What is wedding photography?
Wedding photography records weddings: the preparations, the ceremony, the guests, the portraits of the couple and the celebration. It is one of the largest areas of professional photography. A wedding photographer has to work fast, in changing light, without a second chance, and must also be good with people.
Main styles
Documentary or photojournalistic. Candid pictures of the day as it happens, with little direction. Joe Buissink is known for this emotional, candid style, including at celebrity weddings.
Traditional and posed. Planned group pictures and portraits of the couple and families, made so that nobody important is missing.
Fine art. Soft, light-filled pictures, often on medium-format film. Jose Villa and Elizabeth Messina are known for this style, often with a Contax 645 film camera.
Editorial and glamour. Portraits that look like fashion magazine pages, with direction and dramatic light. Jerry Ghionis won the WPPI International Wedding Album of the Year award eight times.
Pre-wedding and studio sessions. In China and other Asian countries, many couples book elaborate pre-wedding sessions in studios or on location before the wedding day.
by Jasmine Star
History
In the early days of photography, most couples did not hire a photographer for the wedding itself. They posed for a formal portrait in a studio, in their best clothes, before or after the ceremony. From the late 1860s more couples posed in their wedding clothes, and wedding albums became more common in the 1880s. Bulky equipment and the need for good light kept the work mostly in the studio.
After the Second World War, roll film and the compact flash bulb let photographers come to the wedding. Some arrived uninvited and tried to sell their pictures afterward, and studios had to follow them on location. Even so, many “candid” pictures were still staged after the ceremony.
From the 1970s a documentary approach began to spread: photographers followed the whole day and told it as a story. Digital cameras, better high-ISO performance and online galleries in the 2000s made this style the norm. Today most wedding photographers mix candid coverage with some directed portraits.
Techniques
Plan the day. Get the schedule, visit the venue if you can, and agree on a list of must-have group pictures with the couple.
Light. Churches and reception halls are often dark. Fast lenses, high ISO and bounce flash off a wall or ceiling help. For portraits, look for open shade or the last hour of sunlight.
Two cameras. Many photographers carry two bodies, one with a wide or standard lens and one with a short telephoto, to avoid changing lenses at key moments.
Backup. Use cameras with two memory card slots and copy the files the same night. A wedding cannot be repeated.
How to start
Start as a second shooter or assistant for an experienced wedding photographer. You learn the rhythm of the day without carrying full responsibility. Photograph friends’ engagements and small ceremonies to build a portfolio. Use a written contract that sets out what you deliver, by when, and what happens if you are ill.
Books to start with
Fine Art Wedding Photography by Jose Villa (Amphoto). Villa’s film-based approach to light and composition.
Picture Perfect Practice by Roberto Valenzuela (New Riders). Exercises for composition, posing and light, written by a wedding photographer.
by Joe Buissink
Legacy
Wedding photographs are among the most treasured pictures in many families, often passed down for generations. The genre also became a training ground: many photographers learn to work with people, light and pressure at weddings before they move to other kinds of photography.
Discover wedding photographers · Wedding photography in the Photopedia Dictionary
Last updated: November 2026
