What Is Fine Art Wedding Photography?

Fine Art Wedding Photography is a style of photography that is classic, artistic, and timeless. As weddings evolve into more personalized celebrations of love and commitment, couples are interested in unique and artistic approaches to documenting their wedding days. One such trend that has gained immense popularity is fine art wedding photography. If you are recently engaged or looking into wedding photography, you may soon realize there are many styles out there. Some photographers have a more candid or documentary approach, some more traditional, and some more of a hybrid style.

Moreover, fine art wedding photography is a form of visual storytelling that captures the core, emotions, and aesthetics of a couple’s love story. This style of photography comes across as timeless, luxury, and emotive.

Let’s Define Fine Art Photography

Fine art wedding photography goes beyond traditional wedding photography by creating artwork out of candid moments. It’s artistically compelling, aesthetically pleasing, intentional, and evokes emotion. It is an approach that blends the skillful use of light, composition, and storytelling to produce images that are reminiscent of classic paintings or cinematic frames. The goal is to elevate wedding photography to an art form, resulting in photos that are not just records of the event but visual masterpieces that stand the test of time.

What To Look For In Fine Art Photography

Are you asking yourself, “What do I look for to spot fine art photography?”. What are the characteristics that set fine art photography apart from traditional photography? Let’s get into it!

The Composition of Fine Art Wedding Photos

Fine art wedding photographers pay meticulous attention to composition, framing, and visual elements. We often incorporate creative techniques such as framing the couple within natural surroundings or utilizing unique perspectives to create visually stunning images.

I personally like to remove any distractions from a photo if necessary. If I am shooting downtown, and there’s a trashcan in the background; it’s getting edited out. I like to find unique, clean, and appealing settings for backdrops!

Emotional Storytelling

Beyond capturing staged moments and poses, fine art wedding photographers excel in documenting the genuine emotions and interactions between the couple and their loved ones. Each photograph tells a story, evoking feelings of joy, love, and connection. You should be able to feel the connection and emotion between the couple through the photos.

Timeless Editing

Fine art wedding photography embraces a timeless and classic aesthetic. The images are characterized by a soft, ethereal quality, often achieved through natural light and a true-to-life tone. This creates a sense of timelessness that allows the photographs to age gracefully. When editing photos, I like to keep the tones authentic to reality and enhance the image.

Attention to Detail

From the bride’s delicate lace veil to the intricate details of the wedding decor, fine art wedding photographers focus on capturing the small yet significant details that contribute to the overall beauty of the day. I want to capture everything that composes your wedding day.

Why Is Fine Art Wedding Photography So Popular?

Fine art wedding photography is becoming increasingly more popular among engaged couples. Why is that? Let’s go over why this is becoming something soon-to-be newlyweds are seeking after.

The Way The Day Is Documented

When a prospective client inquires, I read, “We want you to capture our wedding day in a way that shows emotion and encompasses all the little details.” With the increasing popularity of wedding trends such as seating charts, champagne towers, etc., couples want assurance that those things receive thorough capture.

Quality Of The Images vs The Quantity of Images

This is not to say that any other style of photography is inferior to fine art wedding photography! Again this is preference of style. More and more couples are wanting their wedding galleries to consist of carefully curated images that tell a story over a large amount of photos that don’t visually convey their wedding day story.

Investing In Your Memories

Couples see fine art wedding photography as an investment in capturing memories that will last a lifetime. The timeless and artistic nature of these photographs ensures that not only the couple but also generations to come will cherish them.

The Aestetic

The visually striking and artistic nature of fine art wedding photography appeals to couples who appreciate the beauty of classic art forms. These images become more than just wedding photos; they become pieces of art that can be proudly displayed.

So what are the aesthetics of fine art photography? Below are some common characteristics…

• Timeless, true-to-color editing
• Often brighter images opposed to “dark and moody”
• Use of natural vs. artificial light
• Romantic posing and candid moments
• Shallow depth of field (the subject is in focus and the background nicely out of focus)
• A love of the finer things, such as fashion, florals, minimalism, tasteful decor

An important thing to note is that your venue, decor, and colors also play a role in this aesthetic. It will be harder to achieve this look in a dark venue or one that doesn’t offer a lot of natural light.

For more fine art wedding photography examples, check out my Pinterest board here that displays some of my favorite inspiration photos!

Are you looking for a wedding photographer to document your wedding day in a timeless and artistic way? Reach out to me here to get more information!