Photojournalism has become more and more popular in wedding photography over recent years. Also called documentary or reportage photography, these have become buzz words in the industry.

So, what does it mean? Well simply put it means to record the event unfolding in front of you without influencing it at all. So for the purest photojournalistic wedding photographer this means to simply observe and record. No group shots outside the church, no organising the guests into two lines for the confetti shot, no positioning the bride and groom for the cake cutting. The photographer needs to be as unobtrusive as possible.

So is this being idealistic? Can I as the photographer complete a full wedding with no interaction with the bride and groom or indeed any of the guests? Possibly idealistic but it’s good to have ideals right? But having said that I’ve got to have some interaction with the people present haven’t I? And in actual fact I really enjoy my interaction with the happy couple. It’s the main reason I love doing weddings. It’s a real pleasure to be a small part of such a happy occasion.

So I feel it’s best to combine a journalistic approach with a touch of the traditional. First and foremost my aim is to fulfil my brief and get all the shots I have been asked to do. Secondly, to do so in a way that satisfies my own artistic needs. I hope this doesn’t sound self indulgent but if you have picked me to be your photographer then you must already like my style and approach.

I find as the day unfolds I need to have less and less interaction but I do still need to be close to the action. Especially once the party gets into full swing and I need to move through the crowd to get those intimate moments that come and go in the blink of an eye. It’s quite addictive actually, learning to anticipate a moment and positioning myself to get a great shot.

I’ve done weddings where guests have come up to me later in the day and said that they thought I’d gone home! From a photojournalistic point of view, this tells me I have done my job well.