PORTFOLIO: Documentary Style, Intimate & Candid Photos of People at Weddings.
“What is Documentary Wedding Photography”? - A Question I’m asked in almost every phone call with couples lately.
And I get it! It’s becoming increasingly difficult to articulate through keywords alone what we do as photographers.
When every photographer uses these terms to describe their work, mostly in an effort to be found online when someone searches “documentary wedding photographer in Toronto”.
The term “documentary style” is a reference to the old school look of candid, journalistic imagery often associated with long form photo essays that documentary photographers would use, often black and white, often gritty and moody. ….
A Summer Afternoon Wedding at University of Toronto’s Knox College.
At each event I cover, I make sure to follow my motto: moments over perfection. I’m not looking to manufacture situations to happen just for the sake of making perfectly beautiful images for social media. My focus is always on capturing genuine, unplanned human moments. At some venues I photograph, the venue’s architecture does play a big role in the overall look and vibe of the shots I create. For example, Knox College at University of Toronto is certainly a space that creates the look of the photos.
By mid-afternoon, the summer light shifts across the U of T campus, filtering through the chapel's stained glass and casting deep, directional shadows across the arched cloisters. It’s quite beautiful, and in deep and contrasting black and white images, the look is very dramatic.
As a documentary photographer, my goal is to simply blend in like a guest, letting you actually enjoy your day with family and friends rather than forcing you into a cookie-cutter formula of poses. The beauty of Knox College is that its rich stone textures and quiet courtyards naturally frame the real story of your day. The interplay of that warm summer light and the historic space gives me the perfect environment to seek out honest, intimate photographs without ever interrupting your celebration.