There is no doubt that a wedding is a once-in-a lifetime event. Once upon a time, when science was not as advanced as it is today, photography was the only tool that could record this wonderful ceremony, which changes your life in totality. Today, there are videos, digital cameras and computers, which can put together some wonderful memorabilia for you. This is the main difference between wedding photography and documentary.
A Documentary Can Make the Memories Evocative
How are wedding photography and documentary different? Photography will give you the present and only the present; however beautifully shot, it will only give you a snapshot of the present. Of course, if this is what you want, photography is fine in its own way. There is a certain charm in getting the whole family together for the wedding album, and posing with parents, aunts and uncles and grandparents.
A documentary on the other hand starts with the beginning and climaxes in the wedding ceremony. It gives the viewer the whole ¡°story¡± right from beginning when the bride and the bridegroom were babies until the wedding. Some professionals would include some candid childhood photographs in between digital shots taken during childhood. It can also add background voice, music and effects.
Another basic difference between wedding photography and documentary is that the latter would present you with a flow of events, which will make wedding look even more romantic and sweet. The documentary film could adopt a theme or it could have some fascinating special effects included to make it as glamorous and dramatic as a movie.
Wedding photography and documentary are not interchangeable since each one has its own place. There could be no wedding without the wedding album so the photography will definitely be there, like an integral part of the ceremony. The wedding documentary on the other hand, would be something special of the newly wedded couple and in the future for their children. The documentary usually puts things into a wonderful perspective, which becomes more precious with every year passing.
For both the wedding photography and documentary, you will need real experts. This is one ceremony, which you will need (and should demand) only perfection. Hence, you should run a few trials with both and only when you are fully satisfied with the results you should okay them. It is very important that the professionals you hire understand your mood and what you want to have captured during the wedding. Their idea of what should be included and yours should not clash or the result will be a catastrophe.
The trials will help you to find out how competent they are. For the rest, you should have thorough briefings about when, how and what should be shot so you will have records of everything you want of that amazing day in your life.
