If you’ve landed here wondering what is documentary wedding photography, the simple answer is this:

Real people. Real moments. Nothing scripted.

It’s about letting your wedding happen naturally rather than constantly stopping it to create photographs.

The laughs, hugs, tears, nerves, questionable dance moves and everything happening around you. That’s the stuff I’m looking for.

It’s the reason I bloody love photographing weddings this way.

Below are some of the questions I get asked most by couples about documentary wedding photography and how I approach it.

Documentary wedding photography is about photographing your wedding as it naturally happens.

No constantly directing people. No recreating moments. No asking your guests to fake a laugh because the light looks nice.

I watch, listen and wait.

That could mean photographing your best mate’s reaction during your first kiss, your mum getting emotional during the speeches or something hilarious happening on the other side of the room that you didn’t even know about.

It’s storytelling through real moments.

If you’d like to see more about how I work as a documentary style wedding photographer, you can read about my approach here.

This is probably one of the questions I hear most.

And don’t worry. I’m not about to turn your wedding into an awkward photoshoot.

I don’t pose you.

We’ll still get some bloody lovely photographs of the two of you, but I normally treat this as 15–20 minutes away from the madness.

I’ll find some nice light, maybe ask you to go for a walk or get a little closer, and then let you be yourselves

Have a chat. Hold hands. Laugh. Take in the fact you’ve actually just got married.

That’s how I get natural, unposed wedding photos without making you feel like you’re performing for the camera.

Absolutely not.

Your guests are a massive part of your wedding story.

Yes, I still recommend a few group photos. Mum, Dad, grandparents, wedding party — get the important ones done.

But we don’t need 60–90 minutes of endless line-ups.

Around 10–15 minutes is normally plenty.

Then everyone can get back to drinking, laughing and enjoying themselves while I get back to photographing the good stuff.

Your family and friends are some of the most important people in your life.

I want your photographs to remind you not just of how your wedding looked, but who was there and what they were doing.

Yep.

From getting ready right through to the dance floor, I’m looking for real moments.

There will obviously be little times when I help. Group photographs need organising and during your couple photos I might find some good light or give you a tiny bit of direction.

But I’m not directing the actual wedding.

I won’t ask someone to repeat a hug because I missed it. I won’t move your mum next to a window because the light is nicer. And I definitely won’t ask your mates to pretend something hilarious has just happened.

I photograph things as they happen.

That’s what candid wedding photography means to me.

Short answer?

I’m staying for the party.

I bloody love the dance floor.

After the first dance, ties start coming off, shoes disappear, someone orders tequila and your uncle suddenly thinks he’s Freddie Mercury.

Why would I leave then?

Some of my favourite photographs happen late in the evening when everyone has completely forgotten about the camera.

I’ll start using flash creatively on the dance floor, but the moments themselves remain completely candid.

You provide the chaos.

I’ll photograph it.

If you want to know more about why I stay well past the first dance, I’ve written about that too.

Absolutely.

I’m not one of those photographers who promises “you won’t even know I’m there.”

That’s not really me.

Sometimes I’ll be quiet and watching what’s happening. Other times I’ll be chatting with your mates, laughing with your family and probably knowing half their names by the end of the night.

I want people to feel comfortable around me.

The more comfortable they are, the less they care about the camera.

By the end of the wedding, I hopefully feel less like the photographer and more like another guest who happens to have a couple of cameras hanging off him.

That’s when the really good stuff happens.

Be polite & respectful

This shouldn’t really need explaining, but apparently we’re doing it anyway.

I’m a guest at your wedding as much as I am the photographer.

I’ll dress properly, be respectful to your family and guests and get involved without making the day about me.

Being friendly is a massive part of how I work.

If your guests are comfortable having me around, I can get closer to the moments without changing them.

And that’s exactly where I want to be.