about wedding photojournalism
also known as contemporary or documentary wedding photography style

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The idea of photojournalistic wedding photography is embedded in the name itself. Photojournalism is an approach based on documentation: telling a story of the wedding day using photographs.

This contemporary approach found its way into weddings on a larger scale from news photography after compact cameras and fine quality films were introduced in the early 1970's.

The concept of capturing the flow of events, rather then recreating it, wasn't new to photographers, however 35mm fast film quality and equipment limitations prevented photojournalism become a predominant style for wedding photographers until the early 1990's.

The photojournalist's goal is to take pictures while people are not aware they are being photographed. By blending with the crowd, a photojournalist is able to capture the action as it unfolds - the true emotions, the real expressions, the happiness and joy. Instead of the traditional formal portraits and posed candids, this approach produces a more intimate, artistic take on a wedding. Photos will reflect a fleeting, unposed moment that conveys the emotions of the day.

Photojournalism means to capture the real, true thing. Nothing is being corrected, recreated, staged or posed. There is no prepared shot list. If something is missed, it is gone. For a photographer, the Wedding day it is like a sheet of canvas. He is a visual artist - the way he captures your wedding day is the way you will remember it for the rest of your life.

To learn more about wedding photojournalism, visit WPJA - the wedding photojournalist association.

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