San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photography Styles

When you think about looking for the best San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographers, you probably figured you would just search the internet for photos that appeal to you the most. You might ask yourself about which photos have the most impact and if they provide any kind of emotional connection. This is a good way to find a wedding photographer, but there are more things to consider. Couples looking for a wedding photographer need to be concerned about staying within their budget and finding someone they personally like. Besides selecting a photographer that displays appealing photos on their website, it's very important to understand the style of each potential candidate. Let's explore some of the current, most popular styles of wedding photography and the names they are frequently referred to as.

• DOCUMENTARY This is probably the style that is most popular today. If you ask most modern SF Bay Area wedding photographers, they will most likely tell you that they shoot weddings in a documentary style. The idea here is to document the wedding as though it was an event you are covering as a reporter, but of course in a creative and artistic way. In its most basic form, the wedding photographer follows the couple around throughout the day and takes mostly candid photos of them. The hope is to catch special "moments". This includes hugs, laughter, tears and any of the other emotional moments that occur during a wedding. The "photojournalist" should be unobtrusive and barely needs to speak to the bride and groom throughout the day. Other names for this style include Photojournalism or Reportage. In my opinion, the best Bay Area wedding photographers will provide this type of coverage but still mix in some traditional types of images also.


• TRADITIONAL - Probably the style most of us are used to thinking of when we hear about wedding photography. In its purist form, traditional wedding photography sometimes involves shooting from a predetermined "shot list" which includes many of the poses and family photos the couple wants. In addition, unlike Documentary wedding photography, the photographer is very involved in the process. Choosing the best backgrounds, lighting techniques and posing the subjects are all part of a traditional wedding photographer's skill set. This style of photography will usually be more time consuming and require a larger time commitment from the bride and groom. Other names for this style include Conventional, Classic and Posed. There are plenty of wedding photographers in the San Francisco Bay Area that offer this style.


• CONTEMPORARY - In my opinion, many of today's best San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographers fall into this category. The idea here is for the wedding photographer to create the photo by putting the couple in beautiful backgrounds and lighting, but then not being quite as rigid with posing. The best Contemporary photos appear candid but are really partially set up by the photographer. In other instances, the wedding photographer simply places the subjects in better light and backgrounds, but still shoots mostly candid photos. One good example is something we often do during bridal prep... If we notice dim lighting where the bride is getting ready, we would politely suggest that the bride move closer to the window but allow the candid moments to occur and record them. Other names for this style include Illustrative, Fashion or Modern. Dynamic posing techniques should also be a part of this style.

Our Own Personal Wedding Photography Style

We discussed above the various styles we see in San Francisco Bay Area wedding photography. Where do we fit in? We like to think of ourselves as a documentary type of Northern California wedding photographer, but we also provide our clients with traditional photos as well. We will be extensively involved in photographing your Bay Area or SF City Hall wedding, but not to the point that you wish we were not there!

Feel free to explore this site and have a look at all the different photo albums we have put up. In addition, we have the sections that discuss the different venues in the Bay Area. We have a huge listing of potential wedding sites and they range from inexpensive to somewhat pricey. Virtually all of the listed wedding venues are places that we have photographed one or more weddings. In many cases we have been to some of these venues 10 times or more so we know them well and also understand the best way to approach them to make your wedding photography the best it can be.

To receive a custom quote on having us photography your wedding click the link. We can work with your budget and provide you with the perfect wedding package to fit your specific needs. If you want to see our very detailed City Hall Pricing page, click the highlighted area.