Documentary style Wedding Photography

A bride and groom smiling and holding sparklers during their nighttime wedding celebration, with guests in the background near a house.

Documentary Wedding photographer for couples who plan on attending cocktail hour

I don’t know if you remember, but here’s how almost all weddings used to be. The couple would get ready separately prior to the ceremony. After the ceremony, the couple would then skedaddle away for like 1-2 hours to do portraits while guests enjoyed cocktail hour and appetizers.

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If that sounds like torture and a total waste of money.

Let’s chat.

Say hello!

Hey there!

I am Kari, and I am a documentary wedding photographer who prioritizes candid and spontaneous photos of (im)perfect moments over leaving you hungry for champagne and shrimp cocktails.

I went to photo school where I focused on documentary practices and photojournalism.

That’s art speak for “I’d rather tell stories than take pictures of shampoo bottles.”

And that’s pretty much what you’ll get when you work with me. Photos of the in-between moments with relaxed portraits of you two and your families sprinkled in.

Always on film and digital!

A man with glasses and a bald head holding a camera, standing in a dark environment with blurred people and equipment in the background.
Bride walking through a door.
A smiling bride with curly hair holding a bouquet of white flowers, wearing a white dress and veil, with two women in the background clapping and smiling.
Bride and groom holding hands during their wedding ceremony.
A young girl with curly hair and a flower crown sticking out her tongue, at a wedding outdoors. The bride is holding hands with a man, wearing a white wedding dress and veil, smiling, with trees and grass in the background.
A black-and-white photo of a wedding, with a groom hugging a bride tightly in an outdoor setting surrounded by trees. The bride holds a bouquet of flowers, and there are two women on either side, one on each side, watching the moment.
A couple in wedding attire standing on a sidewalk in front of colorful graffiti art on a brick wall, with parked cars and a tree nearby.
South Asian bride getting help from her parents.
Bride and groom kissing on the dance floor during their wedding reception.
Group of people at a celebration, dressed in traditional Indian attire, with some taking photos and smiling, surrounded by cameras and decorations.
Women preparing a bride in a strapless white wedding gown, with two women assisting her, one holding a makeup brush and the other holding a product, in a room with a mirror, lamp, and floral arrangement.
People dressed in suits, holding drinks and a bowl, socializing at a gathering or event.
Person holding a glass of red wine, wearing a black outfit with a colorful, patterned sleeve, and holding a small black handbag.
Two women in white dresses sharing a joyful moment outside in front of a brick wall covered with green ivy, with arched windows.
Couple dressed in formal evening attire, the man in a black tuxedo and the woman in a sparkling, embellished gown, sharing a tender moment with the man kissing the woman's cheek.
Bride seeing her future husband for the first time on their wedding day.
Part of a bride walking on the street wearing a white wedding dress and floral shoes, holding a bouquet of colorful flowers, and a groom in black shoes and suit, with both walking close to each other.

What is Documentary Wedding Photography?

Let’s start by asking “what is documentary photography?” before we ask what it is when it comes to weddings. For me, documentary photography is a long-form series of pictures of people, places, and things that form a truthful narrative. Often published as a book or a photo-essay.

I think portraiture and still life images are definitely documentary, as long as they add to the story.

Documentary photography focuses on the story on a human level. Think of National Geographic, LIFE, or the features in NYT Magazine.

So how does that relate to weddings?

Basically, all wedding photography is documentary from my point of view. Every photographer takes pictures of people, places, and things. The difference is that when we talk about weddings, I think the photographers who highlight authentic and real-life pictures, over staged or rehearsed images are documentary wedding photographers. Truth is a big factor in documentary photography.

Why is this trending now?

A couple of decades or so ago, with the introduction of digital cameras, wedding photographers were no longer held back by the cost of shooting on film. Documentary photography relies on taking a lot of pictures — as I said, it is long-form storytelling. If someone wanted to use that approach for weddings, that would have meant hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars in film and developing.

Now, they could literally take 5000 digital photos on a wedding day. This meant that alternative styles and approaches were born, as more and more photographers had the freedom to create based on their own style and preference. That’s how the documentary approach became documentary wedding photography.