Reportage or posed photos?

The words most googled by brides looking for a photographer for their wedding are: “natural photographs”. But what is meant by natural photographs?

In photography there are different genres. Those referring to marriage are commonly: reportage or posed photos. The two genres often intersect. The difference between one and the other is quite definite, but I think not entirely clear

reportage o foto in posa?
reportage o foto in posa?

Wikipidia makes a statement about reportage: ”it is a photographic genre with very specific rules. It is a faithful documentation of clearly identifiable facts. Its purpose is to tell a story through an image gallery. Often used in journalism, to document people's lives in difficult situations, such as a war, a natural disaster or other events. "

Reportage photography does not involve any type of pose, including photos with the grandmother or with the aunt who came from overseas. It is a faithful documentation of the facts, in which the photographer simply documents what happens.

I believe that the word "reportage" in the wedding field is nowadays misinterpreted and misused by spouses and colleagues. I still quote Wikipedia about wedding photography: “it is a kind of social photography practiced on the occasion of a wedding. It is a particular photographic exercise, made by professional photographers of which it is the main activity. This specialization is sometimes denigrated for its "non-artistic" side

It mixes reportage, portraiture, composition, mastery of the event and personalization. " It is therefore a genre that contains several within it. In fact, there are very few photographers who make a wedding entirely in reportage style, sacrificing canonical photographs such as family portraits, which 99.9% of spouses require.

The search for the word "natural photos" is therefore the wrong way to highlight the genre or type of photography for your wedding. What I suggest you do is analyze the site of every photographer whose photos appeal to you. Do not limit yourself to the single photo, but analyze entire weddings to understand if the way of telling is what you are looking for. Regardless of whether it is characterized by a posed or reportage type photo.

I would say that the vast majority of us focus on mixing both styles and making them our own, giving the client a very personal view of that day and your story. But above all it is not important that you choose a reportagist or a pose photographer, it is essential that you find the photographer that meets your tastes, the one you are in tune with and that reflects your photographic needs.

photo credits: Federica Ariemma

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