Simon’s Wedding Photography Predictions for 2026

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s time for a refresh in wedding photography styles. There are in particular some things that oscillate between being “fresh” and “bad” and they do spend most of their time in the “bad” zone. Everything goes out of style at some point (remember spot colour, or epic photos shot in puddles?) and I’ve already seen high end photographers rethinking and reinventing a lot of what has been in style the last few seasons.

I also see some things growing out of cultural shifts and the continuing cost-of-living crisis having an effect on wedding coverage.

Of course I may be completely wrong (have you ever gone back to look at the Hitched Wedding Predictions for the last season – they may even be that far off!). Maybe some of them will even come true just because I said so (like a real life game of ‘Simon Says’). But here are my wedding photography predictions for 2026.

Authenticity / The AI Backlash

We’re all facing a constant onslaught of instagram-filter perfection and AI generated industry, with blurring of lines between the two.

I think this year we’re going to see more errors left in photos and a more natural look overall as we all scramble to create imagery that can’t be replicated by an algorithm. Less cleaning up of backgrounds, leaving grain, blur and chromatic aberration in, and not keeping everything straight.

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Wonkiness

Things don’t have to always be at a 45 degree wonk, and they don’t need to be straight either. But there has to be some artistic choice made because straightness and wonkiness communicate things and affect the structure and feel of an image. Shooting every photo at a 45  degree angle and calling it a style has to end, please.

Of course, if one of your legs is significantly shorter than the other, then I figure you should have a free pass on this.

 

 

Purposeful light

As photographers we spent years learning about how the direction, temperature and quality of light.

A couple of years ago we threw it out the window and started shooting everything at f/8 with direct flash. It looked edgy. It looked fresh and exciting and dynamic and it felt like rules were being broken. Sort of like beat poetry in the 1950s.

But, like beat poetry, it had its day. It’s time that photographers start thinking about light again.

And I’ve seen a movement towards that already. With a movement amongst luxury photographers towards using directional, purposeful light again.

I think that will filter through the industry, and direct flash can go back to its day job of  documenting crime scenes in dark alleys.

 

Shorter Days

We’re all seeing more couples asking for shorter coverage as the cost of living is biting in – especially in the UK.

I must admit that although we can work around this – shorter days stop photographers building up connections and getting to know the couple and their guests. Being around people for those extra few hours helps us observe and anticipate their emotions, movements and gestures and it lets us know where we need to be and what to be looking for at key moments in the day.

Not having the extended coverage leaves a lot of guesswork for a documentary photographer, and will often lead to safer, more predictable coverage.

(I will talk about this more soon)

Subtle, true to life colours

I’m seeing subtler hues being used in colour again. Not the washed out brown look of about 5 years ago, but a softening of colour with natural skin tones and the colour there, but not pushed up to day glo nuclear.

Colours always a touchy subject with wedding photographers anyway, as we need to capture the palette that a couple have spent time and money planning with our own personal style.

Curation

This is not a cry for help – I’m using the C word in its proper context. (Those that know me, know I hate the widespread overuse of the words, ‘curation’, ‘elevated’ and ‘intentional’)

Couples don’t want 1,500 photos, delivered in both colour and black and white. It’s completely overwhelming. Part of being a photographer is making the decisions that tell that story and one of those decisions is which photos tell that story.

I think this year we’re going to see a quality over quantity shift back to delivering the photos that are actually needed.

Neither Posing nor Directing

I think this year’s portrait style is going to be a lot less traditional.

Rather than posing, just being there and present and holding space for couples to be themselves. A lot of people are referring to this as documentary editorial – which at it’s most stylised it probably will be a good way of describing it.

I actually think this one will stick, as it’ll continue an erosion of gender stereotypes and expectations in wedding photography that I think a lot of couples will be happy to see the back of.

 

 

Thoughts?

What do you think – does this align with your own predictions. Or am I actually too conservative in my tastes and these trends will continue to be in style and dinosaurs like me will have to get used to them? Drop me a line if you want to chat.