Colour, Style and Timelessness in Wedding Photography
At the very beginning, photography was monochromatic. it was the default – not a choice, but a necessity. No fancy palettes, no filters, no Lightroom presets. Just light, shadow and chemistry. It took time before colour entered the scene – and when it finally did, it was hailed as a revolution. A sign of progress. A badge of modernity. Or… was it just a trend?
Once we could shoot in colour, black and white was labelled old-fashioned. Outdated. Done with.
Then time passed again. Film photography, although fully capable of producing colour images, gradually gave way to digital. Photographers began switching to digital cameras – naturally favouring colour photography. And with the digital shift came something else: software.
Editing Software and the Rise of Colour “Styles”
Modern editing tools are mind-blowingly powerful. The possibilities feel endless – not only in terms of what you can adjust, but also how much you can manipulate the image itself.
And here’s where things get interesting. Because with all that power came the rise of styles. Scroll through Instagram or Pinterest and you’ll find photos in distinct colour palettes, each with a name of its own:
- Light & Airy wedding photography
- Dark & Moody tones
- Boho colour grading
- Cinematic Warmth
- Earthy Neutrals
Couples now search for photographers by editing style. I often see requests for someone who shoots “light & airy wedding photography”. Which is funny, really – because it’s not a shooting style at all. It’s editing. Pure and simple.
When Editing Goes Too Far
And sometimes… it goes too far.
Some images are so over-edited, it’s painful to look at them. All detail washed out, skin tones turned to shades of peachy plastic, skies swapped out for something “better”. You start to wonder – is this even still photography?
Still, these photos have their fans. Just like certain Instagram filters. They become trends. And we all know how trends work.
The Sinusoidal Nature of Trends
Every trend has a curve. It starts quietly, builds momentum, peaks in popularity – and inevitably declines. But the cycle doesn’t end there. Old trends resurface, reborn with a twist: retro becomes vintage, vintage becomes boho, and so on.
Wedding photography is no exception. Styles emerge, dominate mood boards, and slowly fade as new aesthetics take over. Yet some things – like emotion, honesty, or connection – never go out of fashion. And that’s where timeless wedding photography finds its strength: it’s not tied to trends but rooted in what actually matters.
And perhaps that’s why the most meaningful wedding images often defy labels. They don’t scream for attention; they invite quiet reflection. They’re not about what was trending – they’re about what was true.
What Is Black and White Wedding Photography Really About?
Black and white wedding photography is more than just a stylistic choice – it’s a way of focusing on what’s essential. By removing colour, it strips the image down to light, shadow, composition and emotion. It allows the viewer to see the moment, not the palette.
Historically, monochrome photography was the foundation of visual storytelling – long before colour film became widely accessible. That legacy still shapes how we perceive black and white imagery today.
Because black and white wedding photography isn’t part of that cycle…. It stands outside the trend machine. It doesn’t swing up and down on the sinusoid of fashion. It’s… timeless.
You might not personally love black and white images. And that’s fine. But they’ll still look powerful 100 years from now. Meanwhile, will today’s moody matte teal-and-orange still feel fresh in 2040? Hard to say.
And just to be clear – I’m speaking specifically about wedding photographs here. Images capturing important moments – seconds that can’t be replayed. If the editing style follows a fleeting trend, that’s what will remain. Forever.
Light and Airy Wedding Photography – Just a Trend?
Many couples love the clean, bright, almost ethereal look of light and airy wedding photography. And yes – it can be beautiful. But it’s important to recognise that this look is crafted in the editing room. The softness, the lifted shadows, the pastel tones – they’re all decisions made after the photo was taken.
This isn’t good or bad. It’s just something to be aware of. Because trends influence taste, and taste influences expectations. What you love today may feel dated tomorrow – unless it’s grounded in something more than a filter.
De gustibus non est disputandum – but…
Yes, taste is personal. And yes, it evolves. But photography isn’t just a reflection of the current moment – it becomes the record of it. A wedding photo is both memory and message. What you choose to preserve – and how you choose to preserve it – matters.
It’s worth asking: am I choosing this style because I genuinely love it, or because it’s what I’ve seen on Pinterest this month? That reflection can be the difference between timeless wedding photography and a quickly ageing trend.
And if your taste changes – which it might – the photographs won’t. They stay. So it’s worth making sure they’ll still speak to you later. Not in the language of trends, but in the tone of truth.
Editing vs Capturing: What Makes a Photo Timeless
Black and white wedding photography is often associated with analogue photography – and understandably so. For decades, film was the only way to photograph, and colour processing was complex and expensive. Many iconic wedding images from the 20th century were captured in black and white, not necessarily by choice, but by limitation.
Today, that connection still shapes how we perceive monochrome images: as classic, nostalgic, even archival. And while I now work exclusively in digital, that analogue spirit still informs how I shoot.
If you’re curious how I see the relationship between film and digital wedding photography – and why I ultimately chose one over the other – you’ll find more thoughts here: Film or Digital Wedding Photography – What’s the Difference?
So what about me?
I shoot in colour. And I deliver colour. Real colour – natural, faithful to the day, but with my own subtle touch. I don’t follow trending tones or filter packs. I aim for something that will stand the test of time.
That said, my couples will always find a few black and white wedding photography images in their gallery. Not because I think it’s artsy. But because some moments simply demand it.
A photo turned monochrome isn’t just a desaturated version of the colour image. It’s a different edit. A different approach. A different emotional weight.
Why I Still Deliver B&W Wedding Photos – And Why You’ll Love Them
There’s something raw and powerful about removing colour. It sharpens focus. It makes you feel the moment instead of just seeing it. It strips away the distractions and lets the story breathe.
It’s one of the reasons why black and white imagery works so beautifully in narrative photography. If you’re interested in how I use mood, silence and emotion to build a visual story, take a look at how I approach storytelling in documentary wedding photography.
That’s why, even though I primarily work in colour, I always include some B&W wedding photography in each wedding gallery. Not out of habit, but out of instinct. Because sometimes, the absence of colour reveals more.
Colour or Monochrome – the Choice That Lasts
In the end, photography is about emotion, memory and storytelling. Whether in rich colour or elegant black and white – the photo should feel honest. Like the moment it captured.
When you look back at your wedding photos years from now, you want to feel something real. Not a trendy tone. Not a passing mood. But the truth of what happened, and how it felt.
That’s what timeless wedding photography is all about.
And that’s not something you can filter.
