Wedding photography vocabulary breakdown

So, you’re looking for a wedding photographer and completely lost in some of the jargon that we throw around? Here is a primer on some typical wedding photography vocabulary.

Proofing

In the olden days (before digital) - photographers would print out small sheets or 4x6 prints of all the photos from your wedding. These were called “proofs.” You would go through these to decide what photos you wanted for your album or for larger prints. Today, I use online proofing galleries. You get to see all your photos (usually 600 up to 1,000 or more photos depending on how long your wedding is and if you have the second photographer option) in a dedicated online gallery that is for you and your guests only. You can share it as you would like, or keep it private, it’s up to you! Through the online gallery your guests will be able to purchase prints through my professional lab or buy digital downloads.

Album/Print Credit

Some photographers give you a certain amount of print enlargements in a package (say, three 8x10s and ten 5x7s, for example), or a certain size album (like a 10x10 album with 20 pages). Instead of doing that, I like to give my clients the freedom to choose what they would like for prints/canvas/albums after the wedding. The credit gives you that choice so you can decide how you would like to preserve your photos for years to come. I am always here for guidance, of course!

First Look

This is becoming more and more popular - and I have written a whole other blog post about why you should consider this option! The “first look” is simply the time we set-up for you and your soon-to-be spouse to see each other before the wedding. You get the opportunity to release some of those nervous butterflies before the ceremony by seeing each other, a few emotional moments. Then we can also get some of the formal photos done at that time as well so you can have more time with your guests at the cocktail hour. I have also had some clients opt not to do a first look with their significant other, but do one with their bridesmaids or a parent. That is also very sweet and special!

Unplugged Ceremony

Another wedding trend that I have written a blog post about! An unplugged ceremony is simply a ceremony where you ask your guests to put away their phones/tablets so they can be fully present.

High Res Images

This is short for high resolution images - basically it means images that aren’t compressed or downsized. All of my packages include the high resolution images on USB with printing rights. That gets us to our next term!

Printing Rights

Printing rights are personal use rights for the images. All of my couples get the printing rights to their images. You can use your images on your own website/social media as well as make prints/canvas/albums wherever you’d like (I do have a few recommendations for highest quality - please don’t go to a drugstore or Walmart! There are so many great options out there.) You just cannot sell the images (to a magazine for instance).

Macro Photography

Macro photography is close-up photography. Those ring shots or very close-up detail shots are done with a special macro lens.

Off Camera Flash

Off camera flash is basically what it sounds like! The flash (lighting unit) is taken off the camera and put on a tripod. This is helpful for your photographer to know how to do if your wedding is in a barn or other dark space.

Archival Back Up

Archival back up is included for all of my wedding photography clients. I have been in business for over fifteen years, and I have everything archived so far! I back everything up through both an online service as well as an external hard drive. Each photographer will have their own way of doing this, but it’s just another assurance that your photos will be safe!

Photojournalistic, documentary, light and airy, dark and moody, vintage, editorial, true to color, natural

These are all terms that we photographers use to describe our photography style.

Photojournalistic and documentary could be used hand in hand - documenting the day as it happens with no interruptions.

Light and airy - true to it’s description, these photos are very light with skies often looking white, and usually not much contrast.

Dark and moody - same as above! There are variations on the dark and moody theme, with some looking more orange/maroon and others trending towards a green-ish hue. Faces can often be in shadow.

Vintage - a muted tone with a bit of a sepia (light brown) over the whole image.

Editorial - very stylized, often formal, photos. Similar to what you would think of for a magazine or model shoot. The style of the photos themselves will vary widely from photographer to photographer depending on their vision.

True to color/natural - photos that are edited to enhance the image but not take away the natural look of the colors/lighting of the actual day.

Shot List

Your list of photos you would like throughout the day. I always ask my clients to provide me a VIP list of guests, as well different family/friend combinations of group photos they would like. Also, if there are any very special “must have” shots that they would like. I also have my own shot list in my head of the detail photos I want to get throughout the day.

Retouching/Editing

This is a tricky one because it can vary from photographer to photographer! When I say I edit all of the images, it means I go through all of them and enhance them for brightness, contrast, saturation (how deep/vibrant the colors are), cropping, white balance (to make sure whites look white and not yellow/green/blue, etc).

Retouching is a further step, that I usually do not do except in extreme circumstances. For instance, something in the background that is very distracting and could not be adjusted/worked around on the day of shooting. Another example would be enhancing/removing things from people’s faces, things like that.

Did I miss anything? Let me know if there are other photography terms you would like to know about!