Today’s post is related to something that has been on my mind for a long time, but was unsure about sharing my opinion on. This topic contributes to your decision as to how to choose a wedding photographer and videographer, and is something that not many people talk about.
What is the difference between a styled shoot and a real wedding?
Sometimes wedding magazines or even the wedding photographer/videographer themselves post images/films from a “styled shoot,” but what does that mean?
A styled shoot is basically a set up photo shoot with a theme. Numerous wedding vendors, including dress/tux shops, photographers, videographers, bakers, and decorators come together to come up with a theme, bring the vision to life, and create promotional material through the photo shoot. While this is amazing for the vendors involved, it can be quite tricky to differentiate between what is real vs what is set up in their portfolio.
When you are researching wedding vendors, especially wedding photographers and videographers, you’ll want to make sure that the photos/films you are seeing are real weddings. Styled shoots are great to see the company’s style + skills, but they do not necessarily represent what is realistic for your wedding day.
But, why does this matter? Why do you need to know the difference? Well, as stated, styled shoots usually only occur when conditions are perfect, the vendors find the perfect models, and all of those creative masterminds can create quite the beautiful scenes/themes. While some weddings are lucky enough to experience the perfect conditions, many are not.
This is just something to think about as you are researching wedding vendors! Make sure you are looking at a portfolio of real weddings 🙂
xoxo,
Wild Soul Weddings
Iowa, Idaho, Destination, Traveling, Elopement photographer and videographer