Photojournalist -vs- Traditional; what's the difference?

I'm sure as you're searching for a wedding photographer you're hearing phrases like, "traditional photographer" or "photojournalist photographer."   It can be a bit confusing as to which style best fits your needs.

So I decided to write a paragraph explaining the difference between the two:

Traditional Wedding Photography

When you hear the phrase "traditional photography" think posed wedding photos.  You know what I'm talking about...those large family shots standing in front of the church or on the reception venue stairwell.  This type of photography is traditional because they were popular before their were fancy cameras and outside of the box thinkers.   This same concept tends to carry over to the bride and groom portraits whereby the photographer will generally run the couple through a series of poses in a set number of locations.

Photojournalistic Wedding Photography

Photojournalistic wedding photography is about telling a story.  The photographer will generally start shooting in the morning when you begin getting ready and will continue to travel with you throughout the day photographing the events as they happen. Such a style of shooting is generally about obtaining relaxed and candid photographs, as such for the most part there will be much less posing involved than traditional wedding photography.

While these styles represent two distinct approaches to wedding photography it is important to understand that many wedding photographers combine aspects of both styles.  Now that you understand the differences between the two you should be able to choose the right photographer for your wedding.