Documenting G&A’s first look at L’Ambroisie was so adorable and heartwarming, a supportive hug was an instinctive reaction for this documentary wedding photographer. Photo: Valerie Rosen Photography
“Call it a cliche but my husband and I really feel like we found Val by fate. We booked her about a month before our big day but immediately felt as if we had known her for so much longer!”
Essentially, a documentary wedding photographer focuses on weaving personal stories throughout your wedding day into visual narratives. Your journey together as a couple is unquestionably unique, and filled with singular moments that define your relationship. Understanding these stories allows an experienced documentary photographer to capture unscripted wedding day moments reflecting genuine emotions and connections with your loved ones in frame upon frame of timeless and touching exchanges. But, to be sure, it takes a lot more than experience for a documentary wedding photographer to document the storytelling of what matters to a couple and their guests for lasting value. For starters, I’m talking about a photographer who shows how truly interested they are in understanding who and what matters to you on your wedding and why.
When you meet with your photographer, be it in person, on a call, or any other way you connect, listening to you share some of your favourite memories and significant milestones as a couple, not only enriches the visual storytelling your photographer can capture for you, but also fosters a deeper bond between your photographer and you. This commitment to trust building in your working relationship is paramount to your mutual peace of mind. These insights allow for the anticipation of key moments throughout the wedding day, ensuring that each shot resonates with realness and evokes a reaction in you that touches your heart and gifts you with the sweetest wedding day memory.
With the documentary photography approach, the role of your photographer transcends so much more than merely capturing the events of your wedding day; it involves becoming a silent observer and a trusted confidant, ready to document the laughter, the tears, and all the hugs and wedding shenanigans shared between you and all of your dearest people. Each photo serves as a testament to not only the day itself but also your beautiful journey that led to it, creating a timeless narrative that you can value for years and years beyond your wedding day.
Being chosen for the honour to commit to creating for you in this way, I make a promise to every client, HERE!
Screenshot at the end of a great “Wedding Day Details” call with S&D in final preparation before their wedding day. Read all about their beautiful wedding day, HERE!
So, the bottom line is…choose your photographer based on how much you love their approach to documenting weddings, of course, but take the time to get to know your photographer! Sure there’s the business end of this relationship, but unlike pretty much all of your other wedding vendors, your photographer is your trusted person (or team) who dives into your very personal love story and takes interest in your loved ones, with full intention to thoroughly represent this priceless memory in your life. Trust your gut, and trust your photographer! ♡
