Does Your Photographer's Style Really Matter?
When you’re considering photographers for your wedding, family portrait, or other photo needs, one of the first things you’re going to realize is that all photographers have their own unique style.
As you can see from the work of these six different photographers, asking for a “female portrait” can yield any number of creative results.
Style is the subtle fingerprint of their creative mark on the world, and defines their work as uniquely theirs regardless of the subject matter. Some of it has to do with how they shoot, and some of it is related to how they edit, but the end result is the same. They want to convey a specific feeling or emotion when you look at their work, and they strive constantly to perfect it.
Before we jump in, however, I want to clarify that when I say “style” in this article, what I’m referring to is the finish, the overall look, and the mood, not the “style” in which the photographer works - ie, photojournalistic, traditional/posed, fashion/editorial, etc.
The conditions in which the photographer captures the photos certainly contributes to the overall finished style, but a Photojournalistic photographer can just as easily deliver a light-and-airy image as she can a dark-and-moody. So, to avoid confusion, just know that for the purposes of this post, I’m focusing strictly on the aesthetic style.
Further, it’s important to remember that these are broad generalizations, and two photographers who ascribe their work to a “Matte” style may infuse totally different approaches and put their own spin on it. Additionally, a photographer might have a blend of two styles…for example they may broadly approach their work in a Classic manner, but prefer the slightly lighter shadows of the Matte style. So, with those ideas in mind, let’s dive in.
Why it’s important to consider a photographer’s style
Aside from being a hallmark of expression in the photography world, does style really matter? Well, if you’re investing considerable time, money, and energy into having images created on your behalf, and want to enjoy the results for years to come, then I would argue that the answer to that is ‘yes’. And here’s why:
1) It’s more than looks - A consistent style depicts a superior level of expertise
Style is not something that just “happens”. It is something that develops over time. Most photographers, when they are first getting started or are still in the earlier stages of their career, are still finding their style. They try lots of different approaches until they find one that fits.
Experienced photographers have honed their style over many years of practice, study, and defining their personal preferences. They take it very seriously, and make conscious decisions about how they shoot, what equipment they use, what clients they work with, and what images they show on their website. Only photographers who have been in business a long time can afford to remove work that no longer fits.
Without a consistent style, you will have no way of knowing what YOUR images will turn out like, because your guess is as good as theirs on what style they'll be shooting that day.
In other words, if you encounter a photographer who shows a significant amount of images that look like they could have been taken by completely different people, you may want to keep looking.
2) The style of your photos will affect how you display them later
In today’s digital world, we don’t always think about the end product at first, but ultimately the reason you have photographs made is so that you can enjoy them in some physical format in your home and in your life.
So it’s good to think about YOUR own style and how you envision these photos hanging on your wall. If you live in a modern, minimalist home with lots of glass panes and white furniture, it probably does not make sense to hire a photographer who’s style is very warm, rich, and earthy.
If you pick a style that isn’t really consistent with your personal aesthetic, you’re going to find the process of choosing images to display more difficult.
So I highly recommend that you consider the style of your home and your decor, when considering the photographer who will be the best fit for you and your family.
3) It’s not something you can change on the fly
You can plan for different combinations of family members. You can discuss specific poses you love. You can even make a list of “must get” images. And with all three of those things, you can change them on the turn of a dime if your needs or expectations change.
But style is not so easy to change. A photographer’s style becomes “part of them” and isn’t really something they can turn on or off at will. Sure, you can request that an image be turned black and white, to be re-cropped, or to be retouched, but you don’t ask for style changes.
It would be like buying a Honda SUV for its cargo space and reliability, then asking the dealership to modify it so it hits 60mph in 1.8 seconds and bank the turns with the e-brake. It might be possible with some serious modifications, but if that’s what you really want, you should buy a sports car.
Similarly, the gallery of images you receive is going to - more or less - reflect the style that a photographer is known for. In other words, it’s something you need to think about when you’re comparing your options.
© Christian Holzinger
4) It will affect how you feel about the images - and therefore the event as a whole - if the style is not a good fit.
Photography is all about memory and emotion. The best photographers help you relive an event, a vacation, or a milestone through images that elicit an emotional response consistent to your memory of the event. They do this with lens choice, poses, and composition - but also with their style.
If you have a strong sense of buttoned-up stoic pride connected to a moment, it may not be appropriate for the photographer to have a bright, exuberant, color-saturated style. Similarly, if you’re wanting to remember the laughs, the antics, the hilarity, and the dance moves of your event, then a dark style of photography that is normally meant to elicit a moody and somber emotion might not be the best fit.
So, it is up to you to think about what kind of feeling you want conveyed in the images. Then you can more easily narrow down the styles you like which contribute to that emotion.
How do you know what style a photographer has?
While looking at images is the best way to determine one’s style, you can often get a sense of style before you ever even look at someone’s website. Let’s say you’re in your local boutique and you pick up a business card for a local photographer.
You can often ascertain their style by simply the branding and design they use in their marketing.
A “light and airy” photographer is certainly going to have, well, “light and airy” photographs throughout her site, but her branding will give this away as well with softer colors, usually more pastel shades, her fonts are generally more thin and wispy, and her materials are generally full of brighter backgrounds.
By the same token, a photographer who has a more “dark and sultry” style is going to exhibit mostly darker, moodier, more shadowy images, and their other materials are likely to have richer tones, thicker fonts, and darker backgrounds.
PS - Bonus tip
If you find a photographer who’s work does NOT match their other branding materials, refer back to the note above about consistency. Just how an experienced photographer will put a lot of thought into the style of their images, savvy studio owners also make sure that their marketing matches their style. If you find a mismatch, it could be a sign of someone who is still finding their creative voice.
