Our Approach to Photography
Wedding photography style?
Right! What do we mean by our wedding photography style? Aren’t all wedding photos the same?
Nowadays there is a lot of variety within the wedding photography industry. You can choose from traditional or modern or a blend of both.
It all depends what you are looking for in your wedding photographer and finding the right fit for your needs and personalities.
Hopefully finding out a bit more about our new wedding photography style will help you make and informed decision as to whether Koda Weddings are the right photographers for you and your big day.
Below you find our photography styles list. Enjoy!
Storytelling technique
If you have been looking for a wedding photographer to shoot your wedding then you have probably encountered the term storytelling along the way.
As a style of photography storytelling is one of the most effective tools in a photographer arsenal to get a picture of how your day unfolded.
To us a wedding shouldn’t be presented as a set of individual photographs. Instead it should be a story. Here at Koda Weddings we are committed to telling that story in our documentary and fine art style.
We love documenting your complete day from start to finish and it also makes for a more successful wedding album when we have a story to tell.
All couples and weddings are different so we are already on our way to creating a unique story in that regard. We want the day to be YOUR story and not one that we have manufactured in a way that it becomes our story of how your day should look.
We simply want our photos to be an honest reflection of the day but show it off to its full potential with our unique eye.
Documentary style photography
So what do we mean by saying we are documentary wedding photographers?
Basically if we see something cool or interesting happening we will photograph it. From the details that you have spent weeks even month planning to the bigger things such as the venue or the atmosphere.
Our job is to document the true story of your wedding. Documentary photography is all about getting in amongst the action and biding your time to get a killer shot.
Something to consider when you look through our portfolio is that the majority of our images are un-posed and captured 100% in the moment.
We are very adaptable wedding photographers and this in our opinion is the key to great photos. Keeping it fresh is what inspires us to continue to shoot weddings and if we had posed shots throughout the whole day we would simply get bored. Each wedding is unique and for that reason they drive our creativity allowing us to produce new and exciting work week in week out.
If a moment is set up and staged then we believe that it wasn’t really a moment at all. On the flip side if a moment is un-staged, captured, and there was no posing involved, then that becomes a photo that you didn’t even realise we had taken, and it will have great value in years to come.
The wedding day itself is a unique and once in a life time day. You will be surrounded by all the people you hold dear and you want to have an amazing time with them.
We know there will be certain formalities such as walking down the aisle and exchanging a ring but the moments we live for as wedding photographers are those off script ones. That is what we are truly passionate about capturing, an emotional father of the bride, a nervous look from the groom and even your grandmas dance moves.
All these sorts of moments are way more interesting than the scripted stuff and why we continue to shoot weddings in this style.
Fine art approach to composition
The aim of your wedding day is that you have a great time and this is always in our thoughts. However there is nothing to say we can’t capture you doing this but in a creative and artistic way is there?
We utilise creative compositions as well as our signature editing to create the best fine art images that we can.
Whilst you might be inspired by other peoples weddings you have seen online it is important to us that we make unique photos just for you. We are passionate about photography and art in general an draw on our influence in film and television rather than copying what other wedding photographers are doing.
Western influence on our photography
Having spent 10 years living in the U.K. Koda has brought his unique western style to Hong Kong. Having observed countless wedding during his stay he knows the traditions and formalities that make up western wedding.
The first look for example is something that is not practiced at Hong Kong wedding but something that can create a real moment between bride and groom. In western culture the bride is hidden away from the groom only to be revealed for the first time as they meet at the end of the aisle. The idea of this is to build the excitement and that is always evident when they catch a glimpse of each other for the first time.
When we are asked about our western influences we always recommend this to our couples. It gives us the chance to capture some great moments that you can treasure for a lifetime.
Unique Editing
All the weddings we photograph are edited by our master photographer Koda.
Right from the start Koda has worked incredibly hard to achieve his signature style when it comes to photo retouching. He is meticulous in his approach and is always striving for his consistent and unique look. Nobody else will have wedding photos quite like yours.
We currently use the latest version of Lightroom to edit our weddings which ensures a consistent edit throughout. Additionally should any retouching need to be done we handle this in Photoshop which offers us the best control.
Relaxed style of shooting
ll photographers at Koda Weddings are trained to a very high standard by Koda himself.
They all operate on the same belief that if they are relaxed and blend in with the guest they will be able to capture wonderful candid moments throughout the day.
Having shot countless weddings over the years we have built up a wealth of experience and therefore have encountered a wide variety of scenarios on a wedding day.
Utilising our wealth of knowledge allows us to remain calm when other might get flustered. We have found that maintaining this level of calmness rubs off on everyone around us. We don’t just point the camera in your face and expect to get great shots. Instead we work at making people feel at ease with our presence. Over the years we have found that this attitude towards wedding photography yields the best results.
A blend of posed and un-posed photos
Whilst our style is predominately documentary, catching off the cuff candid shots we also know the importance of some stylish portraits. This is pretty much the only time on your wedding day when it will be just you two being photographed.
We typically need you for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on if we are travelling to a location. If you have already booked a pre wedding shoot with us then you will be familiar with how we work in this time.
Additionally if you have had a pre wedding shoot we us you might not require too many portrait shots on your wedding day and instead can enjoy your time with your guests.
We don’t ask you to do anything crazy and we try to making any posing that we do as natural as possible. Our aim with portrait shots is to get some stunning images of you two just having fun together rather than rigid and uncomfortable looking photos.
The ‘Snap’ Photographer
The vast majority of photos that we display on our website are shot by our ‘snap photographers’. The photos you will fall in love with and really appreciate are the ones you didn’t even realise were taken.
The candid moments we capture throughout a wedding day along with our creative portrait shots are what really make up our unique style.
The ‘snap photographer’ will blend right in amongst your guests and find real and raw moments throughout the day. They will take creative and artistic shots of details such as the wedding dress, shoes and jewellery.
Their role is more documentary than the ‘standard photographer’ but you can still approach them at any point if your require a shot with family or friends.
The ‘snap photographer’ loves capturing real moments.
The ‘Standard’ Photographer
Whilst all couples are obviously different we have found that in Hong Kong group photos are a lot more popular than they are overseas in the U.K.
However, even when we are in the U.K. it is quite rare that a couple won’t request we capture at least a few group photos.
When we shoot weddings in Hong Kong we provide a specialised photographer who’s job it is to capture group photos. Their general aim throughout the day is to provide a document for every one that attended your wedding. The group shots for a typical Hong Kong wedding can vary from 50 to 100 depending on a couples request.
In western culture however the list for group shots is much smaller and with this in mind the ‘standard photographers’ role changes slightly as they become more of a second shooter to the ‘snap photographer’. In this instance they provide assistance to the lead photographer and may help out with lighting etc whilst also providing additional coverage that would otherwise not be possible.
