Documentary vs. Editorial Wedding Photography: You Don’t Have to Choose

Wedding photography has become full of labels: documentary, editorial, fine art, candid. They can help you understand what a photographer is drawn to, but they don’t always tell you exactly how your wedding day will be photographed.

You might love the honesty and emotion of documentary photography but still want beautiful, intentional portraits. Or you might be drawn to an editorial look without wanting your entire wedding to feel like a photoshoot.

The good news? You don’t have to choose.

Documentary Is the Foundation of How I Photograph Weddings

My natural approach is documentary. I’m paying attention to what’s happening, how people are interacting, and the moments developing around me.

That might be your parents watching from across the room, your friends laughing together during cocktail hour, someone getting emotional during a toast, or the absolute chaos happening on the dance floor.

I want those moments as they are.

And choosing a photographer with a documentary approach doesn’t mean parts of your wedding won’t be photographed intentionally. Your details, family photos, portraits, ceremony, reception and everything in between are still part of the story.

Documentary describes how I see your wedding. It doesn’t limit what I photograph.

But Sometimes the Energy Calls for Something Different

There are moments when I’ll step in.

Maybe the light is incredible. The architecture gives us an opportunity to create something interesting. Your dress has movement that deserves to be photographed a certain way. Or maybe the two of you are giving me an energy that makes me think, we need to do something with this.

That’s when I might get a little more editorial.

I’ll direct you, adjust your positioning, play with movement or create a stronger composition. We might spend a few minutes making something that feels completely different from the candid photograph I took five minutes earlier.

Both can belong in the same gallery.

Photographers—and Weddings—Can Be Multifaceted

This is where photography labels can sometimes create the wrong expectation.

A documentary photographer doesn’t necessarily spend the entire wedding silently observing from across the room. An editorial photographer doesn’t necessarily spend eight hours posing everyone.

Most photographers are more multifaceted than one word can describe.

And weddings require that.

There are quiet moments and loud ones. Emotional moments and ridiculous ones. Parts of the day that should be left completely alone and others where a little direction makes all the difference.

I don’t want to force an editorial moment when the better photograph is the real one happening right in front of me. And I don’t want to miss an opportunity to create something beautiful simply because I consider myself a documentary photographer.

Your Wedding Doesn’t Have to Fit Into One Box

Ultimately, I want your photographs to feel like your wedding.

I want you to remember what the room looked like, but also who was in it. I want the portraits you’ll want to frame and the photographs you didn’t even realize I was taking. I want the big moments, the small ones and the things happening somewhere in between.

You don’t need your wedding photographer to be one thing.

Your wedding won’t be one thing either.

Planning a wedding in Palm Beach or South Florida? If you want photography that allows you to experience your wedding while still creating beautiful, intentional photographs along the way, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.