You’re scrolling through photographer websites and seeing words like “candid,” “documentary,” “editorial,” “posed,” “prompted,” and “directed.” They all sound nice. They also sound completely different from each other. So what does any of this actually mean for you as a client? And more importantly, what should you expect during your wedding day?
Let’s break down the buzzwords.
The Photography Styles Defined
Candid Photography
True candid photos are unposed, unplanned, and completely organic. Your photographer is simply observing and capturing what’s happening without any direction. You’re doing your thing, and they’re documenting it.
Documentary Photography
Documentary style focuses on telling the story of your day as it unfolds. Your photographer is capturing the moments, the emotions, the details—but they may occasionally direct you or suggest moments. It’s storytelling with some intentionality.
Posed Photography
Posed photos are exactly what they sound like: your photographer asks you to stand a certain way, position yourself, and hold a specific pose. Think traditional family portraits or formal couple shots.
Prompted Photography
Prompted is the sweet spot between posed and candid. Your photographer gives you direction (“walk toward me,” “laugh together,” “look at each other”) but you’re not holding a stiff pose. It feels natural because you’re moving and interacting, but there’s intention behind it.
Directed Photography
Directed photography means your photographer is actively guiding the moment. They’re setting up the scene, positioning you, giving you prompts, and creating an intentional mood or vision. Think of it like a movie director blocking a scene.
Editorial Photography
Editorial style is artistic and moody. Your photographer is creating images that feel like they could be in a magazine—thoughtful composition, intentional lighting, a specific aesthetic or vision. It’s photography as art.
Our Process: A Mix of Everything
Here’s what we actually do: we use prompted, directed, documentary, and a little bit posed—depending on what each moment needs.
We don’t subscribe to just one style because different moments call for different approaches. A quiet moment between you two during your first look? That’s documentary and candid. We’re just observing and capturing what’s naturally unfolding. A formal family portrait? That’s posed—we’re positioning people for a specific shot. Your couple portraits? That’s prompted and directed—we’re giving you direction to move and interact, but it doesn’t feel stiff because we’re guiding you, not freezing you.
We choose the approach based on the moment and, most importantly, based on YOU.
How We Get to Know You (Before Your Wedding Day)
This is where your engagement session questionnaire comes in. We ask you questions about your comfort level in front of the camera, how you like to move, what prompts make you feel confident, and how you want to see yourself in your photos.
Do you feel stiff if we ask you to “pose”? We’ll use more prompts and direction instead. Are you extremely comfortable being photographed? We might lean into documentary style and let moments unfold more organically. This information helps us show up to your wedding day with a plan that actually works for YOU, not for us.
Think of it like a movie director reading the script before filming. We’re not just showing up and hoping things work out—we’re intentionally setting up each scene to create the mood, vision, and emotion we want to capture.
The Truth About “Candid” Photos
Here’s something that might surprise you: those beautiful, candid-looking photos you love? Most of them aren’t 100% candid. They’re directed.
A candid-looking photo where you’re both laughing naturally takes intention and skill. We’ve positioned you in good light. We’ve suggested a prompt that makes you laugh. We’ve positioned ourselves to capture it from the right angle. It LOOKS candid because it IS candid in emotion and feeling—but it’s candid-with-intention, not candid-by-accident.
We actually promise you something: if you tell us you want “full documentary, no posing,” we’ll worry. Here’s why—we’ve seen it firsthand. When couples refuse any direction because they’re uncomfortable in front of the camera, they end up feeling MORE awkward and stiff. Without any guidance, people tend to freeze up, not relax.
What actually works? Some sort of plan combined with space for organic moments. Direction paired with moments we don’t intervene in. This is where the magic happens.
When We Truly Don’t Direct
There ARE moments where we step back completely and let things unfold naturally. Your first look? We’re not directing that. Your private vows? We’re observing, not intervening. Your ceremony? We’re capturing what’s happening, not staging it. Your reception and dancing? That’s all organic. And throughout your entire day, we’re ALWAYS looking for in-between moments that happen without any direction—genuine interactions between you and your favorite people, quiet conversations, real laughter.
These authentic moments happen most easily when you create space on your wedding day timeline for rest. When you’re not rushing from one thing to the next, when you get to actually breathe and be present, that’s when true moments unfold naturally.
Here’s our secret: we set you up for success first. We choose beautiful locations with good lighting. We position ourselves where we can capture emotion without being intrusive. We create the conditions for organic moments to happen beautifully. Then we get out of the way and let you be present.
The difference between a couple who looks stiff versus a couple who looks relaxed and natural often comes down to whether their photographer set them up for success AND whether they had breathing room in their timeline to actually exist.
Don’t Be Afraid of Posing
A lot of couples come to us saying, “I don’t want to feel posed or stiff. I love candid moments.” We get it. Most of us have seen wedding photos from the 2000s and 2010s that look painfully stiff and cheesy. That’s not what modern posing is.
Honest moment: I (Samantha) was this couple before I became a photographer. I said the exact same thing—”I love candid, I don’t want posed photos.” Then I got married and worked with a photographer who explained her posing system to me. I realized that all those candid photos I loved in other weddings? They were posed. With intention. Not cheesy at all. When I saw my wedding photos, I loved them because I trusted my photographer’s vision and she made me feel comfortable.
Wedding photography has evolved. Good posing isn’t about looking stiff or artificial. It’s about helping you feel confident, guiding your body in a way that’s flattering, and creating moments that feel authentic even though there’s direction behind them.
We just want to make sure you understand how we work and that we genuinely have your best interest in mind. We’re not trying to create cheesy photos. We’re trying to create images that feel like YOU—comfortable, confident, and authentic.
The Bottom Line
Don’t be intimidated by photography buzzwords. What matters is this: Does your photographer understand YOUR comfort level? Do they have a plan that works for you? Do they know when to direct and when to step back? Do they make you feel confident instead of stiff?
We ask these questions ahead of time because we want your wedding day to feel like you’re living it—not performing it. And we want your photos to be stunning because you felt comfortable, guided, and supported throughout the process.
Planning your South Carolina wedding and wondering what to expect from your photographer’s process? Let’s talk through our approach and make sure we’re the right fit for how you want to feel on your wedding day.
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