Documenting VS Directing - Is one better than the other?

Read Time < 6 Minutes]

Every photographer wants their own signature style.

A look that tells the world, “This is mine and no one else's!”

Developing a personal style for photography can be challenging, if not frustrating.

It's like having to decide which donut to choose. Glazed or icing with sprinkles? Don't get me started.

Most people will tell you to be patient...humbug!

I know what you're thinking AND feeling! "How can I start my business and find my ideal client if I don't what my style and 'signature look' is?

Yeah, frustrating, I know.

Take a deep breath because we'll figure this out together.

For starters, there are two main camps your work will fall into – Documenting and Directing.

Which camp is more successful? Is one approach better than the other? This isn't as hard as choosing Team Vampire or Team Werewolf.

The short answer is no, one is not better than the other. (another deep breath out.)

It really doesn't matter if your style leans to one side or the other.

The important thing is to be true to yourself, your style and your clients. Let's look at both approaches.

Documenting with your photography is more journalistic in nature. You're capturing real moments as they happen. If you miss that moment, it's gone.

You're also not staging any scenarios, so they "look" real.

When you're documenting, "the moment" is in control, and you're there to catch it...if you can.

The Pros of Documenting

• There's always a moment, so you're never without an opportunity to capture something.

• You don't have to be overly assertive to get a great shot.

• When you see the shot, you know it was a real moment, and you can sell that.

The Cons to Documenting

• As I mentioned, if you miss the moment, it's gone.

• You don't get some of those "super-cute" shots you often see in magazines.

• You're ALWAYS looking for real moments – It will be more tiring on you physically. The moments are in control.

If you prefer a Directing style, you also watch and see things as they're happening, BUT you give yourself creative liberty to stop and adjust the moment if needed.

You might even take inspiration from a bridal magazine or something you saw online and want to recreate a scene for your bride.

When you're directing, you control the moment and the people and things within it.

The Pros of Directing

• The only limit to the cool shots is your imagination.

• Some brides are drawn to these "super-cute" moments even though they know they're staged.

• You're not burdened by constantly looking for naturally occurring moments. You're in control.

The Cons of Directing

• Some brides prefer real moments vs staged ones.

• You do have to be assertive and creative as the Director when you set up your scenes (this may be a pro for you, who knows?)

• You'll find yourself always hunting for something fresh and unique for your brides and grooms.

So which one is better? The answer is up to you – good news!

When you're just starting out as a wedding photographer, you might not have developed a style yet and that's perfectly fine.

You can still get started shooting, gaining valuable experience and making some real money in the process (those cameras actually DO pay for themselves if you use them properly.)

You're a creative person who appreciates good visuals, but you haven't experimented enough to know what shooting style feels right for you – you'll get there.

You may be a Director or Documenter, but you just don't know yet.

If this is the case, it might be a good idea to blend a little bit of both documenting and directing into your approach and see where your comfort zone is.

You might love being in control, putting the bride here and putting the bridesmaids there, and getting a super-cute (yet super-set-up) shot the bride will love.

On the other hand, you might love waiting for that perfect moment to reveal itself and then pounce on it like a cheetah.

Once you've shot a good handful of weddings, you'll start to feel a pull toward one approach or another and do more of that.

And more good news, as you gravitate toward one shooting approach, you'll also move a lot closer to creating a shooting style that is uniquely yours – that coveted Signature Style.

But until then, both camps are fine...if they're fine for your client.

When you sit down with a couple or meet a bride at a wedding show, your work is on full display. What you show and how to describe your work is a huge part of the creative and selling process.

What does this mean?

If you show a bride a brilliant shot you staged – one that was fun, dynamic, perfectly composed, and perfectly lit and you said this was a REAL moment that you just captured, the bride is going to see that and think, "This amazing photographer got this real moment, and the bride didn't have to pose for it. I hate posing for photos, so I'm going to hire them because they'll get me THAT kind of photo." Uh-oh

At the same time, you may also show a bride a brilliant shot you captured – one that was fun, completely natural and real, BUT it wasn't perfectly composed or perfectly lit.

If you don't tell the bride this IS a real moment, she'll think, "Yeah, this is nice, but their photography skills aren't super." Also, Uh-oh

It's your responsibility to sell your skills to your brides, so they appreciate your work AND your craftsmanship. That's why they're hiring you!

Brides simply want what they want.

If they see perfection and you describe your skill in arranging everyone to photograph this incredible moment, they'll want the results.

They might also see a genuine moment and love the story of how you waited (and waited) to capture that moment and love that part of you, your unique process and they'll want the results.

Of course, even if you're a hard-core wedding photojournalist like myself, you'll find that there are plenty of times when you have to take off your journalist hat (I don't recommend wearing hats at weddings) and prompt or "gently control" a scene to get the best results. Shooting the bride putting on the dress comes to mind, as does shooting the invitations, flowers, decor, etc.

On the flip side, you might prefer to control every facet of the day, but you'll invariably come up against a moment where you just have to shoot it as it happens (ceremony, anyone?). This is a good thing, though.

While it's easy to see both styles as fairly different, what's important is that you are a creator and have passion for what you do.

When you sell your work as a product of your skills with your signature spin, your couple knows what to expect from you, and they'll love that.

On a personal note, I think having a hybrid comfort zone of both a journalistic and posed approach is the safest and most attractive to most couples. Call yourself "versatile" if you want.

Ultimately, personal style must be comfortable for you if you're going to enjoy this wonderfully creative career for the long term (and be perpetually profitable).

At the end of the day, the photos that genuinely speak to YOU will become your Signature Pieces.

And the brides that fall in love with your Signature Pieces will become your ideal clients.

Developing your own signature style is one of the little parts of the "inner game of wedding photography." THIS is what I write about each week in this newsletter.

If you want to be notified each Sunday morning when a new issue is posted, pop your email in and subscribe for free.

Questions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]