The Pro Photo Business Forum

By Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography

Everyone seems to be describing their wedding style as ‘photojournalistic.’ What does that mean? Wikipedia’s (condensed) definition of photojournalism is: “The collecting, editing, and presenting of material for publication that creates images in order to tell a story.” So what does that mean in the context of a wedding ceremony and reception? That’s the thing – a ‘photojournalistic style’ of wedding photography is open to interpretation.

I like to contrast a photojournalistic style with a formal style. If you look at wedding albums from 20 or 30 years ago, you’ll find that they are very similar – shots of the ceremony like the bride walking down the aisle, vows, rings, kiss, etc. Then formal shots of the bride and groom with their families, wedding party, etc. And finally some reception events like the first dance, cutting the cake, etc. Very predictable, very standard – that’s a formal style.

Photojournalism (or more specifically, GOOD photojournalism) requires more creativity and experience than the formal style. I believe that it means capturing real emotions and moments as opposed to “look at the camera and smile.” It means visualizing great images and getting into a position to capture a great image without interfering with the scene. When someone sits down and looks at the resulting album, they should feel like they are being led through the wedding day – that the images are telling them a story, not just recording events. This may be a good time to note why many professional photojournalist photographers feel superior to professional wedding photographers – “formal” wedding photography is not that hard if the wedding photographer is only going for a handful of “must-get” shots.

I also feel that the term ‘photojournalistic’ is overused. For instance, a photo of the bride putting on makeup can be extremely artistic, or it can look like it was taken by a 10-year old – either way, it can accurately be described as “photojournalistic.” The same applies with the common image of a pair of shoes on a chair/coffee table. Some are great, some are not so great. Either way, photojournalistic. So it’s not a magic word that automatically implies high quality.

What is MY style? It’s a mix of formal and photojournalistic. Those scripted shots of the ceremony, family, and reception are important – a lot of work has gone into making things just right, and these moments deserve to be captured and treasured. But these images alone do not tell the whole story – they don’t communicate the bride’s preparation (which is an event in itself!), the full emotions of the parents, the joy felt by all at the reception. That’s where photojournalism kicks in and the magic happens.

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Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography
Houston Wedding and Portrait Photographer