Timeless storytelling through thoughtful photography.
How do I choose a photographer who captures ‘feeling’ instead of just ‘award-winning shots’ for their portfolio?
A portfolio of award-winning shots often tells you more about a photographer’s technical skill than their ability to tell your story. To find a photographer who captures feeling, you need to look for consistency in the unposed reality of a wedding day. It is about finding a person who values the truth of your day over the perfection of their own portfolio.
How to choose a photographer who captures feeling?
When you begin your search for a wedding photographer, it is easy to get distracted by the hero shots. These are the epic, sunset-drenched portraits or the perfectly symmetrical church aisles. While these are beautiful, they only represent a tiny fraction of your day. To find a photographer who captures the soul of the event, you have to look deeper.
Look for the in-between moments
A photographer who cares about feeling will have a portfolio that includes the messy, quiet, and unplanned parts of a wedding. Look for images of guests laughing mid-conversation, a father wiping his eyes during a speech, or children playing under a table. These moments are the hardest to capture because they cannot be posed. If a photographer shows these consistently, it means they are observant and tuned into the human story rather than just the visual one.
Request a full gallery
Portfolios are curated to show the best 1% of a photographer’s work. To understand how they capture feeling, ask to see two or three full wedding galleries. This allows you to see how they handle the entire day.
- Do the photos from the morning prep feel intimate?
- Does the energy of the dance floor feel real?
- Is there a consistent emotional thread throughout the day? A photographer who can maintain a sense of feeling across 500+ images is a true storyteller.
Check for authentic skin tones and light
Feeling is often tied to how natural a photo looks. If the editing is too heavy or the colours are distorted to fit a specific trend, the emotional connection can be lost. I aim to keep skin tones warm and true to life and the greens of the Cotswold hills looking as they did on the day. When an image looks real, it is much easier to remember exactly how you felt when it was taken.
The importance of the personal connection
You cannot capture deep, honest feeling if your couple feels uncomfortable. This is where the human element is more important than any award. You need to feel like your photographer is someone you can trust to move around your family and friends. When you meet, or speak on a call, notice if they ask about your story and your people, or if they only talk about their gear and their accreditations.
Prioritise consistency over trends
Award-winning shots often follow current industry trends. However, feelings are timeless. Look for work that feels like it will still be relevant and moving in thirty years. A photograph of a genuine hug or a shared laugh will always hold more value than a trendy, heavily-filtered shot that was designed to win an online competition or look good on a social feed.
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