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Two Styles

Documentary.
Or traditional?

An honest comparison from a documentary wedding photographer. Both styles have their place — picking the right one matters because it shapes what your wedding photos will actually look like 10 years from now.

Side-by-side

Where each approach spends time.

AGV (Documentary)
Traditional (Posed-Portrait)
Posed family portraits at the altar
Done in 8 minutes, then we move on
Done over 30-45 minutes — the centerpiece
Detail shots (rings, dress, invitations)
Quietly, during getting-ready downtime
Often the dominant first hour of the day
During ceremony
Documenting reactions + tears
Posed angles + technical perfection
During cocktail hour + reception
Candids of guests, real laughs, moments unfold
Often pulling people aside for posed photos
Lighting choices
Available light + natural ambience
Often heavy off-camera flash
Editing tone
Film-inspired, true-to-color, low contrast
Brighter, more saturated, polished
Final gallery feel
Photojournalistic — story of the day
Best-of greatest hits
Best for
Couples who want to feel the day on rewind
Couples who want a polished portfolio

Pick AGV when:

  • You want photos that look like the day actually felt — not staged
  • You hate posing for cameras + don't want a "my-husband-and-I-pretending-to-laugh" type look
  • You care about cultural rhythm: la entrada, vals con papá, brindis — these need to be observed not staged
  • Your guests are the heart of the day (extended family, college friends, first-look on the kids)
  • You've seen wedding photos that felt like memories vs. ones that felt like advertisements — and prefer the first kind

Pick traditional when:

  • ◆You want the formal posed portraits to be the centerpiece (multi-generational family portraits matter most)
  • ◆Your venue is super-curated and you want every shot to look polished + magazine-ready
  • ◆You're older / more reserved + don't want a photographer documenting candid moments
  • ◆You strongly value album-ready posed portraits over lots of in-the-moment storytelling
  • ◆You want a guarantee that every guest is captured in a posed photo (more controllable in traditional)

Documentary sound right?

10 minutes. Tell me about your wedding + I'll give an honest call on whether AGV is right for you. If your day calls for traditional, I'll say so.

Plan your day
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