Photojournalism seems to be the hot buzzword in wedding photography. Browse through the many websites for wedding photographers and you'll see “photojournalistic style” along with “traditional wedding photography.” Where does the difference lie?

Photojournalists tell stories.

A true photojournalist is someone who tells a story with pictures. After all, that’s what the names means: a journalist with a camera. In the strictest sense, a photojournalist is someone who has worked or still works in the news business.

Those of us who have won’t approach your wedding as a “checklist.” Even though we still shoot all the key parts like the cake cutting and the bouquet toss, we look at a wedding as a unique event. It’s an important ritual; an extremely significant passage in the lives of not only the bride and groom but also their families and friends.

When a photojournalist documents a wedding, he or she wants to provide insight into who these people are as they pledge their lives to each other and ask those closest to them to be a part of this solemn and joyous celebration.

Photojournalists do more than just shoot black & white.

Most photojournalists don’t routinely shoot a single frame of black & white film on assignments. Almost all the 1500 newspapers in the U.S. and most magazines run color photographs and won’t even allow their photographers to shoot black & white without special permission. The photos you see inside the newspaper? 99% of them were shot in color.

The bottom line is that the choice to shoot color versus black & white at your wedding is entirely an artistic decision, and has nothing to do with whether someone is a photojournalist.

Photojournalists do shoot portraits.

Pick up a copy of TIME, Newsweek or any newspaper and you’ll find it filled with portraits. What differentiates photojournalists from traditional wedding photographers in this regard?

First, we’re accustomed to doing it speedily and efficiently. The nature of the news business means that you often have to get in and out quickly. Even if we use extra lighting we’re used to getting it positioned in a hurry. A couple years ago I went to the White House to photograph a senior advisor to the President. The first words out of his mouth were, “this is gonna be quick, right?” Not only do we have to be quick: we have to be perfect at it, because there’s almost never a second chance.

Second, when a photojournalist makes a portrait we’re trying to say something more about the subject and the people close to them. We might try to show more of the environment around you, giving some idea of why you came to choose this place to hold your wedding. Or maybe come in very close to show that sparkle behind your expression, so you’ll remember what you were really feeling on this special occasion. Instead of just recording who showed up, a photojournalist can make a portrait that helps tell the story of your wedding.

Photojournalists don’t manipulate or influence the scene to make a good picture.

Let me qualify that, because I can hear the critics crying foul. Granted, everyone’s heard the story about the Pyramids being moved on the cover of National Geographic, and I’m all too familiar with the idea that you change a situation just by observing it. Also, I’ll be the first to tell you that there are plenty of hacks in my profession.

Here’s what I mean: a photojournalist shouldn’t try to choreograph or direct the people being photographed. Instead — and this is what I do — we watch what’s happening very closely, trying to figure out how all the elements are going to come together. Then we position ourselves to be ready when everything is in just the right place.

A traditional wedding photographer, without that background of neutrality and non-partisanship that is part of a journalist’s training, may spend much of your wedding day interrupting what you’re doing. You’ll hear, “look this way…now smile…now turn to your mother…tilt your chin” and so forth. That’s fine when portraits are being taken, but if you’re being told throughout the day where to stand and what sort of expression to have on you face, you’re not working with a photojournalist.

What it all boils down to…

There is a kind of conditioning or seasoning that can only come from years on the street covering news that allows me to bring a special quality to wedding photography. It enables me to search for that nugget of emotion, that special spark: the same spark that makes you care about the flood victim or the swimmer who came in second. In a way, covering all those fires, riots, sporting events and press conferences is the best preparation I could have had for your wedding!