Interesting.
But why would the documentary style still not be easily achievable (given the necessary skills and experience) with a good DSLR or two?
I think you're right. Probably nobody NEEDS a mirrorless, just as nobody NEEDS an electric car, but people buy them for their own reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe mirrorless cameras can be more forgiving of bad technique, in the same way that that things like adaptive cruise control, parking assist, collision avoidance systems and so on can help bad drivers, there may be an element of that to it.
I'm now retired and don't need a mirrorless camera, but I thought about it and decided (rightly or wrongly) that I would only be happy with one of the very top models, and that my "needs" don't justify the price, but we're all different. Also, for the type of photography I do, a good DSLR is perfect for me.
There are a lot of reasons but one of the big ones is the silent shutter allows me to capture stuff that I wouldn’t be able to with the click clack of a DSLR. People at weddings can be very camera aware it’s much easier to capture stuff with them unaware with a silent shutter.
Good point, but doesn't a rangefinder camera have a near-silent shutter too? Henri Carter-Bresson was the original "invisible photographer" and although I accept that he would probably have used a mirrorless camera if he had one, he managed perfectly well without one
It’s a completely different thing.
Couples back in the day only had staged photos taken after the ceremony then the ceremony had to be covered, then the reception and speeches had to be covered then getting ready had to be covered then the dancing. Lots now do second day celebrations and want coverage of that as well.
Style of photography people expect has very much switched to documentary over staged. It’s constantly evolving there is even a big difference between now and 10 years ago.
Agreed, everything has changed. Back in the day, most couples wanted traditional wedding photos, hired the local scout hut for their wedding reception and kept costs down, now it's the opposite. Maybe digital technology drove the changes, in the sense that photographers could suddenly take thousands of shots with an absolute minimum of skill or knowledge, maybe it was that wedding photography no longer needed people with the skills needed for arranging formal shots and managing people well, it doesn't matter.
I haven't done any wedding photography for 17 years or so. I used to enjoy doing it, although it didn't pay compared to my normal photographic work, I was forced to stop due to illness. I accept that if I tried doing it today I wouldn't have a clue