewarding. Learn the secrets and best tips and ideas for editorial wedding photography and create stunning storytelling images.
While many wedding photographers prefer the traditional wedding photography style, infusing elements of fashion magazines into wedding photography can yield extraordinary wedding pictures.
However, this approach requires special techniques, equipment, and setup. In this comprehensive article, we will explore how to shoot editorial-style wedding photography. But first…
What is the major difference between editorial-style wedding photography and documentary-style wedding photography?
In short, editorial-style wedding photography involves heavy posing and styling, while documentary-style wedding photography involves less styling or poses and focuses on capturing natural moments at the event.
What is editorial-style wedding photography?
In simple terms, editorial-style wedding photography is a type of wedding photography that draws inspiration from fashion photography and magazine spreads. It is a style that is becoming increasingly popular as many people are looking for ways to make their wedding albums and galleries stand out with refined storytelling images.
Unlike the traditional approach, the goal of editorial-style wedding photographers is to create a cohesive and visually stunning narrative of the wedding day. This includes capturing every moment from the making and wearing of the wedding dresses, the arrival of guests, table setting, and scene decoration to the first dance and all the dramas.
Wedding photography, a genre of photography that focuses on capturing the special moments, emotions, and details of people on their wedding days, is a competitive but lucrative niche. The niche requires a great deal of skill, creativity, determination, and attention to detail alongside professional gear to produce stunning images of couples. Our Master guide has some helpful information to help you start.
Click Below to Read a Comprehensive Guide to Start Wedding Photography.
Creating magazine-like wedding images is no joke, as it involves a blend of creativity, storytelling, and technical skills. Keep in mind that editorial-style wedding photography also involves heavy posing and styling.
Hence, it does not appeal to many photographers as they often opt for documentary-style wedding photography, which focuses on candid and unposed moments. However, if you are interested in knowing how it works or how to capture vogue-like wedding pictures like the one below, then continue reading!
How do you shoot editorial-style wedding photography?
If you are interested in editorial wedding photography, here are some editorial-style wedding photography tips and ideas to help you get started:
1. Seek inspiration from editorial fashion photographers
The very first step in shooting editorial-style wedding photography is to understand what the style entails and what clients usually expect. As mentioned earlier, this wedding photography approach has its roots in editorial fashion photography.
Hence, start by drawing inspiration from editorial fashion photographers like Tim Walker and Steven Meisel or from editorial pictures in fashion magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Instyle, Elle, Marie Claire, Allure, Essence, and W.
They can help you get ideas on the best poses, outfits, and locations for editorial wedding sessions. You can also learn how to set up your lighting equipment and capture stunning images from these sources.
2. Communicate with your clients before the wedding day
The next step is to have a pre-shoot consultation with your clients and discuss their visions and preferences for the photos. During the pre-shoot session, make sure you ask a lot of questions about their desired locations and if there are specific shots they’d like you to capture in the editorial style.
Additionally, don’t forget to ask about the theme of the wedding and what message or story they want their wedding photographs to tell. You can also ask to know if they would like the pictures delivered as digital prints or in an album.
Engaging in pre-shoot consultation with the couples beforehand will help you know how to plan the wedding coverage.
3. Create a mood board
Once you have determined your client’s desired story, creating a mood board will help ensure everyone involved in the project is on the same page in terms of aesthetics and visual direction.
A mood board is like a collage of pictures, colors, and things that show the mood or story you want for a project. It helps you and everyone else involved to understand how you want the wedding pictures to look and feel before you shoot them.
4. Find a suitable location
Ultimately, the best location for editorial wedding photography would depend on your subject’s theme and the mood or story they want the pictures to convey or tell.
Both indoor and outdoor settings are great locations for editorial-style marriage photography. However, keep in mind that some shoots will require a well-lit studio or room with solid backdrops. While a few others may require open locations with or without beautiful natural backdrops.
Therefore, it is essential to learn how to set up lighting for portrait photography if you want to capture well-exposed images in different locations.
5. Get the right gear
Once you have determined the story and found suitable locations, choose appropriate camera bodies, lenses, lighting equipment, and every other tool for the shooting.
Regarding what camera to use, the Nikon Z9 is a great choice for fashion and wedding photography. It has several advanced features, like the EXPEED 7, which makes it 10x faster than previous models. It has also won several competitive awards, like the EISA Camera of the Year (2022-2023) Award.
Nonetheless, you can use any high-resolution camera with good body designs for the session. In terms of lenses, both prime and telephoto lenses are ideal for editorial-style wedding photography. They enable you to capture high-quality editorial images from various angles.
You can learn more about lenses for wedding photography in the article below:
A Wedding Photography Lenses Guide. When To Use Which Lens?
6. Focus on the story
Editorial photography is all about storytelling, capturing images that can accompany an article in a publication. It is driven by emotion and energy, light, and the surrounding environment, says Taylor, an editorial wedding photographer.
Therefore, we encourage you to focus on the wedding story and capture magazine-worthy images. Pay meticulous attention and capture details such as the wedding attire, decor, accessories, and other elements that contribute to the overall aesthetic of the wedding.
7. Pose your subjects
To capture the perfect shot for wedding photography, it’s important to guide your subject through the process.
The editorial shooting approach involves heavy posing and styling, so experimenting with different poses, angles, and composition rules can help you achieve the best results.
Pay attention to your subject’s body language and focus on capturing their emotions and love story. Don’t forget to take close-up shots to add variety to your shots.
8. Work on your camera settings
To capture the best editorial-style wedding pictures, it’s important to adjust your camera settings right.
The best setting would depend on the location and the desired pictures. Therefore, it’s essential to understand camera basics if you want to capture the best shots.
In short
Remember, editorial-style wedding photography is about capturing moments artistically and creatively. So be adaptable, attentive, and open to the unexpected moments that make each wedding unique. Ensure you capture images that not only reflect the beauty of the day but also tell a captivating visual story about the couple.