Photography Style and your Wedding - Storybook and Fairytale

When I started this series about a month ago, I stated, quite boldly, "In general, we can agree that there are probably five reasonably distinct styles of wedding photography: Traditional (sometimes called Formal); Photojournalistic (also called "Candid" or "Reportage"); Contemporary ("Avant Garde" or "Moderne" - with or without the "e"); Storybook (AKA "Fairytale"); and Artistic". I shouldn't have been so bold!

The further I have gone in exploring the Traditional, Photojournalistic and Contemporary styles, the more obvious it has become that these styles are not really so distinct after all - not in their application, at least - and that "agreement" about the boundaries of these styles is not universal - nothing like it. But what about Storybook/Fairytale style and Artistic Style (see examples here)? 


Well, I have changed my mind - I have decided to say hardly anything about "Artistic" as a Style of photography... Because it is a meaningless adjective, a weasel word that belongs only in the lexicon of the advertising trade. Style never defines artistry - truly artistic photographers operate in many styles, and are rarely limited to any one style, or by any one style. If someone describes their style as "Artistic"  treat it as a filler-word and make your own judgment on their style. Look back over these posts if you are not sure.


When you are offered Storybook and Fairytale Wedding Photography many of my comments about Artistic style still apply - the description is more an emotion grabber than a useful description. But the idea can  have some substance: "Artistic" is really a  photographers' claim about the quality of their work, Storybook does suggest that they will take a particular approach to your photography...
 
Fairytales are about happily ever-aftering; and story books are romances... In both cases what we are talking about is a focus on the magical and romantic aspects of the day. On presenting the story of a perfect wedding - whether it turns out that way or not!


Like a reportage or contemporary photography, the Storybook photographer is interested in the passage of the whole day - less interested in individual photos except as they relate to the whole story.  Unlike his colleagues, he is not so concerned with making an accurate  record as he is in telling a fantasy tale in which the bride and groom are the leading characters - the Prince Charming and his Cinderella.  Imarry.org describes the fairytale wedding in this way:


"Fairytale wedding creates the atmosphere of royalty and romance. Let your imagination be your guide as you plan a fairytale wedding. There is absolutely no limit to the creative ideas you can incorporate in every aspect of the wedding...Planning a fantasy wedding is an awesome experience. There are so many fairytales to choose from and it can sometimes be an overwhelming task. The plan is to create an atmosphere of fantasy and enchantment. Imagine how the whole illusion of a princess bride will look in your wedding photography. It will be a wonderful wedding experience not only for you and your husband but all your guests as well."


Of course, when you have planned the whole wedding around a theme, all the photographer is doing is capturing the mood, decor, costumes and so on. But even within a themed day, there is a certain approach that highlights and reinforces the fantasy, and it can be applied to weddings which are not so elaborate.


Avoiding hackneyed images is the hard part, but a photographic style that utilizes soft focus techniques, dreamy images, flowing motion effects, ethereal images, floating veils and soft, dewy eyes, counterposed against strong "masculine" and protective images of the groom, can be fairly characterized as  Fairytale/Storybook Style.


My research for this piece included a Google search for Fairytale and Storybook wedding photographers - there are half a million of them! I trawled through the pictures for a while: saw a few castles, lots of couples walking hand-in-hand through fields, but apart from that, nothing that really stood out. 


My suggestion is that, if you are going to have a themed wedding, with the glass slippers, the horse-drawn carriage and the  ice sculptures, any quality photographer will do it justice. If not, then on the evidence of the photographs posted in their galleries,  a "fairytale" wedding photographer is not likely to add a lot to the day that all good photographers will not provide. - which is not to say that self-proclaimed Fairytale photographers are not good photographers; just that most do not seem to take photos which any different from non-fairytale photographers.


As usual, you will find a slide show of Fairytale and storybook style images to illustrate this article on Vimeo. Click here to see them, then come back and leave me a message in the Comment Box. If you like what you have read, please share it with your Facebook and YouTube friends.