The term contemporary wedding photography is used to describe wedding photography that is not of a traditional nature. The emphasis in contemporary photography is to capture the story and atmosphere from the day, so the viewer has an appreciation of what the wedding was like, rather than a series of pre-determined poses. However, this term can be mistaken for meaning any photograph that is not posed or formal. The advent and advancement of digital cameras and increased use of the internet mean that many people can offer their services as a wedding photographer. However, contemporary wedding photography is more than just not taking very formal photographs and involves the use of composition, lighting and timing to capture photographs that have a strong visual appeal.

There is some uncertainty over what constitutes contemporary and how this differs from other forms of wedding photography. The PSA Journal, March 1994, records a debate on this subject.[4]. This highlights the difficulty with the word contemporary when defining photographic expression, as some feel this term is not sufficiently defined. For example, is photojournalism contemporary or are they different? Photojournalism is easier to define, as the term infers the photography is by its nature similar to journalism, where the emphasis is upon reporting and recording events in a newsworthy manner, whereas contemporary may include an element of photojournalism but is not exclusively that style of photography.