A Client's Guide to Wedding Photography Terminology 101

As photographers, we use a lot of terminology that our clients may not understand. This blog is here to help you get to know some of the terminology in regard to your wedding photography.

Bridal Party – This includes your maid (or matron) of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, ring bearer, flower girl, and ushers.

Candid – Candid images are photos that are not planned, but are taken as they happen. They are very much in the moment and are different for every single wedding. They aren’t posed or forced and can be a lot of fun!

Cull – This is the process where we eliminate ‘bad’ or duplicate images before we start the editing process. A bad image would be one that is way too dark, bright, blurry, someone blinked, etc. We also take out similar images so you don’t have to look through a million of the same photo over and over again, leaving you only with the best shots possible.

Details – Detail shots are just that – pictures of details, like the flowers, your rings, place settings, shoes, jewelry, etc.

Alex Danielle Bridal Prep High-res 25bwjpg

Digital Images – We are digital photographers, meaning that we use memory cards instead of film. All of our images are loaded to a computer and we send you digital copies of the images via a download link or a USB drive.

Editing – This is where we adjust your photos. If we need to make them brighter or darker or enhance the colors. This is our editing process. We can also take the color out and make the image a black and white photo.

Formals – Formal photos are typically done after the ceremony (sometimes before) where the family and bridal party gets together with the bride and groom and takes photos where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. There are a variety of photo groups here depending on the family bridal party sizes and with whom you want photos.

Fun – Fun photos are spontaneous, in the moment photos where the couple or bridal party acts silly and loosens up as opposed to the sometimes stiff feeling of formal photos.

High Res – This term is short for High Resolution and means that the image is good for printing.

JPEG – A JPEG is the type of file your images are converted to after they are culled and edited. This is also the format that most photos are printed from.

Low Res – This is short for Low Resolution and is not good for printing. Low Res images can be used for online purposes – sharing on social media, attaching onto an e-mail etc.

Pinterest – This is when a photo is posed via a style that can be found on the popular website, Pinterest. It has become quite popular for clients to show their photographers the Pinterest boards they’ve created of different images they like.

RAW – This term is used to describe the images (photos) before they go through their editing process. The 'raw' images are also sometimes called SOOC = Straight Out Of Camera.

Retouching – During our editing process, retouching is where we can remove blemishes and smooth out skin, minor adjustments, etc.

Romantic – These are images that are based on the couple and shows them interacting with one another and being "lovey" toward each other. They are sweet and more natural poses.

Alex Danielle Bride Groom Couples Portraits Low-res 36jpeg

Traditional – Traditional wedding photos are the standard portraits, poses, and events taken at weddings. These are the images that we get at every wedding, no matter what.