Why Choose a Documentary Wedding Photographer?
You may have done your research and know exactly how you want a photographer to capture your day. Maybe you’re overwhelmed by all the styles of photography and the sheer number of photographers out there screaming for your attention? Perhaps you need a little clarity on what sets a Documentary Wedding Photographer apart from any other type of photographer? Or want to know the difference between Documentary Wedding Photography and Editorial Photography (because there is a difference and it’s huge!) I’ve been a documentary wedding photographer in London for over 17 years and, in this time, have honed my style and way of working and won numerous, prestigious awards along the way. This page will give you a good idea of what I shoot, how I approach a wedding day, and my ‘hands-off’ way of capturing the magic.
What is a documentary wedding photographer?
You might hear documentary wedding photography referred to as reportage wedding photography, wedding photojournalism, natural wedding photography, or candid wedding photography. There are subtle differences between all of these terms, but broadly they amount to the same thing; a photographer who focuses on capturing your wedding day without any intervention, direction, or influence. Imagine that your photographer is a fly on the wall, and focuses on genuine moments. The interactions between your guests and the tiny gestures as well as the big moments. This is all done without interrupting the natural flow of the day. If this sounds like how you want your day to be captured, then my natural, ‘hands-off’ style may be a great fit for you. Below I’ll talk more about documentary wedding photography in general, but also my style and way of working.
“I like to show humour in my work. I look for the unexpected moments and a different perspective on the familiar traditions. The story I want to tell of a couple’s day is the honest one, uncontrived and unpretentious.”
If you haven’t done so already, take a look at my “Best of” posts. For the past 14 years, I’ve created an end-of-year round-up to show my favourite images from the year. These will give you an idea of how and what I photograph at weddings. I’m not interested in creating an artificial narrative to your wedding or creating the illusion of fake perfection. I focus on capturing real moments, unbridled raw emotion (the happy & the sad), and always honest and authentic imagery. You can read thousands of wordy posts on what documentary wedding photography is all about, but words alone shouldn’t influence your choice. You should connect with the images and think, “yes, I want our story to be told like this”.
Capturing natural moments, big & small.
I will capture the big moments but not in a formulaic or contrived way. An example of this might be “the wedding car shot”. Traditionally the couple would stand in front of the car and the photographer would take a posed picture. Whilst this might be the ideal photograph for the car hire company to advertise their wares on their website it doesn’t tell your story. When you look back on that photo in years to come, the chances are your memories from that moment will be the photographer directing you and creating the moment. A documentary wedding photographer will photograph your wedding car, but with context and as part of the narrative to your day.
Documentary wedding photography gives a narrative structure to your images.
It’s not all about you. I mean this is the nicest possible way! It’s your day and you should – quite rightly – be the centre of attention. However, you are just two characters in the story of your wedding day, and you have a supporting cast! Your friends and family; the people who love you and are there to celebrate with you. A good documentary wedding photographer will tell not only your story but a thousand little stories. Stories with your friends and family at the heart of them. Capturing the quirks and character traits of your loved ones, so that when you look back at your photos, you’ll say, “that’s SO him!”
A documentary style that captures the moments that you might have missed.
This goes hand in hand with what I wrote above. Try as you might, you can’t be everywhere on your wedding day; there will be moments you miss. Maybe there’s an animated conversation between your wildest friend from uni and your reserved Auntie Sue, your nephew licking the wedding cake when he thinks nobody is watching, or your dad busting out some moves to The Rolling Stones on the dance floor. (I have this one stored in my memory bank from my sister’s wedding back in 2003). As a documentary wedding photographer, I will hunt down these candid moments and capture them in a beautifully framed, skilfully timed photograph. Usually, the subjects of the photo aren’t even aware they’re being photographed, and the image will be cherished by them as much as by you.
Expect the unexpected
The best thing about weddings for me is that each one is a blank canvas. I love watching social interactions and find people endlessly fascinating. I am so passionate about being a documentary wedding photographer and I’ve been ranked as the Top Wedding Photojournalist in the UK twice by the WPJA. This gives my couples confidence that they are entrusting their memories to a skilled moment catcher! I always put human interaction at the forefront of every image, so it’s difficult to repeat myself, or create clichés because I never know what people are going to do. As a bride of mine, Alice, recently said to me, “we absolutely love the humorous style of your photography and we’re so excited to see what you end up finding on the day!”
The short answer to this is that documentary photography is unposed, undirected, and focuses on capturing authentic moments with no styling or instruction from the photographer. It’s aim is to record the moment in an honest way, as it happens. Editorial photography focuses on styling, the overall aesthetic, and orchestrated images. The very word ‘editorial’ implies that the image is for an editorial, be that a magazine or online. It’s designed to sell a lifestyle or a product. For example, a photographer may do an editorial shoot for a bridal shop to show the dresses. The purpose of the shoot is to show the dresses in the best light, the best angles and make brides want to buy them. The shoot won’t be left to chance or just allowed to unfold naturally; it will be posed, orchestrated, with a preconceived idea of how the images will look. The pose may be repeated until the image is ”just right”. Now apply that to your wedding and tell me, would you rather have a documentary wedding photographer or an editorial wedding photographer? If it’s the first option, you’re in the right place!
If you want some, yes. 95% of my couples want a small amount of relaxed family photos, and I am all for it. For me, they are more important than the ‘couple pictures’ of just the two of you. They’re an important record of family life and will become even more important to you over time, as older relatives pass on and snotty nosed toddlers become sullen teenagers… You can leave it to chance and hope your photography catches all the important people in one shot in a natural way during the drinks reception, but trust me, this ain’t gonna happen. And if by some miracle it does, half of them will have their back to the photographer – people don’t stand and chat in a straight line! Book an experienced photographer who can guide you on what shots are important, what to skip, and when to take them.
A large proportion of my couples choose to not have any dedicated time for couple pictures. You’ll see when you look around my wedding galleries and in my end of year ‘Best Of’ posts, there are very few photos that are the classic ‘wedding portrait’. Most of my couples prefer candid, relaxed, unposed photos of them, taken unawares, where they are sharing a laugh together, having a little hand squeeze across the table, or legging it down the confetti tunnel. Booking an experienced documentary wedding photographer who has a great eye for moment, composition, and timing means you can skip the ‘couple portraits’ if they don’t feel like you, safe in the knowledge you’ll still get some amazing shots of the two of you that you’ll want to print, frame and hang on your wall. All of that being said, I’m very happy to take a 10 minute breather away from the guests to take some relaxed photos of the two of you, but only if you want to: there will never be any pressure from me to do so.
How long is a piece of string?! Every wedding is different and what each couple wants varies. My packages range from 6 hours to unlimited, and I have photographed many 3 day events, as well as shorter 2 to 3 hour weddings. Send me a message and we can talk through your plans.
As well as photographing weddings in pretty much every county in England, I’ve photographed weddings in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Santorini, India, and America. My passport is up to date and I love to travel so drop me a line with your plans.
I am happy to answer them! Send me an email and we can arrange a phone or video call to chat through your plans and I can answer any and all of your questions.
A Documentary Wedding Photographer Tells the Real Story of Your Day
I shoot with Canon cameras and lenses, and always have, right since the days when I shot on film. Canon has interviewed me twice, once for this article on My Top Wedding Photography Tips and once for their magazine. Reading them might give you a more detailed understanding of how I work, my wedding photojournalist style, and what I look for as a documentary wedding photographer in London and throughout the UK.
An update as of the 2024 wedding season! I now shoot with the Panasonic Lumix S5II. You can read all about why I switched from Canon to Panasonic here
I photograph weddings without giving direction or prompting. I capture real moments, true emotions, and an authenticity that can’t be staged.
Lyndsey has a truly special talent for wedding photography. Her pictures completely immerse you in the emotion of the event and are bursting with the personality of the people. There is a seemingly impossible balance of humanity, reality, art and beauty. It is clear to see this in her portfolio and is what drew us to her in the first place – but it only really hit home how impactful and important this was when we received our own photos. They are such a beautiful connection to our wedding day, so much more so than I thought would be possible from photos, and we really can’t thank you enough Lyndsey for that gift!
Katie & Matt, married November 2021 at Lime Wood, New Forest. See their wedding here .
Lyndsey is a consummate professional in every respect. From the moment we made contact everything was seamless and we quickly felt 100% confident we were in the very best hands. It was clear she cared about the photography of our wedding as much as we did. She gave us advice and made a huge effort to get to know us and all of that is clear in the way she captured the day. She was a total pleasure to have at the wedding (if she hadn’t been taking photos I think we’d have have invited her anyway!). Without hesitation I couldn’t recommend Lyndsey more highly.
Want to see some more pictures, find out more about how I work, or get an idea of my fees for wedding photography? Hit the links below. I work as a documentary wedding photographer in London, throughout the UK and worldwide. Wherever you’re getting married, I can travel there!
