26 Aug 7 Styles of Wedding Photography
“If you don’t have it in photos, it didn’t happen!”
Capturing the all important moment when a couple is christened Mr. and Mrs. status and preserving the cherished day sits right up there in importance of the actual wedding itself. The first official kiss, the tears shed, the love shared in the instance — are all moments to be remembered for a long time. But we wouldn’t bank on the human memory to immortalise these all-important occasions, every couple needs photographs to hold the day dear in years after the human memory fails. Also, if one were to be shelling out my life’s savings for a wedding of (hopefully) a lifetime, best believe they should be able to get a lifetime’s worth out of it. We’re talking bragging rights, be it in the form of Instagram, Facebook shares or boasting about it everytime someone visits your love nest.
But like the languages of love, the options are aplenty in the arsenal of photography from cinematic tear-jerker Les Misérables style or vintage film Kim Kardashian Instagram feed style, a soon-to-be married couple has a tough choice to make.
Here, we ease the decision fatigue by breaking down the different styles and the pros who have it down pat.
1. Kinfolk Vibes
The world is Erich Mcvey’s (@erichmcvey) canvas and the tales of love of the couples he meets is his inspiration and the camera, his paintbrush. Mcvey is undeniably an artist whose photographs lean towards the spontaneous. His camera, guided by heart, picks up on the nuances that might easily go unnoticed — like the wrinkles at the corner of the mouth of the way that the lalang sway with the wind at the wedding venue. Shooting on medium format film cameras, his images are tinged with nostalgia in its romantic colour palette that lend its own life to the narrative of a wedding.
Think the pages of Tumblr or a well-curated Instagram feed — that’s exactly what you’re signing up for with Mcvey.
2. Emotional Close-Ups
There is something about the images Carol Kuntjoro (@carolkuntjoro) makes that will leave one wet-eyed months, perhaps even years after a wedding. Her heartfelt portraits, often rendered in black and white, tug relentlessly at the heartstrings — even if you weren’t in love, Kuntjoro’s images will have you wishing that you were or mentally photoshop-ing yourself into her photographs.
Less is often more is the ethos that grounds Kuntjoro’s repertoire of work. Minimal landscapes, but none the less breathtaking, paint the backdrop of her photographs. The couples and the honest moments shared between them take to the spotlight of the Bali-based photographer’s lens. If you’re one for ethereal portraits that capture earnest smiles and raw human emotion, Kuntjoro is the woman for the job.
3. Magazine-Worthy Portraitures
“I am inspired by the beauty of the moment, the subtlety of emotions and the vulnerability of humans,” writes Thierry Joubert on his online journal. A prominent name in the international wedding photography circuit, Joubert is a globe-trotting photographer who has been named amongst the top photographers in the world by Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
Joubert’s portfolio recalls the polished pages of a high-fashion magazine — thought-through thoroughly and executed to a fault. His photographs capture a couple in the best possible light, one might even be surprised they could look as good as they do in Joubert’s photographs. A man with an eye for details, his lens captures every glimmer of sequins, the delicate necklines of a wedding gown and the dapper touches to a groom’s outfit. As a couple is bound to look their best on the day of their wedding, Joubert is the man to immortalise the beauty — both in the superficial sense and the connection shared between two souls.
4. Destination Moodshots
Considering Diktat Photography, helmed by photography duo Diktat and Kadek, a picture speaks a thousand words is no timeworn idiom that serves little relevance to the real life. Photographers with a flair for story telling, each click of the shutter serves to tell an endearing tale. Beyond photographing a wedding from the perspective of a fly on the wall, the duo’s photographs divulge the nature of the relationship shared between couples and their friends and family.
These are the photographs that would put a smile on your face, recall the best memories and serve as a reminder to reconsider your imagined murder plan when your other half gets on your last nerve. The outdoors is the duo’s element — the awe-inspiring waterfalls, breath-taking mountainous landscape or essentially, elsewhere in the world that hold a special part in the hearts of the couple. The world is every couple’s oyster and love is what brings two together, as the photography duo poignantly illustrate in their photographs.
5. Clean & Minimalistic
Fine-art photographer Rui Vaz Franco’s (@love.is.my.favorite.color) take on love is optimistic, bright and full of promise. His images have a distinct, signature style underscored by a warm, inviting colour palette. Copious amounts of toothy grins that stretch from ear to ear and soul warming hugs will leave a smile on the face of anyone who chances upon his imagery — even if you were strangers to the couple photographed.
Franco inspires dreams of happy ever afters and gives couples just the extra bit of hope to make a commitment to forever. Weddings are meant to happy affairs and that is exactly what they are remembered as through his lens. No fancy filters or abstract emotions here — what you see is a best version of reality.
6. Bohemian Rustic
Think of a scene from any music video from The Lumineers — that is the soul of Joseph Willis’s photographs. There is a certain sense of timeworn romance evoked through his desaturated colour palette and the filter of soft sunshine. Splitting his time between Europe, Bali and Australia, his photographs have been published on the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, amongst other prominent publications in the wedding arena.
Perfect for the couple who is the star of their own romantic film– even if they look the part for only a day. Equally well-versed in moving images, he is a man who can do both. If you’re looking for a consistent look across all your wedding imagery, he will exceed expectations.
7. Natural Moments
When it comes to wedding photography, simplicity is underrated but this exactly where Indonesia-based photographer (@axioo) takes his to. His photographs happen just as naturally as two fall in love. No cringe-worthy, overly-produced images here — you’d see natural poses shot in natural light, no less. What accentuates his photographs are the marvellous locations from the Louvre in Paris to the Sakura leaves in Japan. In the photographs, everything falls into place almost like it was built for couples to capture their everlasting love.
These are the photographs that evoke a sense of timelessness, the kind when you look back upon years and years later and feel a sense of disbelief at just how fast time has passed by as the photographs look as new as any. With close to half a million followers on Instagram, there is no doubting Axioo’s popularity or proven talent.
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