Why Does Documentary Wedding Photography Matter a Lot?

Photography has long been the visual medium for documenting our lives. The advent of the digital camera and the integration of the camera into our mobile phone has completely changed the landscape of how we use photography and our relationship with photography. The question arises that “if we all have cameras, then do we need a professional wedding photographer, especially a documentary wedding photographer in Michigan? Why not assign a selection of family and friends to capture the event as it unfolds? Or why not, at least, just hire someone from Craigslist or find someone from the local community college who is studying photography? Surely, that would be the cheapest way to go!

The old adage: “You get what you paid for” is a truism to be heeded. The difference is truly in the skill level, the experience level, and the degree of passion the photographer possesses. Clearly, in a close examination of the artistic and technical fortitude between the novice, less experienced, less passionate photographer compared to the experienced and passionate professional is immense. Do you want masterful, powerful, thorough images that capture the essence of the day, tell the story of your wedding, highlight memorable and truthful imagery of your ceremony and reception, and capture the love you share with your partner and your family and friends? Or will you be happy with, at best, a collection of photographs that lack the skill level of a professional and are mostly bland, lack passion, emotion and creativity? In fact, a lot of professional wedding photographers will tell you that they provide documentary coverage.  

Here lies yet another consideration: there is a difference between those photographers who include “some” documentary coverage, and those photographers who make it their complete focus for the day! Maybe it’s not important to have your wedding photographed by a specialist in documentary wedding photography.  If so, at least look for a professional whose style you love, who has a proven history of photographing weddings and has many happy clients in his/her portfolio.  But if your desire is for truly unobtrusive, authentic, creative, truthful and unsurpassed excellence from a documentary wedding photographer, find one who specializes in this approach and does so with passion!

Why Choosing Documentary Style Of Wedding Photography Makes Sense –

There are a handful of photography styles to choose from when considering who to commission as your professional wedding photographer. You can hire a Michigan wedding photographer who is a “jack of all trades” so to speak and provides a variety of styles in his approach:  classic, candid and artistic portraiture throughout the day. The wedding photojournalist, however, concentrates specifically on documentary coverage from the moment he/she arrives until the moment he/she leaves at the end of the evening. The one photographer focuses on making sure his photographs are posed correctly, staged to enhance his artistic interpretation, and technically sound.  The documentary photographer is mostly concerned with letting the true story unfold naturally. Depending on his skill level, to find angles and the best light to capture images without interfering or re-interpreting. Here are some of the best reasons you should understand when hiring a documentary wedding photographer in Michigan:

Minimal Disruptive –

Sometimes a wedding photographer in Michigan will take over a bit! You may find yourself waiting a long time for them to get set up and take the perfect shot. They are re-creating a moment that happened, or inventing and creating a stylized portrait.  To do so, they often need extra assistants and carry extra lighting equipment every where they go. It’s the bride, groom, wedding party and guests who must be patient and endure the photographer’s requirement to take the time for setting up. A documentary photographer is very much the opposite. The documentary photographer is always proactive, prepared and in the background of the scene, using his skill and creativity to capture the moment in a way that is usually unnoticeable and unobtrusive to you and your guests.  

Natural –

When a photograph is made that was staged, you will always know this when you look back and reminisce.  You won’t have any real or emotional memory attached with these photographs. However, a documentary photograph that is truthful to the real moment captured evokes emotions and is powerful! When you view or share these images in the future, the essence of the moment is preserved.  You will have no choice but to re-live and feel the emotions you felt whenever you see the cherished image.

Realistic –

Though a wedding is a expensive, detailed and elaborate, there is a lot involved in making it happen.  Months and months of planning and multiple family and friends are involved! With commissioning a Michigan documentary wedding photographer, you will ensure that all the important moments are captured, imagery that includes your loved ones as they are, and all the details that you dreamt prior to the wedding, now captured in reality. No matter whether it’s big or small event, all the behind the scenes moments and people that make it an unforgettable day will be remembered and cherished forever because your documentary photographer understands, like no other, how to document your day through photographs!

Conclusion –

It’s obvious that a wedding day is filled with stories – stories about the love you share with family, friends and someone special. Ray Anthony Photography will create a collection of documentary style photographs that capture the stories of your love, affection, emotion for your family, friends each time you look at them. Consider hiring a Michigan documentary wedding photographer at Ray Anthony Photography and be sure of commissioning Ray or one of his associates who all share a love and passion for documentary wedding photography!

To schedule an appointment with one of our documentary wedding photographers in Michigan, feel free to contact us over the phone or through Skype or Facetime!

Documentary Wedding Photography

Your wedding will be one of the most special moments in your life. You’ve possibly replayed it in your mind up to a thousand times – the glittering wedding dress, the attention to detail, the delicious fragrance of food, the excitement of your family and friends, the music on the dance floor, the gorgeous reception venue and ceremony location, and the excellent photography to capture the memories of the day!

It goes without saying, how important wedding photography is. These days, with the “art” of wedding photography being at its pinnacle in the history of photography due to the digital camera, you will have a choice to make as you consider the various styles that wedding photographers offer. Do you want classic wedding photography that is mostly posed and recreated? Or do you prefer more authentic photos that are documentary in style where the photographer blends into the background with your guests? Gone are the days when wedding photographer is so conservative that he literally counts the number of “clicks” on his camera for fear of running out of film! Because of this limitation, wedding photographers before the digital era were mostly portrait in style. In modern times, wedding photographers can go to the opposite extreme! Because they don’t worry anymore about running out of film, they almost mindlessly photograph anything and everything, hoping for a few good images! The best of the best, however, shoot with a high degree of precision and care, and deliver one amazing photograph after the next! This is where documentary or reportage wedding photography comes into the limelight!

  

What Is Reportage Wedding Photography: -

Reportage or photojournalistic wedding photography is discreet, unobtrusive and candid. It’s particularly suited for couples who want the authentic emotion and feeling of the special wedding day captured on camera. In short and simple words, the documentary wedding photographer will photograph the wedding day as it unfolds naturally with little to no intervention.

Things To Know About Reportage Wedding Photography -

• Upon choosing a boutique wedding photographer in Birmingham, it is important to understand how he/she goes about finding documentary photographs during the wedding day. Their approach is to begin early in the day so that you can get used to having a photographer in the room with you. At first it may feel strange, but you will quickly “tune” them out of your mind as you are distracted by the excitement of the day and your family and friends. When this happens, your documentary photographer will capture natural photographs of your once-in-a-lifetime wedding day.
• The important challenge within documentary wedding photography includes capturing the little events – all the things often go unnoticed or are left out by other styles of photography. It’s a shame because its these photographs that show the real enchantment of a wedding day. If you want spontaneous and natural photos, then commissioning a photographer who specializes in a documentary approach is essential.
• Reportage style photographs work very well in black and white – no doubt the timeless look will surely compliment captured moments and convert them into something very special. Another reason why documentary images are often made black and white is to emphasize the importance of the moment, especially when the colors in the scene become a distraction. That doesn’t mean that color images are not acceptable for documentary photographs. It’s often a subjective decision.
• Remember that the photos of your wedding day will last a lifetime and you’ll want to show your children and grandchildren the story of your actual day – not a sequence of formally posed portraits without any intimacy and warmth. It might cost you a bit more than a conventional wedding photographer; but when it comes to preserving your memories of the best day of your life, it will be well worth the cost!
  
  
  

Conclusion -

Documentary photographs are candid or spontaneous pictures of people and décor that are not posed or recreated moments by the photographer. The moments are real and historical, unique to only your day! Ray Anthony Photography is known specifically as the premier documentary-style and boutique wedding photography studio in Michigan,

For more information about our boutique photography studio in Birmingham, get in touch with us today and feel free to browse through our website for more complete information!