Or, if you are documentary wedding photographers, what’s with the flash photos?

Daisy and Aaron in the wedding pagoda at Sedgebrook Hall, Northampton

If you have read through our website, seen examples of our work, or even been at guest at one of the weddings, then you will know that we specialise in a style of wedding photography known as documentary wedding photography. That means that our approach on a wedding day is to tell the story of the day, with as little intervention from us as possible. A wedding is all about a couple spending their day with their family and friends, and having memories to last a lifetime - our job is to capture the moments that make this possible. Who was there, what happened, who did what, and so on. We pride ourselves in not getting in the way and being THAT annoying wedding photographer(s) who boss people around, shout at people and generally get in the way.

So, with that in mind, why is our Instagram feed full of posed flash photos of couples? Well, several reasons, as follows.

A bride and Groom at Hillfields Farm wedding venue — Charlotte and Ollie in the pagoda at Hillfields Farm, Upper Basildon, Near Reading

Firstly, whilst 95% of the images we deliver to our couples are reportage wedding photos, we of course recognise that couples will want to have a memorable photograph of themselves, to have on their wall for example. Using creative flash allows us to create images that couples would not be able to take on a mobile phone, for example. Balancing flash light with available light, adding coloured gels and using several flashes allows us to create stunning images that couples will treasure for a lifetime.

Abigail and Sean at Stratton Court Barn, Bicester. A gelled flash is being held by Sean

Secondly, although setting up creative flash wedding photographs can take a bit of time, the couple don’t need to be involved in this! Steve typically will set up the equipment and camera settings, whilst Sam carries on with our documentary photography. Only when the lighting is set up will Sam find the couple and ask them to, briefly, pose. It never takes more than 5 minutes for the couple in practice, often no more than a minute or two.

Hannah and Curtis at The Post Barn wedding venue, Newbury

Thirdly, creative flash wedding photography can make a wedding location look very different! Look at the image below; this was taken in the reception area of the Voco Oxford Thames Hotel, where we are recommended suppliers. Whilst the reception area is very nice, it is still, well, a hotel reception! However, using creative flash, and deliberately underexposure the for the ambient light (this photo was taken early evening, before dark) has created a totally different look to the reception area.

Claire and Dimitri in the reception of Voco Oxford Thames Hotel

Finally, despite the fact we have been photographing wedding for 14 years, we always seek to learn new skills. Learning and then applying creative flash for weddings has been both interesting and enjoyable. We have been greatly inspired by the incredible images in the Flashmasters group, run by our good friends Neil Redfern and Helen Williams. This is a fantastic and friendly community and a great place to learn new techniques.

So, if you are interested in documentary wedding photography, with a touch of creative flash wedding photography, we would love to hear from you.

Below are some more examples of our flash wedding photography.