Alternative wedding photography…what does that even mean any more. The problem that the majority are faced with, is that what was once the alternative has now become the norm. This is by no means a bad thing. The quality of photography in my humble opinion has increased dramatically in the last five years. The free sharing of knowledge and information across the internet and the rise of social media has meant that people can learn more quickly and learn from other peoples mistakes, as well as their own.
Alternative wedding photography was coined to distinguish the new wave of wedding photographers from the old school ‘stand in a line’ traditional approach. The vast improvements in digital technology has allowed photographers to take pictures in increasingly difficult lighting conditions. Now digital cameras can work in near darkness. This means that we can now take pictures of every part of the day, without the need for flash. The end result? Every photographer now has a documentary element to their work. The alternative has now become the norm. So where will it go next?
A genuine alternative to the traditional
What is Alternative, Offbeat Wedding Photography?
Alternative, offbeat wedding photography can be defined as an approach to wedding photography that breaks away from the traditional, posed, or formal imagery often associated with weddings. To be fair the definitions have shifted considerably in the last decade, but the point has to be made that the idea of posing for ages and taking endless group pictures is long gone. Alternative wedding photography focuses on capturing what was real about the day, but with style! It focuses on capturing what is unique and authentic about a wedding day, highlighting personalities, relationships, and the atmosphere, capturing sentimental and emotional moments, trying to recreate how it felt to be there in a photograph. You should expect an alternative wedding photographer to have a clearly defined style. In my experience as a collective we have studied photography and are students of the subject who have chosen to specialise in wedding photography. Many of us have studied the classics and draw our skillset from classic documentary and photojournalistic techniques.
Technical Brilliance; Your Wedding Meets Art
The Heart Of Non Traditional Wedding Photography
As a non traditional wedding photographer, I pride myself on capturing the unique, authentic, and unscripted moments of a couple’s wedding day. My approach is far from traditional, and I aim to showcase the genuine emotions, connections, and atmosphere that make each wedding special and memorable.
Rather than focusing on posed or formal shots, I immerse myself in the wedding, getting to know you, your friends and family to truly understand the dynamics of the group, how each personality fits in and understand the connections between you all. This helps me capture moments that are not only visually stunning but also tell your story in a meaningful way.
I’m always on the lookout for candid moments, raw emotions, and creative angles that break the mould of traditional wedding photography. I believe that the best photos are those that evoke emotion and transport you back to that very moment, allowing you to relive the joy, laughter, and love that filled the day.
From the intimate exchanges between the couple and their families to the spontaneous, quirky, and unconventional moments that unfold throughout the day, I’m ready; poised!
My mission is to provide you with a collection of memories that are entirely truthful. Some weddings are loud and funny, others are quiet and intimate, my job is to tell the story as it happened.
Benefits of Hiring an Alternative Wedding Photographer
Action-filled Images
Alternative wedding photography captures what really happened. Not only that, but having trained in photojournalism I understand how to not only document the day, but capture the moment in context as well. It’s really important to show not only the central moment, but also communicate how it fits into the story and how others are reacting to it. It gives the pictures depth, and brings them to life!
No Waiting Around
I don’t interfere with the days events, so theres never a need to miss a moment. My pictures are true to life and I never stage or recreate a moment, everything in my portfolio really happened. This means all you have to do is turn up and have a lovely time, I’ll do the rest!
How to Choose an Alternative Wedding Photographer
Review Their Work In Detail
Weddings are incredible events, each one is unique. While that’s a really cool thing as a photographer, for you as the client you need to know that your photographer can handle whatever it is you’ve got planned. Check out many portfolios and many examples of real weddings. Only then will you be able to judge if your photographer has the skills to shoot in a wide variety of settings.
Consider Their Experience
This is almost an extended answer to the above statement. The more experience your photographer has, the more you can trust that they’ve had to overcome problems in a split second to get the perfect shot. The more weddings they have on their site, the better. A church photographs very differently to a barn, and a wine cellar photographs very differently to an outside ceremony. Seeing a variety of examples (and being impressed by them all) will give you the comfort of knowing your photographer has seen it all and still produced amazing results.
Meet in Person or Video Call
Whilst alternative wedding photographers don’t interfere with your day, we are still there and you still notice them, especially in the morning when there’s fewer people around. For this reason it’s really important that you meet and connect with them on a personal level. It makes a huge difference if your photographer arrives on the day and you already feel comfortable around them. You’ll relax much quicker, forget that they are there, and your pictures will be infinitely better.
Key Advantages of Alternative Wedding Photography
Adaptable to Unconventional Settings:
Whether your wedding takes place in a warehouse like the Barrington Club, an enchanted forest in The Lake District, or a quirky urban setting like The Horniman Museum, I have the skills and adaptability to capture the atmosphere and character of your venue. I can navigate the challenges of unconventional locations and create brilliant photographs that showcase the uniqueness of your wedding celebration.
Collaboration and Personalization:
I am highly collaborative, working closely with you to understand your vision and preferences. This personalised approach ensures that the final images are a true representation of your day and capture moments that you won’t know happened and that you would have never otherwise seen.
Emphasis on Individuality:
By choosing me as your alternative wedding photographer, you’re placing a priority on showcasing your individuality and personal style. I value authenticity and creativity, helping you break free from traditional wedding photography norms and basically take a lot of pictures of you and your friends having fun.
Experience with Diverse Themes and Styles:
I am experienced in working with a wide range of themes and styles, from gothic and vintage to bohemian and minimalist. This versatility means that I can stay true to my photography style and philosophy, but also create images that are truthful without the worry that your chosen venue will be impossible to photograph.
Pushing The Limits of Alternative Wedding Photography
Where will alternative wedding photography go next? – testing the conceptual limits
For this article I challenged myself to create something truly alternative, this was the result.
These are images I took at a wedding day (as well as all the usual shots in case you were worried I’d gone insane) that document the changing sky throughout the day…
Beautiful Photography?
Yo Liam. Ya’ll crazy
Aren’t they beautiful? They have a narrative all of their own, show no people and yet carry so much emotion.
I love conceptual art. The idea of it anyway. Like any practice some pieces are better executed than others. Its what it encourages that I am most interested in. Expansive thought. Not seeing the world as it is, but for what it can be. Any broadening of the imagination I am game for, even if it comes to nothing, challenging the systems, the framework, the very fibres of something should always be encouraged.
How can you photograph a wedding in a way that perfectly captures the atmosphere and a sense of time, but also encapsulates a concept. When I first started shooting weddings I read an article by Elizabeth Messina. In it she stated that she always took a photograph of the sky on a couples wedding day, there was a certain quality to it that encapsulated the day. Whether rain or shine, she would take it. Often taking a photograph of the moon as well. I love this idea. There’s an ethereal quality to it and it forms part of the narrative of the day.
This got me thinking. What if the photographs were only of the sky? The transitions of light, the undulations of the clouds. The textures, colours and emotions they might summon. The idea that tied it together was when I considered that by shooting the sky, it in fact removed the notion of ‘place’ and made the images exist all on their own, in their own domain.
This opened up the possibility for the conceptual element to be explored. If the images show no time or place, then they could be any time or place. More than one wedding will take place on any single day. Photographing the changing skies means these images could be of anyone and everyone’s wedding. They belong to no one and yet they belong to everyone.
There is something truly beautiful about these images, and something truly alternative, I don’t mean my photographs, that would be too braggy. The beauty of the sky itself. The ways in which it changes in twenty four hours. Each image is entirely unique, never to happen again. The similarities between these pictures and my regular wedding work is quite interesting. I haven’t constructed, interfered with or altered them in any way, I positioned myself, moved around the subject and documented what was happening in front of me. It’s exactly the same as how I photograph people.
The reality of this statement is understanding intent, and ultimately asking, what type of wedding photographs do you want? My pictures of the sky could be considered quirky and alternative wedding photography.
They are also fun, playful and artistic images that are the closest thing to unique that is out there. Do you want pictures of the sky? They tick all the boxes. My guess would be the answer is no.
Give me fun, give me quirky, give me alternative
This is my interpretation of high quality, fun, street style wedding photography. Honestly weddings are the most fun occasions that I have ever witnessed. Full of laughter, tears of joy, the entire emotional spectrum is covered.
This is my interpretation of alternative wedding photography. Not your usual formal line ups of guests. Don’t stand still and be unhappy, own it. Go crazy.
This is my interpretation of quirky wedding photography.
Being in the moment, ready to capture people as they are, being themselves. Undeterred by my presence as they exhibit unexpected qualities. I love it. Being in the mix, joining in the wedding.
From now on, don’t call me a quirky wedding photographer, call me the jazz wedding photographer, that sounds much more cool.
Liam Smith – jazz wedding photographer – yeah! Photographer Liam Smith attempts to break down photographic convention, discarding fixed notions of compositions, relevant subject matter and equipment to be used.
That’s what my Wikipedia page should say.
Conclusion
From my experience, the term alternative is an attempt from modern photographers to distinguish themselves from the old school of formal and stuffy. The old school my lovely readers, is long dead. However, it’s been dead for so long that now the parameters have changed again. What was once the alternative is now the norm. We are in an exciting phase, ushering in a new dawn of quirky and fun. It’s going to be amazing to watch the market evolve in the next ten years and I’m super stoked that I get to be a part of it.
