Engaged? Choosing Your Wedding Photography Style: Why True Color Reigns
You’re engaged (Congratulations!) and searching for the perfect photographer. The crucial question: What style do you envision? From the dramatically stylized “Light and Airy” and “Dark and Moody” looks to every variation in between, the options can feel overwhelming. At Abanathy Photography, we champion “True Color” photography, and here’s why:
True Color: Defining the Look
What exactly is “True Color”? Simply put, it’s our commitment to editing your images to reflect the genuine colors of your wedding day as accurately as possible. While all photos undergo editing – few, if any, emerge from the camera ready for display – our goal is to enhance shadows, highlights, tone, and other elements while preserving the integrity of your wedding’s true colors. The result? Beautiful portraits that perfectly capture the memories of your special day.
Timeless Wedding Photos: Why True Color Photography Matters
Are exaggeratedly-edited wedding photos really timeless? While we respect every photographer’s style, and appreciate that couples choose photographers based on that style, we need to talk about overly stylized editing. One of the biggest concerns with editing beyond true color is how quickly it dates your images, losing that “timeless” quality so many couples desire.
Think about photos from the 1960s, 70s, or 80s. They instantly reveal their era through color palettes (or lack thereof), hairstyles, and fashion. While those changes were often due to the limitations of film, today, digital photography offers incredible stability. Yet, presets and filters can still prematurely age your photos. That trendy editing style you love today? Ask yourself if your future teenager will call it “timeless” in 15-20 years.
We believe in true color editing. In 20 years, the grass will still be green, and autumn leaves will still be golden. Your clothing, hairstyles, and even your venue might date your photos, but, with us, your editing style won’t.
If a “light and airy” or other stylized look is your preference, that’s perfectly fine! Just remember that access to your original, true color images might be more important than you think.
Preserving Your Wedding Memories: The True Color Advantage
True color editing offers another crucial benefit: it’s less destructive to your images. Professional photographers typically shoot in RAW format, a large file containing a wealth of image data. When edited and delivered, these files are often compressed into JPG format, a much smaller file with significantly less data. This compression process is inherently destructive. Heavily stylized edits further compound this issue.
Imagine this: years from now, your children point out how “dated” your wedding photos look. You might wish you could restore the original true color. This is where problems can arise.
At Abanathy Photography, we archive your RAW files indefinitely. However, many photographers delete RAW files to save space, or may no longer have access to them if they leave the industry. If your RAW files are lost, and your JPGs are heavily edited, restoring true color can be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Some photographers only offer their signature style, potentially altering your wedding colors to fit their aesthetic. We’ve heard from couples whose wedding colors were changed by photographers using presets, leaving them disappointed. We believe you deserve more control over your wedding memories.
Why Choose True Color Wedding Photography?
We capture your wedding in true color to ensure your special day is documented timelessly. We also prioritize preserving the maximum amount of image data possible, giving you more options in the future.
In our next vlog, we’ll delve deeper into our editing process, what’s included in your gallery, and how we prioritize your vision for your wedding photos. We’ll also discuss how we put aside our own artistic ego to ensure you get exactly what you want.
BONUS: Also in the next Vlog, we’ll discuss yet another reason we choose true color over exaggerated tones, following a heartbreaking story one of our couples shared about another wedding photographer. You don’t want to miss it!