What is Wedding Photojournalism?

What makes me a “wedding photojournalist” and what is the difference between wedding photojournalism and any other type of wedding photography?

Photojournalism is a form of journalism which tells a story through photography. When you take a trained photojournalist like myself, and place her into the world of wedding photography, you end up with wedding photojournalism. I use my skills as a professional photojournalist and my years of experience documenting story and capturing real moments to tell the story of your wedding day in an authentic, captivating, beautiful way.

Why consider a wedding photojournalist?

Capturing the authentic story of your wedding day is important to you. You want a photographer that will capture the raw and real moments and emotion while still leaving you with beautiful, fine art quality photos. As a documentary wedding photographer or a wedding photojournalist, this is where I come in.

Photojournalism allows you to act naturally throughout your wedding day. On a day that’s already a bit hectic, it’s nice to have someone there who lays low and is not always jumping in to guide and pose you. A photojournalist is more inclined to capture sincere reactions because you won’t be thinking about them being around, interrupting the natural moments constantly. This approach is more likely to result in touching photos that elicit emotion.

Click the image above to see more of my award winning images from the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA).

How do I know if a photographer is a photojournalist?

When you look through the photographer’s portfolio, you should see natural laughter or other intense emotional scenes (tears, hugs and goofy faces for example).

A photojournalist will look for unique angles and vantage points to create photos that make you feel like you were there in the moment.  For example, I will often get down on the floor to be eye to eye with a child or I’ll jump in the middle of the dance floor during the reception.

If in their portfolio you see many photos of people looking directly into the lens or the portfolio consist of mostly detail shots (for example, of the rings, the flowers, etc.) they are most likely not a photojournalist.

Wedding photojournalists are first and foremost storytellers. They should tell the story of your wedding day in a way that will make you re-experience the feelings you felt on the day. You should see truth and real love in your photos the way that it really happened. Photojournalistic or documentary wedding photographers like me will tell the real story of your wedding day. We will not find the tidy, perfectly staged room with the most gorgeous light to prop you in front of for your getting ready photos. That would not be telling YOUR story. It would be telling MY understanding of what a wedding should look like. It’s also just recreating a worn-out, overdone wedding photography look that will leave you with wedding photos that look like everyone else’s.

What if I want portraits in addition to candid photos?

Just because I’m a wedding photojournalist who thrives in capturing candids does not mean that I shoot exclusively candid photos. Portraits are important too and I will always build in some time during your wedding day for both couple portraits and any other posed portraits you’d like with family and friends. Portraits are a normal and expected part of a wedding day and I would never suggest skipping them completely.

You’ll find that this is the only time throughout the day that I’ll give any explicit direction. Not everybody is a natural in front of the camera (myself included!) so I understand the need to have some direction while taking these pictures. Your mind will be in a million places throughout your wedding day and so it’s nice to have someone there with wedding experience to occasionally give a little guidance and direction.

As a wedding photojournalist, I want your wedding photos to feel alive. I want to piece together the story of your wedding day from the quiet getting ready moments through to the wild dance floor.

To help me to tell your story in the most complete way, my process involves getting to know you before the wedding a bit more than other photographers might ordinarily. Whenever you need to talk through anything for the wedding day, I’m available for a phone call or on Zoom.  That way, I can build more and more information leading me to how I will want to approach your specific day. When we are about 2 months out from your date, you’ll get a questionnaire from me that will dive into the finer details of your wedding-day schedule and your family and friends that will be a part of it.

With wedding photojournalism, it’s not just about epic emotions. Sometimes it’s about the subtle bits of information included in an image’s composition that take it from an appealing or interesting photo to a meaningful, emotional capture.

When talking with Paige before her wedding, she told me that her wedding dress was the same exact gown that her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother all wore before her. I love being given details like this before the wedding because it allows me to use that knowledge to capture photos and craft compositions that I may have overlooked otherwise.

All of this allows me to better tell your unique story.

Wedding Photojournalism may or may not be for you and there is nothing wrong with that!  Hopefully this all helps to clarify what true documentary wedding photography looks like and what it is all about. 

If you’re looking for a wedding photojournalist for your Boston or New England wedding, I’d love to chat! You can contact me here.

What to Wear to Your Portrait Session | Outfit Ideas and Styling Tips from a Boston Lifestyle Photographer

Choosing what to wear to your portrait session can be overwhelming. Whether that is your Boston engagement photos, family lifestyle photography session, or an in-home newborn photography session, there is a lot to consider.

While I’m not nearly as picky as some photographers can be, I do have a few preferences and suggestions for what to wear to your portrait session to make your photos look the best they can! Below, I list out a few dos and don’ts for you along with some assistance with how best to coordinate clothes and choose appropriate outfits based on the season. Hopefully this will eliminate some of that stress and help you to choose outfits that will look amazing in your photos.

What NOT to wear to your portrait session…

When deciding on what to wear to your portrait session, you want the focus to be on your faces, not on distracting clothing items. Here are some common clothing items to avoid:

• Clothing with large logos, pictures, or characters

• Flip flops

• Outfits that show bra straps or undergarments

• Hoodies

• Neon colors

• Transitional Lenses - if you typically wear glasses, wear them for your session. But if you have transitional lenses, consider taking them off. Dark glasses will cover your eyes in the photos.

• Short dresses & skirts – for maximum comfort over any other reason. Short skirts can make it difficult to comfortably pose, sit, and play. If you’re not sure if your skirt is long enough, test it out by seeing if you can sit and walk without having to adjust.

• Identical clothing – for example, everybody in the family wears jeans and white tops. When everybody matches, your photos will look very staged and posed. It will be obvious that you were dressing for a photo shoot. While I am not trying to hide the fact that you are participating in a photo shoot, the photos will turn out better of you are wearing coordinating but not matching outfits. More on that to follow…

How do I coordinate clothes for my portrait session? What colors should I wear?

Coordination can be a tricky balancing act. You don’t want everyone to wear the exact same thing, but the colors and styles should blend well together. My best advice is to start with one member of the family (or couple). Have that person choose an outfit that they love and feel great in. Pull colors from their outfit to dress everyone else. Stick with 2-3 colors from that first outfit and stick to those shades coordinated with neutrals as your palette. If you are buying new clothes, choose a palette to begin with. For example pastels (pinks and blues), primary colors (red and blue), earth tones (navy, tan, burgundy, or green) etc. (see one great example from this Boston engagement session). Find an outfit for each family member that has at least one predominant color in the palette and balance that with neutrals like tans, greys & cream. Once you think you have everyone’s outfits picked out, lay them out together and see if they look good! If not, replace whatever clashes.

Style by session type and season.

What to wear for your family lifestyle session or engagement session:

For both of these types of photo sessions, you should focus on coordinating complimentary colors with neutrals and choosing an in-season wardrobe. As you know, the weather during your Boston portrait session can vary greatly depending on the season. When in doubt, wear layers. For spring sessions, you may want to work in some pastels or florals to match your environment. For a fall session, consider jewel tones. You might select certain colors and style based on when you plan to share the images. A family holiday card, for example might call for different color choices than an engagement session for your beach wedding save the dates. As always, avoid large logos, clashing patterns, and neon colors.

What to wear for your senior session:

This session is all about celebrating you and your momentous occasion. Let your personal style shine! You can dress up or dress casually, but make sure that your style is at the peak of its game. Wear the very best outfit you have to show your personality - not necessarily just what you would wear every day.

What to wear for your maternity session:

Maternity photos are another case where you will want your personal style to shine, as well as your shape. Choose a dress or a shirt that will accentuate and show off your bump - that is the point of these photos after all! Prioritize your comfort and how beautiful you feel in your outfit over anything else.

What to wear for your in-home newborn session or in-home family session:

Think cozy but not TOO cozy. Keep your clothing neutral, soft, and comfortable but refrain from actually wearing pajamas (unless of course that’s the theme you’re going for). Babies can wear minimal clothing. Diaper covers, neutral-colored onesies and swaddle blankets are perfect.

The most important tip for what to wear to your portrait session: wear clothes you feel good in.

This is the most important tip! Wear what makes you feel good. While it’s important to put thought into what to wear for your portrait session, what matters most is creating an heirloom that your family will cherish for generations. You will never remember that you chose the grey shirt over the green. In the end, you’ll see past the clothing to your family laughing and holding each other close.