Editorial vs. Documentary: Wedding Photography Terminology 101

Finding a wedding photographer right now is incredibly daunting. For a newly engaged couple just starting their search, sifting through websites, portfolios, editing styles, Facebook posts, Reels, budgets, and everything in between becomes a second, unpaid full-time job. A job that is really hard if you are entering the world of photography for the first time.  Photographers, God bless us, are notorious for not communicating in terms normal people understand.

The biggest phrases you will see on photographers websites of all budgets are if they describe themselves as “editorial” photographers or “documentary” photographers or both. So, let’s define our terms before we talk about anything else.

Editorial

An editorial photographer relies heavily on posing. Very structured portraits. They usually have a pretty intense lighting set up and maybe even backdrops. Typically, these photographers are more on the luxury side of photography: knowing how to use off camera lighting WELL is a skill all in itself and one that clients will pay extra to get. The tones of these portraits tend to be more serious and more dramatic.  This is the kind of photography you often see in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and catalogues, hence the phrase “editorial.”

Documentary

A TRUE documentary photographer is the complete opposite. They will blend into the background completely and be a fly on the wall. Documentary photographers will not intervene, run any posing, and will aim to capture the day exactly as it happens with no photographer intervention. In theory, you could experience your whole wedding day and not say one word to your documentary wedding photographer. It’s important to note: this means they run NO formal portraits, no formal family portraits, no bridal portraits, but focus solely on capturing the experience and your guests through candid photography. If traditional family portraits are important to you, you’ll want to find a photographer in the next category.

The Mix

Most photographers will often describe themselves as a mixture of both editorial and documentary. They will probably follow a more traditional and expected pattern of photography that may look something like:

Getting ready (documentary with occasional intervention)

Bridal portraits (editorial: guiding through posing)

First look (often documentary but photographer intervention will vary)

Couples portraits (editorial / posed)

Wedding Mass / Ceremony (documentary- especially in a Catholic church, there will NEVER be photographer intervention allowed)

Family Photos (editorial)

Couples portraits (editorial)

Reception (documentary but may stop and pose couple or guests)

If you are working with a photographer who is both editorial and documentary, it is incredibly important that you communicate if you have a preference on how much intervention you are comfortable with on your wedding day. Every photographer their own spot on the sliding scale between editorial and documentary photography.

Discovery calls are excellent opportunities to hear directly from your photographer what their approach to wedding days is. I always walk my brides through my what my hands-off approach will look like throughout their day and how my flows work if we do take a couple minutes to do some posed portraits. I include this slider on my website for a quick visual guide.

A respectful photographer will make their preferred approach clear from the first time you talk or at least ask about your preference. If they don’t though, tell them! Be assertive. We are here to serve you on the biggest day of your life. Remember that you call the final shots when it comes to how your wedding vendors approach your day.