Why Documentary Wedding Photography?
What is a Documentary Wedding Photographer?
Documentary Wedding Photography is an approach to capturing your wedding in a natural, candid, and relaxed way. As a professional wedding photographer, I love to show your wedding as you remember it rather than give you the overly posed and awkward wedding photos you’ve undoubtedly seen before.
This type of photography has become very popular with couples who want to capture their wedding day's real emotions and memorable moments. I work hard to capture the little moments throughout your day that you might have missed in all the excitement. I’ll search for the tiny and huge moments while you're getting ready to walk down the aisle, exchanging your vows, and celebrating late into the night.
As your photographer, it's my job to be friendly with your loved ones throughout your day to get the guest-eye-view style of wedding photography my couples have come to love–Letting you enjoy your special day without needing to pose for photos constantly, setting Documentary Wedding Photography apart from other styles of photography.
Why Choose A Documentary Wedding Photographer?
After your wedding, the only physical reminders you'll have of the day are your rings, certificate, photos, and each other. Would you love those photographs, those slices of time, to be more authentic than the awkwardly posed grip and grin snapshots your friends show you from their travels?
“They’re more than just photos now; they’re memories.”
Hi, I'm Dan Higginson—a full-time documentary wedding photographer. I approach a wedding day differently from the average wedding photographer. I'm not a camera nerd—I love people. It sounds almost cliched to say; that more than just taking pretty pictures, I take photographs that transport you back to all your emotions from your wedding day, just like looking at your family album. Your loved ones all recall distant events slightly differently, but you all remember exactly how you felt.
I think your memories slowly skew as they're smoothed by the friction of time. That's how I explain that paradox of feeling different but deeply connected to the younger version of yourself in old family photographs. This 'polish of time' gives images a nostalgic shimmer, a kind of soul embued after some unknown number of years left unseen. They're more than just photos now; they're memories. It's inexpressible with words but familiar enough that we can all recall the feeling. That feeling is why I carry a camera almost everywhere I go. It's not hyperbole when I say this is far more than a job.
Your photographs become priceless in time. My grandparents say their albums are worth more than the TV, the car, and probably even their house. Maybe you've got loved ones that feel the same?
My approach
I will be hands-off for most of your wedding day to get a guest's eye view. I won't ask everyone to stop what they're doing and smile, and I'm not going to be a shy fly on the wall using a giant lens like some creepy paparazzo. I never work to a shot list because you deserve more than a cookie-cutter approach. Instead, I'll be friendly; I'll chat with your guests, play the lawn games with your drunk uncle, and smoke the cigar offered by the groomsmen. I'll be close enough to document your wedding day the way many can't with sincerity.
“My job is to see every event as an opportunity to create something unique for you”
You'll get an incredible record of your wedding day if we're all fearless together. Although the thought might frighten you at the start, I never judge whether things are going "right" or "wrong" on your wedding day. Instead, I follow my curiosity. The messy room, the toddler having a tantrum, the bride running 45 minutes late, the groom spilling a drink down his shirt, these aren't mistakes to be covered up; they're part of your beautiful wedding story. My job is to see every event as an opportunity to create something unique for you so that you can relive your wedding for the rest of your lives. I only ask that you trust me.
Minimal posing doesn't have to be zero posing. You might want me to set up a few photographs to mark the milestone when the time is right. You're only getting married once. If we set up any photos, I'll do this with the same faithful intent I have the rest of the day. Maybe you're a mischievous couple, or perhaps you're stoic. I want to show you and your relationship and personality, not a pale imitation of some poses we found on the internet and compiled on a heartless mood board. My directions will be simple, and your portraits will be sincere and in no way cheesy.
“Organising a wedding can be overwhelming, so I do any small thing I can to relieve pressure”
I don't edit to deliver a set number of photographs. After your wedding, I take care to edit the thousands of pictures I made on the day to give you the gold. Not too many, not too few. I post-process them with a timeless look reminiscent of analogue film prints. I never use tasteless or gimmicky filters that look cheap and dated within a month or two.
Organising a wedding can be overwhelming, so I do any small thing I can to relieve pressure. It's the reason I put so much effort into making hiring and working with me stress-free for my couples. I genuinely care about them long after the day they pay me, and I want them to have the same experience I'd like for my sister when she gets married.
As my couples become old and wrinkly, I imagine them pouring a teapot at their kitchen table with their children who've grown up and have kids of their own now. I picture them looking through their wedding album, fondly remembering the moments they shared with their loved ones, not all the times I asked them to smile for the camera. Shared precious moments, of course, are the whole reason you're getting married, right?
